Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-15
MISSOURI PACIFIC
MERGERS PUSHED
Company Has. Gone Far To.
ward Carrying Out Plan
of |. c. c.
BY CHARLES r. SPEARE.


NEW YORK, May Is. - That THERE
are likely to be further changes in the
official personnel as we'll as in the
boards of directors of properties con-
trolled by the Missouri Pacific system
is the belief in Wall Street, following
the radical adjustments to the new
Van Sweringen ownership of the prop
erty that has just been announced.
The Missouri Pacific had gone long
way toward completing merger of lines
tentatively recognized as legitimate by
the Interstate Commerce Commission
before the merger program of the COM
mission was promulgated last year. 1t
had secured, by purchase of stock, con-
troll Of the Texas Pacific. New Orleans,
Texas IL Mexico and the International
&, Great Northern lines. 1t also has
had dominating position in the Den
yer & Rio Grande Western Railroad
which. in turn, is closely related to the
Western Pacific.
Williams Retirement.
The retirement of William H. will
liams as chairman of the board of the
Missouri Pacific in favor of o. P.sVan
Sweringen makes probable a further
change in his relations to the Texas
Pacific, the International e. Great
Northern and the New Orleans. Texas
81 Mexico lines. of which he is also
chairman of the directorate. j. L. Lam
caster. now president of the Texas Pa
ctfic, was one of the Missouri Pacific
directors not reelected at Tuesdays
meeting. l.. w. Baldwin, who is to be
retained as head of the Missouri Pacific
operating forces. Is also president Of the
New Orleans, Texas & Mexico and the
International & Great Northern. 1t is
quite significant that among the Mis-
80 So Iir4n ta;y, he
new board we're several who are known
TO have been valuable to this road and
to the Texas Pacific in developing traf-
fic for these lines In the Southwest that
formerly had gone to the Southern Pa
! ciflc. The Missouri Pacific organZa-
ton has been extremely aggressive in
recent years in obtaining routings for
business that originated on other lines.
1t has been able to secure considerable
portion of the high rate freight traffic
moving out of the Imperial Valley and
from the irrigated districts of Arizona,
both on the Southern Pacific, and send
ing 1t East from Ell Paso, Tex, via the
Texas Pacific and the Missouri Pacific
connections in preference to giving the
long haul to the Southern Pacific.
The Wabash and the Missouri Pacific,
having been for years members of the
same railroad group and original parts
of the OLD Gould system, exchanged a
great deal of traffic at the Mississippi
River. In railroad circles 1t is the COM
mon belief that, as soon as practicable,
the new owners of the Missouri Pacific
will throw an increasingly large amount
of business from the Missouri Pacific to
their Nickel Plate line rather than give
favors to the Wabash.
Those who are acquainted with the
inside situation in the Eastern railroad
field know that one of the main OBJ
stacles to the formation of a four-road
plan of consolidation is the animosity
existing between the Pennsylvania Rail-
road management and the Van Swer-
ingens. 1t is believed that the retire
ment Of Mr.. williams as chairman of
the board of the Missouri Pacific was
due as much to his Affiliations with
the Pennsylvania. which controls the
Wabash and Lehigh Valley, as to any
other factor.
Merger Plan More Difficult.
This makes it more probable that the
existing relations between the Missouri
Pacific and the Wabash will be modi-
fed. It also renders more difficult the
working out of the consolidation
scheme by which the Pennsylvania,
New York Central, Baltimore 81 Ohio
and Nickel Plate lines were to divide
up the trunk line territory.
Another confused situation arising
from the change in ownership of the
Missouri Pacific has to do with the
Western Pacific. This road. controlled
by Arthur Curtiss James, is not now in
very strategic position, with the Van
Sweringens dominating the Missouri
Pacific and with its interest in Denver
a. Rio Grande Western and Western
Pacific. the fact that the Interstate
Commerce Commission refuses to con-
cede what all railroad men admit to be
logical, namely the unification of the
Chicago, Burlington g. Quincy with the
Denver e. Rio Grande Western and
Western Pacific, places the last named
in somewhat isolated position on the
Pacific Coast Its outlook, however,
would be vastly improved should it re-
ceive the approval of the Interstate
Commerce Commission to build line
In conjunction with the Great Northern
and obtain a direct entrance into the
San Francisco territory.
(Copyright, 1907