Salt Lake Telegram | 1927-11-03 | Page 2 | I. C. C. Declines to Act on Rail Rates on Milk

II I. C. C C. C DECLINES TO m ACT ON RAil HAnS ON MILK MIU Decision Climaxes Fight of Utah tah Concern for Lower Costs Cost The Phe long tong fight of ot tim the Mutual Mutual Mutual Mu Mu- Creamery company through the Traffic Service Bureau of Utah to secure a reduction In express express ex ex- press and railroad rates on milk and cream throughout the intermountain intermountain intermountain inter- inter mountain country was climaxed on Thursday when an in Associated lre Press s dispatch was received from Washington Washington Wash Wash- ington D. D C C. to the effect that the Interstate commerce commission refuses to consider the matter TIre The decision of the commission lays down a precedent pre limiting its I Iown own authority and according to local traffic experts completely re reverses reverses re- re verses Its past attitude altitude Its action came as a surprise to both the traffic traffic tint tint- fic tic bureau and the creamery The case originated several years ears ago The Mutual company company com corn pany gathers rs milk and cream from all over the intermountain terri terri- tory according to the traffic bu bureau bureau bu- bu reau renu officials from a few tew cans from a wayside farm to truckloads sent In from strategic points The substance of the dispatch is that the interstate commerce commission commission com corn mission passes the buck to the state commission Just what further fur fUr- titer ther action will be taken to secure more equable rates officials of the I creamery company compan could not say I Thursday Under its terms the commission I will not consider any rate cases based on charges that il rates are so low as compared with rates on like commodities moving wholly within a state a as to constitute constitute tute discrimination The was that the commissions commission's power I extended only to the point of pro pio- interstate commerce commence from discrimination and that Vh when n in interstate interstate interstate in- in rates rate discriminated discriminated against state traffic it is the duty of state commissioners to apply remedies All AIl of tho the milk and cream cleam rates through lr the Rock mountain and Pacific coast districts were brought into question but the ct m- m mission held that sufficient evidence evidence evi evl- dence to require reductions had bad hadnot not not been brought out The milk shippers also made the point that In n a number of places in the west tl tI the rate rat char charged ed for milk transportation trans trans- Ji lIy IlY within the th e borders borders' of a state were higher than those thoc charged upon Interstate commerce over the identical route