The Bingham County news. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1918-1930, 1923-04-06

consolidating of all railways west
Chicago and the Mississippi river II
four systems as proposed recently t.
the interstate commerce commissio
by Hale Holden, president of the Chi
cago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad
would create many unnatural allianc
es, and would greatly strengthen tn,
so-called Hill group of railroads and
greatly weaken the so-called Harri
man group" said Judge Robert 8
Lovett, chairman of the Union Pacit
ic System at today's hearing before
interstate Commerce Commissioner
Henry c. Hall. The commissions ten
tative plan comprising seven instead
Of four systems was characterized az
affording the basis ard ground work
which should be departed from only
with great caution, the Holden plaa
grouping the Union Pacific with the
Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Paul, was
strongly condemned, the witness ,x-
planning that the commission g
plan of placing the Chicago & North
western with the Union Pacific WIS
the only logical grouping, the Chicago,
Milwaukee & st. Paul being compe-
titor and the Chicago & Northwest
ern connection and natural ally.
Should the Hill lines merger be APP
proved, Judge Lovett said a remer-
ger Of the Hartman lines, Union Pa
cific and Southern Pacific, should be
authorized to meet the strong combl-
xxrIf ha nff0ofod NV q
Great Northern, Northern Pacific &
Burlington. The retention of the
Northern Pacific by the Southern
Pacific with the same conditions i'm.
posed by the commission in the recent
hearing is satisfactory to the Union
Pacific as they protect with reasonable
adequacy, the rights Of the Union Pa
cific," he said.
Continuing, he added, Another
striking effect Of the way the Holden
plan treats the old Hartman system
appears when after assigning to the
Southern Pacific, the Rock Island, 1t
also puts with the Southern Pacific,
the Missouri Pacific and the Missouri,
Kansas and Texas systems with which
the Southern Pacific does but little
business and with which it would
have occasino to do even less after |
acquiring the Rock Island, and also |
the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient,
which the press dispatches report Is
about to be abandoned; the Missouri,
Oklahoma & Gulf and half interest |
in the Denver & Rio Grande Western |
and the Denver & Salt Lake. The lat
ter feature Is especially significant /!
because it would indeed, effectually |
bottle up, or, as Prof. Ripley expire 's-
ed it,, short circuit The Union Pa.
cific since it would give the Southern |
Pacific line Of it's own through fro n
Ogden and Denver parallelling the
Union Pacific from Ogden both to
Omaha and Kansas City and parallel
ling also the lines allocated to the
Union Pacific from Omaha to Chicago |
and elsewhere east of the Missouri
river.
"The plan is more kind to the San
ia Fe system; for it takes away from
the Union Pacific group where the
commissions tentative plan places 1t,
the Chicago G. Northwestern, which in
connection with the Union Pacific is
the door and gateway for most of the
competition out Of Chicago with the |
Santa Fe for Pacific coast traffic and
it turns it over to the Santa Fe to-
gether with the Chicago st. Paul,
Minneapolis & Omaha, which is the
principal connection and almost the
sole reliance of the Union Pacific for
traffic coming to its line at Omaha
from St. Paul, Minneapolis and that
territory.
at gives to the Santa Fe, the Can
adam Pacific controlled lines the
Minneapolis, st. Paul and Sault st.
Marie and the Spokane International
thereby taking away another valuable
of the Union Petite at Spo
kane Thus the plan sends the San
ia Fe as far into the Northwest as
Spokane, Washington, by going thru
Sound. However, its capacity for
harm to the business of other lines in
the northwest would not be great, for
while almost in sight of the promised
land-Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Port
land, it is given no entrance therein,
but is held safely on the east side Of
the Cascade mountains, at Spokane.
"The Santa Fe is also given the st.
Louis Southwestern, the Chicago &
Eastern Illinois, the New Orleans,
Texas G Mexico, the Western Pacific
and a half interest in the Denver & {
Rio Grande Western and the Denver L
& Salt Lake. 1t takes away form the 1
Santa Fe however, the Colorado & I
Southern and the FIT. Worth & Dem I
ver City, which the tentative plan Of t
he commission put with the Santa Fc c
and transfers them to I
he group embracing the Burlington Y
md other strong Hill lines. 4
Judge Lovett made 1t plain that he 4
lad no objection to the commissions il
consolidation Of the
I'LL lines but that II that were done n
be commission should also authorize b
- h. To- - l.