Annual Report of the Interstate Commerce Commission

as above with the exception that the Western has been substituted for the Joint Texas. This, they inform me, will also be made to apply to all points in Arkansas as soon as a meeting can be arranged between the Arkansas lines, which it is expected will be done at an early day. The Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis also used the Missouri State and the Mississippi State classifications between points in those States.

The Kansas City, Saint Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad used the Western, Middle and Western States and Southern Railway and Steamship Association and the Joint Texas classification.

The Hannibal and Saint Joseph used the Western, Middle and Western States and Southern Railway and Steamship and Pacific Coast west-bound.

Uniformity in freight classification.—Call for representative meeting.

CHICAGO, November 15, 1888.

The conference consisting of representatives from each of the leading traffic associations of the country, which it was agreed should be held for the purpose of determining what progress can be made toward unifying the several freight classifications now in use, will assemble in the city of Chicago, in the rooms of the Western Freight Association, in the Rookery building, 217 La Salle street, at 10.30 a. m., Tuesday, December 4, ensuing. The delegates who have thus far been appointed areBy the Transcontinental Association: J. C. Stubbs, general traffic manager Southern Pacific Railway; J. F. Goddard, third vice president Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fé Railway; J. M. Hannaford, traffic manager Northern Pacific Railway. By the International Association: J. G. Schriever, traffic manager Atlantic systems, Southern Pacific Railway, G. W. Cale, general freight agent Saint Louis and San Francisco Railway, S. B. Hynes, general freight agent Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fé Railway.

By the Western Freight Association: Paul Morton, general freight agent Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, A. C. Bird, general freight agent Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railway, M. Knight, general freight agent Wabash Western Railway.

By the Southern Railway and Steamship Association: A. Pope, general freight agent Norfolk and Western Railway, W. H. Stanford, vice-president Old Dominion Steamship Company, G. A. Whitehead, general freight agent Central Railroad, Georgia.

By the Central Traffic Association: J. T. R. McKay, general freight agent Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, C. E. Gill, general freight agent Grand Rapids and Indiana Railway, G. G. Cochrane, western freight traffic manager New York, Lake Erie and Western Railway.

By the Trunk Line Association: F. H. Kingsbury, through freight manager Pennsylvania Railroad, W. S. Sloan, general freight agent Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railway, R. I. Crawford, general eastern agent New York Central and Hudson River Railroad.

In addition, three representatives are to be appointed from the roads in New England, also three from the Mississippi Valley, i. e., the territory north of the Southern Railway and Steamship Association, and south of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi River. From the latter territory the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas, Louisville and Nashville, and Illinois Central have been requested to send representatives. The road first named has appointed Mr. R. X. Ryan, its general freight agent. Mr. Albert Fink will attend to the appointment of the three from New England.

It has further been requested that Mr. R. G. Stevenson, of the Trunk Line Commission, and Mr. Paul P. Rainer, of the Central Traffic Association, who acted as secretaries of the special classification committee during the past year, should attend and again serve in a like capacity, and they are accordingly so notified.

Delay has been experienced in issuing the call, with the view of ascertaining when the representatives from the Transcontinental Association could attend, as they travel the longest distance. The first week in December was therefore fixed upon; and as Chicago had, at an informal meeting with the Eastern lines, been agreed upon as the place, the conference will, as first herein before recited, be held in this city, on Tuesday, December 4, ensuing, commencing at 10.30 a. m.

J. W. MIDGLEY,

Chairman.

APPENDIX F.

THE GOVERNMENT-AIDED RAILROAD AND TELEGRAPH LINES.

(1)

ACT OF AUGUST 7, 1888.

AN ACT supplementary to the act of July first, eighteen hundred and sixty-two, entitled "An act to aid in the construction of a railroad and telegraph line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean, and to secure to the Government the use of the same for postal, military, and other purposes," and also of the act of July second, eighteen hundred and sixty-four, and other acts amendatory of said first-named act.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That all railroad and telegraph companies to which the United States has granted any subsidy in lands or bonds or loan of credit for the construction of either railroad or telegraph lines, which, by the acts incorporating them, or by any act amendatory or supplementary thereto, are required to construct, maintain, or operate telegraph lines, and all companies engaged in operating said railroad or telegraph lines shall forthwith and henceforward, by and through their own respective corporate officers and employees, maintain, and operate, for railroad, Governmental, commercial, and all other purposes, telegraph lines, and exercise by themselves alone all the telegraph franchises conferred upon them and obligations assumed by them under the acts making the grants as aforesaid.

SEC. 2. That whenever any telegraph company which shall have accepted the provisions of title sixty-five of the Revised Statutes shall extend its line to any station or office of a telegraph line belonging to any one of said railroad or telegraph companies, referred to in the first section of this act, said telegraph company so extending its line shall have the right and said railroad or telegraph company shall allow the line of said telegraph company so extending its line to connect with the telegraph line of said railroad or telegraph company to which it is extended at the place where their lines may meet, for the prompt and convenient interchange of telegraph business between said companies; and such railroad and telegraph companies, referred to in the first section of this act, shall so operate their respective telegraph lines as to afford equal facilities to all, without discrimination in favor of or against any person, company, or corporation whatever, and shall receive, deliver, and exchange business with connecting telegraph lines on equal terms, and affording equal facilities, and without discrimination for or against any one of such connecting lines; and such exchange of business shall be on terms just and equitable.

SEC. 3. That if any such railroad or telegraph company referred to in the first section of this act, or company operating such railroad or telegraph line shall refuse or fail, in whole or in part, to maintain, and operate a telegraph line as provided in this act and acts to which this is supplementary, for the use of the Government or the public, for commercial and other purposes, without discrimination, or shall refuse or fail to make or continue such arrangements for the interchange of business with any connecting telegraph company, then any person, company, corporation, or connecting telegraph company may apply for relief to the Interstate Commerce Commission, whose duty it shall thereupon be, under such rules and regulations as said Commission may prescribe, to ascertain the facts, and determine and order what arrangement is proper to be made in the particular case, and the railroad or telegraph company concerned shall abide by and perform such order; and it shall be the duty of the Interstate Commerce Commission, when such determination and order are made, to notify the parties concerned, and, if necessary, enforce the same by writ of mandamus in the courts of the United States, in the name of the United States, at the relation of either of said Interstate Commerce Commissioners: Provided, That the said Commissioners may institute any inquiry, upon their own motion, in the same manner and to the same effect as though complaint had been made.

SEC. 4. That in order to secure and preserve to the United States the full value and benefit of its liens upon all the telegraph lines required to be constructed by and

to a uniformity in the various classifications now in effect. In this association, and I judge in others, as additions and changes to classifications have become necessary, we have endeavored to reach as near as possible uniformity with other associations in such additions and changes. This association has also had a committee at work since last January with the subject of uniform classification under consideration in connection with a like committee from the Trunk Line, Central Traffic, and other associations. Another committee, consisting of Col. T. M. R. Talcott, first vicepresident of the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company, chairman, Maj. W. F. Shellman, traffic manager of the Central Railroad of Georgia, and W. H. Stanford, vice-president of the Old Dominion Steamship Company, has lately been appointed to meet a like committee from other associations at as early date as possible, probably some time in November, to take another step in the direction of the adoption of a uniform classification.

Extract from letter of General Freight Agent Pope, of the Norfolk and Western Railroad, under date of November 2, 1888.

The question has now received renewed vitality and consideration, and there has been a conference between Commissioner Midgley and Commissioner Carter of our Southern Association, looking to the resumption of the discussion of the classification matters, and the question has been again considered by our committee, and Commissioner Carter has again appointed a committee of conference from our association to take up with Commissioner Midgley and the committee of which he is chairman, the consideration of this question de novo. Commissioner Carter of the said Southern Association has requested me to act as chairman of the said conference classification committee. I have accepted the position and propose to have an informal meeting with Commissioner Midgley on this subject at an early date.

The importance of the subject has for a long period seriously impressed ms, quite in advance of any views of anticipated national legislation on the question, or of the probable action of the Interstate Commerce Commission, simply because I have believed that it was eminently necessary that there should be a national freight classification, upon the grounds of good business principles and traffic intercourse.

I trust now that the question will continue to receive consecutive consideration and a possible satisfactory result reached at a not distant date, and I think it proper to make this statement to you in order that you may understand that the railways, at least of the Southern Association, are becoming alive to the importance of the subject. I will be pleased to advise you from time to time as to any results that may attend the efforts of the respective committees.

Letter from J. Waldo, of the International Association, dated Houston, Tex., November 8,

1888.

The matter of uniform classification is one that lines of this association have given serious consideration, and at a meeting in Saint Louis last week a committee from among the traffic members was appointed to confer with like committees from other associations, to present to your Commission, if possible, a classification that would receive their unanimous consent.

The only classifications which the roads of this association have had in use or with which they have been familiar since January 1, 1887, are the Trunk Line Official classification, which has been changed, from time to time, the Atlantic Sea-board and Texas West-bound classification, the Western classification, used to a great extent by lines west of Chicago and the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, the Joint Texas classification, used entirely for business having origin and destination in the State of Texas, except to Eagle Pass, El Paso, and Laredo for Mexican business, and the Western classification as adjusted to Texas traffic, which on the 15th ultimo superseded the Joint Texas classification for traffic having origin or destination in the territory of this association, except where the Mexican classification governs south of the Rio Grande River.

It is proper to add that the traffic having origin and destination in this State, and from territories east of the Mississippi River, except sea-board and Pittsburgh, has been governed since January 1, 1837, until October 15 last, by the Joint Texas classification and Western classification of June 11. Subsequent to that date by the Western classification as adjusted to Texas traffic.

Of the classifications referred to herein, you have the Official, the Western, and doubtless the Joint Texas and Western as adjusted to Texas traffic, but not being

positive about the two latter, I have this day inclosed them to you under a different

cover.

Speaking in a general way in regard to classification, I can assure you that the members of this association are anxious that there should be adopted a uniform classification for the railways of the United States, and believe that this can be done without any very radical changes. Of course some changes must be made, but few of them will be so opposite to the general good that they can not be used.

While all the railroads have done something, and some of them labored arduously with the view of getting a uniformity that your honorable Commission might approve, yet there has been no unity in the matter. The latest move, above referred to, which seems to have been inspired by your Commission, will have a direct and proper tendency towards accomplishing a good result.

Extract from a letter from J. W. Midgley, Chairman, dated Chicago, November 9, 1888.

In order to give you some idea of the variety of classifications under which one road was obliged to work during the first part of 1883, permit me to make extracts as follows from some of the letters received.

The Wabash Railway Company had in effect classifications as follows:

The Chicago and Alton Railroad had three classifications in use: the Illinois State, Missouri Local, and Western classifications. The first named applied between all stations in Illinois, and had nine classes, namely, 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, A, B, C, and D. The Missouri classification applied on business between stations in Missouri, and had twelve classes, namely, 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, and special. The Western classification applied on traffic carried between stations in Illinois and Missouri, and had nine classes, namely, 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, A, B, C, D, and E. The same company had in effect on transcontinental business the two Pacific Coast classifications east and west-bound.

The Saint Louis and San Francisco used the Western, Missouri State, and Pacific Coast, and afterward the Joint Texas classification.

The Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western classification revised to October 1, 1886, on all local business, also on all business between points on their line and Milwaukee and Chicago. The only other classification they were using January 1, 1887, was the revised Western, which applied on business between Chicago and Milwaukee and Ashland and Duluth; also between points on the Southern Division of their road called the Fox River territory, and points on the west of the Mississippi River including Saint Paul.

The Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railway used the Wisconsin classification on business between points in Wisconsin and the Illinois Commissioners' classification locally in Illinois; while on business from Chicago to Milwaukee originating at the sea-board they used the Trunk Line classification and on all other traffic the Western classification.

The Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railroad used three classifications on interstate business. The Western applied between points on their line west of and including Memphis. The Southern Railway and Steamship applied between points on the line east of Memphis, and the Joint Texas applied from all points on the line both east and west of Memphis to all points in Texas and all points in Arkansas, excepting those situated on their own line proper. They also applied the Southern Railway and Steamship classification on business from Missouri River territory, and points on their line to what is known as the Mississippi Valley territory, including New Orleans, Vicksburg, Mobile, Meridian, Jackson, Yazoo City, Greenville, Huntington, Baton Rouge, Port Hickey, and Port Hudson. At various times they issued through rates from New York and the Atlantic sea-board to points in Arkansas based on the Trunk Line or the Official classification. That company is still using the same classifications *Rates were shown after each article; also the same rule was observed in the Mexican classification.

The Kansas City, Saint Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad used the Western, Middle and Western States and Southern Railway and Steamship Association and the Joint Texas classification.

The Hannibal and Saint Joseph used the Western, Middle and Western States and Southern Railway and Steamship and Pacific Coast west-bound.

Uniformity in freight classification.-Call for representative meeting.

CHICAGO, November 15, 1888.

The conference consisting of representatives from each of the leading traffic associations of the country, which it was agreed should be held for the purpose of determining what progress can be made toward unifying the several freight classifications now in use, will assemble in the city of Chicago, in the rooms of the Western Freight Association, in the Rookery building, 217 La Salle street, at 10.30 a. m., Tuesday, December 4, ensuing. The delegates who have thus far been appointed areBy the Transcontinental Association: J. C. Stubbs, general traffic manager Southern Pacific Railway; J. F. Goddard, third vice president Atchison, Topeka and Santa F6 Railway; J. M. Hannaford, traffic manager Northern Pacific Railway. By the International Association: J. G. Schriever, traffic manager Atlantic systems, Southern Pacific Railway, G. W. Cale, general freight agent Saint Louis and San Francisco Railway, S. B. Hynes, general freight agent Atchison, Topeka and Santa F6 Railway.

J. W. MIDGLEY,

Chairman.

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