Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1921-09-28
ALL RAILROADS TO
Be GROUPED INTO
nineteen SYSTEMS
|. c. c. Announces Plans for
Consolidat alton of Lines Under
Transportation Act.
WATER CARRIERS ALSO IN

dav announced tentative plans for
consolidating all the major railroads
Of the United States into 10 great sys-
TENS. and gave notice that hearings
would be called upon II in the near
future
Tho step was taken under pro-
visions 81 the transportation act.
which allows the consolidation, ii
voluntary with the railroads concern
sd The proposals now put forward by
the commission follow in the main
plan prepared under its direction by
Professor William z. RIPPLE of Harvard.
The commissions proposed 10 sys-
TENS. as outlined today. provide for
retention OF the competitive arrange
ment of transportation lines. giving
most sections OF the country access to
tau or more OF the great routes de-
Nlscd. The principle followed in max
inr up the consultations was that of
hliching weaker and less profitable
roads to more prosperous competitors
OF connections. at the same time main
tanning the identity very largely OF
existing great railroads. In some cases
branch lines of existing roads are sug-
gostcd for divorce from present own
with Encouragement of terminal ia
cilities.
II Is expected that the plan with al
Tentative arrangements, which the
commission has suggested, particular
IS with reference to New England.
will be- under consideration and argu--
gaent for prolonged period, since per-
mission OF the commission and con-
sent 81 the railroads is required to
every detail before it can be put into
operation.
The voluntary consolidation plan
was adopted by Congress as a pos
slhle means of facilitating the opera
ton Of the American transportation
system under rate regulation, on the
theory that rates followed by the In
ttrstate Commerce Commission were
being found sufficient to give adequate
earnings 10 strong lines while weaker
ruads in the same territory could not
show sufficient earnings to continue
operations.
Washington. Sept. 2s.-The Inter-
state Commerce Commission announc-
cd today tentative plans for the conso!i-
dation of all major railroads of the
United States into nineteen systems
end gave notice that hearings would
~ called on the project in the near
future.
The proposed consolidation wa,
authorized by the Transportation Act
In the main, the plan proposed by
the commission is that drafted unde,
its direction by Professor William 2
Ripley, Harvard University, but som,
variations were made. The commits.
sion said that while all of the larger
OF class one railroads had been in.
sindcd In the makeup of its schedule
. number OF class two and class thre,
lines had also been covered.
The following consolidated system.
are proposed by the commission:
No. Kew York Central. includ
inN the Cleveland. Cincinnati. Chicago
Ahu -. Louis; Monongahela: Bos
ton and Maine; Bangor and Aroostook
and others.
No. 2.-Pennsylvania, including To
ledv, Peoria and Western; Ions
Island, Monongahela, as an alterna
i've 10 the inclusion of that road ir
the New York Central system, ant
others.
No. 5.-Baltimore and Ohio; Read
ms New York. New Haven and Hart
ford; Lehigh and Hudson, and others
Nc. 4.-Chicago and Erie; Della
war;, lsckawanna and Western; Bes
- mer and Lake Erie; Wabash line
east Of the Missouri. and others.
No. b.-Lehigh Valley, New York
Chicago, 81. Louis. Pittsburg an.
West Virginia. and others.
No. s.--Pere Marquette. Ann Arbo
and others.
No. New York, New Haven an
Hartford; Boston and Maine; Bango
afc Aroostook,- Lehigh and Hudscl
River, all of these being alternatives
20 be taken into other systems.
The commission here proposed
variation indicated as system No. "a
or New England-Great Lakes con
. lidati0n. which would include II.
roads given in number Z, the Dela
ware and Hudson, Delaware, Lacka
wanna and Western, the Buffalo
Rochester and Pittsburg and others.
No. s.--Chesapeake and Ohio; Hook
irg Valley and Virginian.
No. s.--Norfolk and Western; tt
ledo and Ohio Central. and others.
No. 10.-Southern, New orlean,
Great Northern and Alabama an
Nicksburg.
No. ll.-Atlantic coast line, Non
folk Southern. Florida, East Coas
mississippi Central, Carolina, Clinch
held and Ohio. and Louisville an
Nashville, and others.
No. 12.-Illinois Central. Seaboar
AR Line; Carolina, Clinchfield al
Ohio, alternatively, and others.
No. l3.-Union Pacific; Chicas
Northwestern; Wabash lines west
the Missouri and others.
No. ii.-Chicago. Burlington ar
Quincy; Northern Pacific; Spokan
Portland and Seattle and others.
No. l5.-Chicago Milwaukee and S
Paul; Great Northern and others.
No. 1s.-Atchison, Topeka and SAM
re- Colorado and Southern; Denv,
and Rio Grande; Western Pacific ar
others.
No. 17.--Southern Pacific, Souther
Rock Island and Pacific; FL Paso al
southwestern; Nicksburg, Shrevepoi
Pacific and others.
No. 1s.-St. Louis-San Francisc
II. Louis southwestern; Chicago al
Alton; Missouri, Kansas and Texa
Aan Antonio; Uvalde and Gulf. al
others.
No. ls.--Chicago and Eastern III
nols; Missouri Pacific; Texas al
Pacific; Gulf Coast Line and others.
The commission noted that Can
dian railroad subsidiaries. such as i
Minneapolis, st. Paul and Sault s.
Marie and the Central of Vernon
had been eliminated from its conso
dalton and that water carriers whe
controlled by railroads concerned. we
included