d the profits realized were far from satisfying
the cupidity of the competing lines. It was apparent to their managers
that the competition in the west-bound traffic was similar to that
formerly existing between Chicago and Mississippi and Missouri River
points, which had promptly yielded to pools. The temporary adjustment of
the more perplexing questions which had arisen out of the east-bound
traffic now paved the way for a pooling arrangement for the west-bound
freight. The Southern Pool, under the management of Albert Fink, had
long attracted the attention of the trunk line managers. Its system of
dividing the traffic, of reporting to a central office and of hearing
and deciding complaints had enabled it to exert an almost absolute
control over its members, to compel them to make honest returns and to
prevent rupture and rebellion. It was believed that a pool of the trunk
lines could not be effective or permanent unless organized upon the
Southern basis and presided over by a trunk expert. Accordingly, when in
1877 an agreement for the pooling of the west-bound traffic was reached
by the trunk lines, Mr. Fink was tendered the position of pool
commissioner. Under the agreement reached the total tonnage of the
west-bound business was divided in such a way that the Erie and New York
Central roads each received 33 per cent., the Pennsylvania 25 per cent.,
and the Baltimore and Ohio 9 per cent. of it. If any road received more
freight than was allotted to it by the pool, it delivered such surplus
to the pool, or rather to such a road as the pool commissioner
designated as not having received its allotment. The success of this
pool from a railroad point of view made the trunk lines anxious to
organize a similar pool for the whole east-bound traffic. It was
proposed to control by such a combination the rates on all the
east-bound traffic of the Northwest, by making Chicago the pooling
center, fixing for it a schedule of rates and making the rates of all
the railroad centers in the West and Northwest dependent upon it. The
combination was to comprise more than forty companies, controlling over
25,000 miles of road. The scheme was tried for three months in 1878,
but proved a failure, owing to the fact that nearly all of the many
diverging interests sought their own advantage. The Eastern and Western
trunk line pools were, through the efforts of their commissioner,
successfully maintained, though even their harmony was occasiona