Show RATES BEING CUT THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN WESTERN presidents IS BROKEN the latest agreement of western railway presidents has gone the way 0 all its predecessors the chicago and northwestern and the chicago st paul minneapolis and omaha railroads are the first to give formal notice of their withdrawal from the general pooling scheme under the majia gement of geo W alstine Rl stine ex president of the colorado midland railroad with the cooperation ot the northwestern and lines controlled by it no general plan for ithe strict maintenance of traffic rates can be effective regardless of whether pooling Is a feature no important official of western railroads will admit that there has been any pooling ot freight traffic since jan 1 tout all acknowledge that efforts have been continued to perfect a statistical bureau such a bureau Is very expensive and only one thing pooling of profits would compensate the railroads for maintaining it the northwestern and omaha roads have given notice in accordance with the agreement of the western railroad presidents that they will not pay anything toward the maintenance of the statistical bureau or the salary of commissioner alstine after may ast 1st officials of the northwestern decline to inake public their reasons for withdrawing from the presidents agreement tut officials of other roads are not greatly surprised over the developments op ments the northwestern management as thoroughly conservative and always exercised its influenza to prevent rate disturbances but at the same time it never quietly stands by and permits competitors to practice the art of rate manipulation at its expense the action of the northwestern in all probability will prove a death blow to some of the pot schemes of E H harriman and his following those who know him best are of the opinion that mariln hughett Is not a man who can be frightened by mr harraman Harrl man powerful as ahe Is it Is asserted that secret cutting and manipulation of rates never prevailed to a greater extent than it chaa since the magnates undertook to tell the presidents how to tim the railroad while no western railroad president will admit that there has been any pooling of profits and acme flatly deny that there has been yet none ot them will explain why a salary of a year Is paid to 0 W alstine Rl stine when the chairmen ot other traffic associations all receive much smaller salaries mr rare ability as a railroad man la acknowledged by all and it Is equally known that ho accepted the management of the committees at kansas city st bouts louts omaha and st paul reluctantly H js a wealthy man and can well dispense with the salary he is now getting furthermore it Is stated il KUlie would be glad to do so rather than struggle ao carry out the impossible task Imposed upon him to keep the western railroads from cutting rates |