An  executive  or  central  committee  was  also  appointed,  consisting,  of  a
representative  of  each  one  of  the  trunk  lines,  who  were  to  conduct  all  mat-
ters relating  to  the  joint  west-bound  traffic.  Any  question  relating  to
the  joint  business  upon  which  the  representatives  of  the  four  trunk  lines
could  not  agree,  was  required  to  be  submitted  to  the  decision  of  the  com-
missioner. This  organization  was  established  upon  the  same  principle  as
that  which  existed  in  the  Southern  States,  and  was  fully  described  by  Mr.
Albert  Fink  in  a  statement  made  to  this  office.  See  appendix  to  the  first
Eeport  on  Internal  Commerce,  pp.  1  to  48,  inclusive.  The  agreement
embraced  only  the  west-bound  traffic  of  New  York  City  to  all  points  west
of  Suspension  Bridge,  Buffalo,  Dunkirk,  and  Salamanca,  N.  Y.,  Erie  and
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  and  Wheeling  and  Parkersburgh,  W.  Va.
The  traffic  from  New  York  under  this  agreement  was  apportioned
among  the  several  roads  in  the  following  proportions:  To  the  New  York
Central  and  Hudson  Eiver  Eailroad,  33  per  cent. ;  to  the  Erie  Eailway,
33  per  cent. ;  to  the  Pennsylvania  Eailroad,  25  per  cent. ;  and  to  the
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Eailroad,  9  per  cent.  This  apportionment  scheme
with  certain  changes  as  to  the  proportion  of  the  traffic  apportioned  to
each  road,  still  exists  as  a  practically  independent  organization.
