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Show Sl!!B?ffl Ifl BITE HE Eight-Year Fight Against Discriminating Freight Charges Crowned by Victory. INTERSTATE BOARD FILES ITS DECISION Transcontinental Lines Ordered Or-dered to Raise Pacific Coast Tariff to Level of Intermediate Points. WASHINGTON. Jan. 30. In deciding the intermountain rate case today the interstate in-terstate commerce commission authorized transcontinental railroads to increase rates from eastern points to Pacific seaport sea-port cities to the level of the rates now prevailing to intermountain points. Simultaneously, the commission refused to allow railroads to cancel existing commodity com-modity rates on shipments of less than a carload and apply higher-class rates. Rail and water rates on shipments by way of Galveston were authorized increased in-creased to tl'e level of all-rail rates between be-tween the east and west. Rates on commodities com-modities for export may be raised, according ac-cording to the commission's decision. The commission found that the former reason for maintaining lower through rates to Pacific ports from eastern territory terri-tory than to the mountain territory were removed when ships formerly in service between the Atlantic and Pacific seaboards sea-boards by way of the Panama canal were removed from transatlantic service-After analyzing the figures presented by railroads the commission decided that rates to the coast were abnormally low, considering service rendered and transportation trans-portation expenses. For that reason the petition of commercial interests of Pacific Pa-cific points that the intermountain rates be lowered was refused. Intermediate cities, under the commission's commis-sion's decision, will not bear a discrimination discrimi-nation which it was alleged prevailed under un-der the old rate scheme by which through rates were forced down by water competition. Application Is Denied. The commission al;o denied the application appli-cation of the Southern Pacific to maintain main-tain low rates on certain commodities by way of water and rail routes through Galveston unless the same basis of rates is applied to all commodities adapted to water transportation. In refusing the railroads' request for application of class rates to less than carload slupments, the commission specified speci-fied that commodity rates on these shipments ship-ments mitjbt be increased in the same proportion" as Is applied to carload shipments. ship-ments. Water and rail lines through Galveston were asked to establish commodity rates as high as present all-rail rates on bar-lev, bar-lev, beans, canned goods, asphalt, dried fruits and wine from California points to the Atlantic seaboard. Certain railroads, including thoBe maintaining main-taining water and rail routes through Norfolk, had claimed special necessity to maintain lower rates to the Pacific coast than to intermediate points In order to meet the competition of the Southern Pacific Pa-cific by way of its water and rail route through Galveston, The commission declared, however, that it was unable to nnd these roads were at great disadvantage and denied their application. The same increase was allowed for through rates on Imported commodities as was allowed for export shipments through Pacific ports. Commissioner Aitchison dissented from a number of features of the commission's ruling. Will Increase Revenues. The commission's e'ecision will mean nianv thousand dollars added revenue to the "railroads and will remove a longstanding long-standing source of complaint by Interior western cities. The increases resulting from the commission's com-mission's action range from I to 30 per I cent over existing rates to the coast, and are generally estimated at an average of a little less than 15 per cent. An indication indi-cation that the new rate scheme will last onlv as-long s water competition is lacking" lack-ing" Is seen in parts of the commission s decision. In refusing to allow the general substitution substi-tution of hieher-elass rates for less than carload commodity shipment, the commission commis-sion explained that this action was taken "partly In consideration of the probability probabil-ity of a return of water competition when neace is restored." Further reasons for refusins: this application of the railroads were given as follows. "Lcs than carload commodity rates are of long standi nc. Business has be-corn be-corn accustomed to their use and their cancellation will result in much embarrassment embar-rassment and loss of business to persons who cannot ship in c-arloaos the articles rhev manufacture or sell. The Increases reultine from the substitution ot class rates are unreasonable in the light of all the conditions." In a decision last June 30, the comnns-. comnns-. cio e'taMlshrd the general rule that the abandonment of water competition re-onhed re-onhed a realignment ol rates to the Pa- (Contlnued on Page Two.) iTEIOiTil CM j IS 11 BY SHIPPERS (Continued from Page One.) j cifie coast. The roads were ordered either to raise the through rates or re-j re-j duce rates to tho intermediate points, i They chose the former course, and on i Ocio'oer bo riled new Tariffs containing in- creases in the through rates. Jr. was on ; this applicaiioQ that the commission s de-i de-i cision was given. i Hearings have been held within the last ; two months on the case at Now York, Chicago. Portland, Ore., and Washington. Big shippers in eastern territory appeared ap-peared at these hearings to protest against raising the through , rates. Steel interests particularly were affected on account of the large consumption of Iron and steel in Pacific coast shipyards. California Cali-fornia fruitgrowers and canning Indus- tries also entered vigorous protest, j Cities throughout the west were repre-; repre-; sented in support of the realignment of grates.. Commercial organizations of Spo-j Spo-j kane. Kansas City, Chicago, Salt Lake and Boise took an especially active part. LONG CONTEST IS WON BY SHIPPERS OF THIS SECTION A fight that has been valiantly waged for eight years by shippers of the inter-mountain inter-mountain region in an effort to secure elimination of discrimination in freight rates in favor of Pacific coast points as against intermountain points resulted in complete victory for the intermountain shippers yesterday, when the interstate commerce commission handed down its decision in what is known as the intermountain inter-mountain ra'.e case. In brief, the decision eliminates discriminatory dis-criminatory rates by ordering the transcontinental trans-continental lines to raise their rates to Pacific coast points to the level of rates to intermediate points and denies them the right which they aked of raising class rates on less than carload commodity com-modity shipments. The effect of this decision here is to wipe out the discrimination against intermediate in-termediate points as against Pacific coast points, to protect the local shipper from advanced class rates on commodity shipments and to widen the field of operation op-eration of the Utah jobber by extending it between 200 and 300 miles further in every direction. It opens to the Bait Lake district jobber the Goldfield district dis-trict in Nevada, which he has heretofore hereto-fore never been able to invade and which he has claimed as his just portion of territory. ter-ritory. For the ,first time in the history of Utah rates to Utah from the Atlantic seaboard sea-board will be lower than to the Pacific coast cities. The greater part of such traffic moves by way of the Atlantic seaboard sea-board ports, by which route the rates on practically all carload shipments will be 8 cents a hundredweight lower than to the coast and on less than carload shipments commodity rates will be from 10 to 20 cents a hundredweight lower. To shippers of Salt Lake and the intermountain inter-mountain district the decision is of almost al-most inestimable importance, according to local meri. W. H. Prickett, traffic director of the traffic service bureau of Utah, which has taken an active part in the fight to eliminate elim-inate discrimination against the intermountain inter-mountain district, declares that the decision de-cision is a complete victory for the intermountain inter-mountain shipper in every respect and is of untold value to him, both as a matter mat-ter of saving in freight rates and in the enlargement of Ills territory of activities. "The intermountain shippers got everything every-thing they have been seeking," said Mr. Prickett. "The victory is complete and the commission in its decision went just as far in our favor ,as it could possibly go upon the evidence and the matters before be-fore it. What Victory Means. "We did not ask a reduction in rates to intermediate points. "What we did ask and what we have been seeking since 1910 was elimination of the discrimination dis-crimination in rates against Intermediate points in favor of Pacific coast points. At the Portland hearing we asked that no advance in class rates on commodity shipments be permitted and we produced the evidence to show that such advance's as were desired by the roads were not justified. The commission has sustained us in 'our contention. "Under the old rates a person could ship goods from the east to the Pacific coast and back here for about the same that he could ship from the same point east direct here. Thia was a discrimination discrimina-tion that seriously hampered the local shipper and it was an unjust discrimination discrimina-tion against the interests of the intermountain inter-mountain district. We asked that this be eliminated and the commission, by its decision, has eliminated this unfair condition. "This decision is of inestimable value to the local jobber. It extends the field of his operations at least 250 miles or more in every direction and it opens to him the great Goldfield district in Nevada, Ne-vada, which has been closed to him under un-der the- old schedule of rates with its discrimination against the intermountain jobber." The traffic service bureau of Utah has made a valiant figV)t in the intermountain rate case in behalf of the local shipper and it is stated that it was through the showing made by it at the recent Portland Port-land hearing that the contention against the advance In class rates on commodity shipments was sustained by the interstate inter-state commerce commission. It is explained that while the decision does not lower rates to intermountain points it does place these points on a rate basis with Pacific coast points, which takes away the' discrimination in favor of the latter. |