Evening star., 1921-09-28
Hearing on Proposal fer
19 Big Systems to Be An
nounced Soon.
REPORT IS DIGEST OF ONE
i SUBMITTED BY RIPLEY
Canadian Subsidiaries Eliminated
From Outline-Rail Owned
Water Routes Included.


Sion today announced tentative plans
for consolidating all of the major
railroads of the United States into
nineteen great systems. and gave
notice that hearings would be called
upon 1t in the near future.
The step was taken under provisions
sof the transportation act, which al
lows the consolidation, if voluntary,
with the railroads concerned. The
proposals now put forward by the
commission follow in the main a
plan prepared under it's direction by
Prof. William 2. Ripley of Harvard.
Nineteen Systems Proposed.
The commissions proposed nineteen
systems, as outlined today, provide
for retention of the competitive ar
rangement of transportation lines,
giving most sections of the country
access to two or more of the great
routes devised.
up the consultations was that of
hitching weaker and less profitable
roads to more prosperous competitors
or connections. at the same time
maintaining the identity very largely
of existing great railroads. In some
cases branch lines of existing roads
are suggested for divorce from pres
ent owners and attachment to other
systems, with rearrangement of ter
minal facilities.
Changes to BE Long Drawn Out.
1t is expected that the plan, with
alternative arrangements, which the
commission has suggested, particu-
larly with reference to New England,
will be under consideration and ar
gument for a prolonged period, since
permission of the commission and
consent of the railroads is required
to every detail before it can be put
into operatino. The voluntary con-
solidation plan was adopted by Con-
gress as a possible means of facili-
tating the operations of the Amerl-
can transportation system under rate
regulation, on the theory that rates
sion were being found sufficient to
give adequate earnings to strong
lines, while weaker roads in the same
territory. could not. show sufficient
earnings to continue oper attUn1. r.
We have sought to minimize dis
memberment of existing lines or sys-
TENS" the commissions report says
The tentative plan is put forward in
order to elicit full record on which
tre plan to be ultimately adopted can
rest and without prejudgemsnt of any
Ilatters that may be presented upon
that record In some respects the
]:ip1ey plan is not followed by the
commission. but in these cases alter
natives are presented for considera-
tom
The commission said that while all
OF the larger of the class l railroads
Us schedule. number of class and
class lines had also been covered.
Outline of Systems Proposed.
The following consolidated systems
are proposed by the commission:
No. New York Central, including
the Cleveland, Cincinnati. Chicago
and st. Louis, Monongahela, Boston
ard Maine. Bangor and Aroostook,
and others.
No. 2-Pennsylvania. including To-
1cdo, Peoria and Western, Long Is
land, Monongahela, as an alternative
10 the inclusion of that road in the
New York Central system, and others.
No. Baltimore and Ohio. Reading,
New York, New Haven and Hartford,
Iehigh and Hudson, and others.
No. 4-Chicago and Erie, Delaware,
'1ackawanna and Western. Bessemer
and Lake Erie, Wabash lines east of
the Missouri. and others.
No. 5-Lehigh Valley, New York,
Chicago and st. Louis, Pittsburgh and
West Virginia, and others.
No. 6-Pere Marquette, Ann Arbor.
and others.
No New York, New Haven and
Hartford, Boston and Maine, Bangor
and Aroostook, Lehigh and Hudson
River all of these being alternative
1y to be taken into other systems.
The commission here proposed a
variation indicated as system No. IA
kor New England-Great lakes consoli-
dation. which would include the roads
given in No. Z, the Delaware and Hud-
son, the Delaware, Lackawana and
Western, the Buffalo. Rochester and
pittsburgh, and others.
. No. 8. Chesapeake and Ohio, Hook
ing Valley and Virginian.
No. 9. Norfolk and Western, Toledo
and Ohio Central, and others.
No. 10. Southern, New Orleans Great
Northern and Alabama and Vicksburg
No. II. Atlantic Coast Line, Norfolk
Southern, Florida East Coast, Misssis-
sippi Central, Carolina, Clinchfield and
Ohio. and Louisville and Nashville,
and others.
No. H. Illinois Central. Seaboard
Air Line, Carolina, Clinchfield and
Ohio, alternatively. and others.
No. 13. Union Pacific lines, Chi
cago Northwestern. Wabash lines
west of the Missouri, and others.
No. IA. Chicago, Burlington and
Quincy, Northern Pacific, Spokane,
Portland and Seattle. and others.
Paul, Great Northern. and others.
No 16. Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe, Colorado and Southern, Denver
and Rio Grande, Western Pacific and
others.
No. II. Southern Pacific Company.
Chicago. Rock Island and Pacific, Ell
Paso and Southwestern. Vicksburg,
Shreveport and Pacific and others.
No Is. St. Louis-San Francisco, st.
Louis Southwestern, Chicago and AL
ton, Missouri, Kansas and Texas, San
Antonio, Uvalde and Gulf and others.
No. 19. Chicago and Eastern IL
linois, Missouri Pacific, Texas and
Pacific, Gulf Coast lines and others.
Canadian Routes Elfminated.
The commission noted that Canadian
railroad subsidiaries. such as the
Minneapolis, st. Paul and Sault Ste.
Marie and the Central Vermont, had
been eliminated from its consolida-
tion and that water carriers, where
controlled by railroads concerned,
were included.
OF immediate interest to Washing
ton is the suggested plan for the con-
solidation of the following railroads
Offering connections with the south
and southwest under system No. 8:
Norfolk and Western, Toledo and
Ohio Central, GAINESVILLE and Western,
EanaWha and Michigan and Kanawha
and West Virginia.
Connections froEe Washington for
the south are offered through pro-
posed consolidation of the following
roads: Atlantic Coast Line Atlanta