The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-11-18
HILL ROADS COMBAT
PLAN TOSPLLT THEM
Hines and Holden Say Great
Northern and Northern Pa
cific Belong Together.
BURLINGTON ROUTE CRUx
Commerce Board Told Federal
Proposal Would Break Up
Integral System.

WARRINGTON, Nov. II. - Whistler
transcontinental railroads In the North
west should be consolidated into two
regional systems, one built around the
Great Northern and the Chicago, MIL
waukee and ST. . Paul and the other
around the Northern Pacific and Chi
cago. Burlington and Quincy. was taken
up for detailed consideration at hear
ing to-day before the Interstate Com
merce Commission.
Representatives OF the "Hill' group
including the Northern Pacific. Grea'
Northern and Burlington, led by Walker
ID. Hines, formerly Director General OF
Railroads, attacked the plan, which
would separate their unified holdings.
Commissioner Hall explained that the
commission Twas proceeding under the
general instruction Of Congress to pre-
pare consolidation plan that would
combine all the major railroads in the
United States into eighteen or twenty
great regional systems. The commission,
he said. had proposed to separate the
Great Northern from the "Iill' group,
combine II with the Chicago, Milwaukee
and St Paul and thus create two strong
systems in the same territory.
The Burlington. Northern Pacific and
Great Northern" Mr.. Hines declared
appear for the purpose OF showing that
the general public Interest as well as the
Legitimate interest of those three com.
panies require that the lines owned and
controlled by them should be placed In
the same group. Their interdependence
is not only one OF the great existing
facts in the railroad situation of the
country. but it is situation which has
been the outgrowth of planning OF the
abiest pioneers In railroad development.
I'VE believe 1t will clearly appear
that no other proposal involved In the
tentative plan OF the commission (for
general consolidation promises such a
formidable disruption of existing rela-
tionships upon the faith Of which enor-
nous expenditures have been made for
the development of the public service Us
n involved in the effect Of this tentative
plan upon these three companies and
their controlled lines" Mr.. Hines as.
serted.
'Since the statute is framed solely
on the idea that no cancellations are
to take place except by voluntary action
of owners of the property 1t will become
evident that the dispositions made by
the plan are of such a character as tc
create insuperable obstacles to its reali-
Zation."
Heavy losses are IN prospect for the
Burlington. President Holden testified
il It Is divorced from Its present asso.
citation with the Northern Pacific and
Great Northern. A large investment ir
railroad lines in Southern Illinois Goa
fields had been made by this road, he
said, to develop a through movement OF
coal to st. Paul. Minneapolis and Mon.
tana points.
THE whole plan of tho commission
IS based too largely upon the East anc
West traffic instead of giving weigh
to the Importance of north and souti
traffic. Mr.. Holden said. ''As the pop
ulation in the Western territory con
tinues to grow the Denver gateway viii
increase In Importance asa center OF
a large flow of North and South traffic
The market for the products OF the
Northwest. principally lumber, will in
crease throughout the central ant
southwestern States and the volume o.
fruit, vegetables and other products
from the South destined for the North.
west likewise will expand"
Mr.. Holden added that in CONSIDERING
consolidation generally In the Western
half OF the United States the commits.
sion might well have made the projected
railroad mergers much more extensiv,
than had been proposed. On the basis OF
the tonnage now handled by Western
railroads suggested as components OF
mergers, he said, several of the East.
ern systems, including the Pennsylvania
and New York Central systems, handle
more traffic than will the Western con.
solicitations II created.
He emphasized the Intimacy OF
Burlington association with the North.
ern lines by describing existing arrange
ments for Joint use OF tracks, terminal,
and yards and exchange of traffic.