Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 January 1906 — THE RAILROADS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE RAILROADS

The Chicago and Alton railroad has just completed tests with gasoline cars -designed to compete with trolley cars between Chicago and St. Louis. A. H. Hanson, general passengei traffic manager of the Illinois Central, was chosen chairman of the executive committee of the Western Passenger Association to succeed P. S. Eustis, passenger traffic manager of the Burlington. The executive officials #f the western railroads met at Chicago and entered into an agreement whereby each is bound to inform the interstate commerce commission of illegal acts of any kind. A committee was appointed to watch for evidence. Receivers of the Wisconsin Central Company and the Wisconsin Central Railway Company were discharged upon their petition.by United States Judge W. H. Seaman of Wisconsin. The receivers have been in charge of the properties for several years. Trainmen on the Santa Fe have been greatly interfered with of late by a horde of tramps who, to the number of 2,000 or more, are said to be camping along the lines between Dewing and Albuquerque, N. M. All railroad "men are obliged to go armed and a number have been appointed deputy sheriffs to protect the trains. In the annual report of the Southern Pacific Company, which is controlled by '.he Union Pacific, an increase of $2,>OO,OOO is shown, but still no dividend is paid on the common stock, which has never drawn anything since the organization of the company in 18&L During the latter half of the fiscal year 400 miles of road had been authorized in Califorhia, Nevada and Oregon, to protect and develop the territory served by the system. The federal grand jury at Chicago indicted the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad, its first vice president, Darius Miller, and Claude C. Bnrnham, a foreign freight agent, on the charge of granting rebates. The indictment contained twenty-six counts charging that rebates were granted to the United States steel products export company of New York, which is a branch of the steel trust. For each of the twenty-six offenses alleged the Elkins act provides a fine of from SI,OOO to $20,000. All the shipments were to Vancouver, B. C., and tarious roads over which the goods passed may be Involved. Eastern railroad men laugh at the statement that they hold $20,000,000 from mileage books upon which they draw interest. Governor Hanly’s statement, at the recent conference, was that the deposits amounted to $5,000,000- A* a matter of fact, the railroads say they spend SIIO,OOO annually in conducting their mileage bureau and there are never more than 40,000 books out at one time. This would mean that they held $400,000 of their patrons’ money, but at the same .time they pay 33 1-3 per cent Interest in granting a refund of $lO on every book for which S3O was paid.