OCR Text |
Show I RAILROADS MAY GRANT COAL RATE REDUCTION P. II. Pla'sted, assistant general freight agent, of the Oregon Short Lino, declared "Wednesday that, lie did not know whether there would be a reduction re-duction in the rato on coal this season or not. 'But,-' ho added, "if such a reduction is made, it will he with the distinct, understanding on the part of the railroad that .the consumer, and not the dealer, will get tho benefit." !Mr. PJuistod declared that as ho had just returned from a trip to the cast, 'ho was not fully prepared to speak definitely upon the 'subject of a reduction, reduc-tion, but in discussing tho mutter he said that when such reductions had been made in former years to encouvaj the summer storage of coal, the cut of 25 cents per Ion granted by the railroads, rail-roads, and sometimes tho additional 25 cents on each ton authorized by the mines, had never got boyond the dealer, deal-er, and tho small consumer, for whoso benefit the rate was made, paid just the same price for his coal as he always al-ways did. '"'For theho reasons," declared Mr. Plaisted, "the storage plan was not a success, because the consumer did not get the benefit of the reduction. Should there be another reduction the railroads must know absolutely beforehand that the consumer will get the intended benefit, bene-fit, and not tho dealer." |