Evening star., 1921-04-25
PLAN IS PROPOSED
FOR RAIL MERGER
|. c. c. Gets Scheme to Con-
SoIidate Lines Into Five
Great Systems.

A plan to consolidate all of the rail-
roads of the country into five trans
continental systems with access to
ports. was filed with the Interstate
| Commerce Commission today by Fred
Brown Whitney of Waukegan. ILL.,.
as a citizen of the United States. and
| a stockholder in various railroads.
The plan would unite the Delaware.
| I.aclsawanna and Western; the New
York. Chicago and St. Louis: the Le-
/ high Valley; the Wabash; the Chi
cago. Burlington and Quincy; the
Northern Pacific; the Missouri Pacific;
| the Denver and Rio Grande; the Colo
RADIO and Southern and various smaller
lines into one transcontinental trunk
system. The other four consultations
proposed are as comprehensive.
Opposes Regional Mergers.
Mr.. Whitney expressed strong oppo-
sition to regional consultations, de-
claring such plan seemed rational
for the few roads most fortunately
situated. but that it did not seem to
be the "preferable method for mar
shaling the country's resources be-
hind our foreign trade and it hardly
squares with the wholesome national
spirit with which the people and Con- |
gress attempted to provide adequate
relief for all the roads within the
United States.
1T is suggested that the preferable |
scientific method, so far as foreign |
trade is involved, is to provide great |
tranScontinental main lines of traffic |
and. so far as it is possible. incorpo- |
rate therein. as letaralS, the roads run /
ming northerly and southerly, especial !
ly from the great lakes to the gulf"
Other Consolidation Plans.
The other consultations would unite !
NO al
Maine. Maine Central. Bangor and !
Aroostock, Ulster and Delaware. Mo- |
nongahela, the Western Maryland, the !
Seaboard Air Line, the Atlanta. Bir- |
mingham and Atlantic, the Atlanta and |
West Point, the Western of Alabama, |
the Central Of Georgia. the Illinois
Central, the Chicago and Northwestern. |
the Chicago, St. Paul. Minneapolis and |
Omaha, the Great Northern. the L MON |
Pacific, the Central Pacific. the st. Jo- |
Seph and Grand Island, the Los An |
geles and Salt Lake.
The third transcontinental system |
would include the New York. New
Haven and Hartford, the Ontario and |
Western. the Pennsylvania, the Chi |
cago. Milwaukee and st. Paul; the |
Southwestern and the Trinity and |
Brazos Valley.
The Fourth System.
The fourth system would be COM
posed of the Philadelphia and Read |
ing. which includes the Port Reading. !
the Atlantic City and the Central of J
New Jersey: the Baltimore and Ohio |
system; the Hooking Valley; the Buff |
falo. Rochester and Pittsburgh: the |
Buffalo and Susquehanna; the Wheel !
ing and Lake Erie. |
The Cincinnati. Indianapolis and |
Western. the Toledo and Ironton. the |
Richmond. Fredericksburg and Poto- |
mac. the Washington Southern. the |
Southern system. the Alabama Vicks- |
burg, the VicksbLrg, Shreveport and !
Pacific, the Carolina and Clinchfield |
and Ohio, the New Orleans Great !
Northern. the Gulf and Ship Island. |
the Ann Arbor. the Florida East I!
Coast, the Atchison. Topeka and Santa |
Fe system, the st. Louis and San
Francisco, including the Frisco sys-
tenn, the Chicago and Eastern Illi- |
nois' the St. Louis Southwestern and |
the Midland Valley.
Plan for Fifth System.
The fifth system would be COM
posed of the Erie system: the Pitts !
burgh. Shawmut and Northern the
Chicago "a nd Alton: the Chicago. Terre
Haute and Southeastern; the Missouri.
Kansas and Texas: the kansas City:
Mexico and Orient: the Missouri and
North Arkansas; the Kansas City
Southern: the San Antonio and
Arkansas Pass: the Missouri. Okla
homa and Gulf: the Louisiana and
Arkansas: the Southern Pacific sys-
TEN; the Louisville and Nashville sys-
tenn; the Tennessee Central; the Nash
Vile. Chattanooga and st. Louis: the
Atlantic Coast Line system, and the
Norfolk and Southern.
CAPPER SUBMITS BILL.