The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1931-04-21
SLADE RETIRES But
TAKES new JOB AS
RAILROAD ARB|TER
Bismarck Visitor Expects to
Take Things Easy After He
Gets Through With Job

George T. Slade of st. Paul, here
Monday for a visit with MI. and Mrs.
Edmond A. Hughes, has retired from
Rctive busineSs-and has accepted q
new job which would challenge the
interest Of any railroad man with his
experience.
Slade, be it known, is q son-in-law
of the late James j. Hill. He Is q di-
rector Of the Northern Pacific, Great
Northern, Burlington and Lehigh
Valley railroads and has other busi-
ness interests. He al retire If and
when he pleases, provided someone
doesn't come along and intrigue him
into taking on q new Job. which IS
just what has happened.
The new job, judicial In character,
will play an important part in the eff
Fort of four big eastern railroads to
effect mergers and consultations
which will leave them In control Of
transportation in that part OF the
country. These lines would like to
present a united front when they ap-
ply to the Interstate Commerce
Commission for permission to do Ger
tain things-but they have some quar-
rels which they cannot settle among
themselves.
That is where slade enters the pic
ture. He, along with Thomas La
mont, senior partner Of ]. p. Morgan
and company, and Thomas Gates,
president OF the University Of Penn
sylvania, has been asked to serve as
an arbitrator to decide these ques-
tons. Once they have been agreed
upon, the four railroads will ask u
thority from the Interstate Commerce
Commission to whack up the eastern
railroads into four big systems. They
will have more hope of success than
ii they appear before the federal body
and wrangle among themselves. That,
one gathers from Slade, Is what he
and his two fellow arbitrator are to
keep them from doing.
Under a division of work agreed up
on among the arbitrators, Slade will
have to determine what rights, If any,
the Nickel Plate shall grant to the
Pennsylvania to use its tracks be-
tween Ashtabula, O., and Brocton. N.
Y. The Nickel Plate and Pennsyl-
vania railroads would have little
trouble in reaching an agreement
we're 1t not for the strenuous objec-
ton of the New York Central lines.
With these two titans Of the rail-
road world battling on an important
issue, Slade has taken on q task
worthy Of q railroad Solomon, but 1t
doesn't worry him any,. He VIII get
sround to that before long and Will
take care of it when the time comes.
His visit to North Dakota was act
uated by q desire to see how the
spring work was coming on his 1000
acre farm near Dawson. He bought
the land many years ago, he said, for
use as shooting grounds but IN recent
wears has become more and more m
terested in farming.
Slade was chary about expressing
opinions. He offered no suggestion
as to the business Of the country or
how to cure its ills. Asked how he
liked farming and II he had made
money at 1t, SHADES face expressed
polite and depressed pain. One could
see that he hadn't.
Bismarck's Monday evening visitor
is a Incorporating gentleman,
standing six feet tall or better with
q ruddy complexion and erect car
1iage.
He expects to enjoy his retirement
after he gets through with his r