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Show WILL ALLOW IADS TO INCREASE RATES Interstate Commerce Commission Com-mission to "Let Up a Little" Lit-tle" on Railways. WILSON SEES FIGURES Concludes That Money Must Be Earned in Order to Buy Equipment. By International News Service. WASHINGTON, Dec. IS. The International Inter-national News Service has authority for the positive statement that the railroads rail-roads arc to be allowed to increase their freight rates o per cent. This is true of the eastern lines between be-tween tho Mississippi river and tho Atlantic coast and north of the Ohio river. A ma,orit' of the interstate commerce com-merce commission is convinced of the necessity of "doing something" for the roads. Tho president; has also! taken -up the question and personally analyzed tho reports of railroad earnings earn-ings and expenses. Onc of the railroad experts of the government went to te White house this -week with statistics. lie found President Wilson had worked out. the figures for himself and knew more about them than the expert. The president was deepl' concerned over tho widespread report of poor business in many industries. lie remarked re-marked that railroads cannot order adequato rails and steel cars unless they earn the mouoy to pay for them. With credit impaired they cannot hor-row. hor-row. The decision as to rates rests with the interstate' commerce commission. They arc not unanimous, but it has been decided lo hasten the hearings and tho decision, and this in itself indicates that the commissioners aTc going to "let up on the railroads a little," for tho sako of general prosperity, as one of them expressed it. |