Show I I Arguments at Washington December 14 Decision I Later Important One I CHICAGO Nov 2 Presentation of I. I evidence in the rate hearing before interstate commerce commission was concluded late yesterday Arguments will be heard by the commission at Washing Washing Washing-I ton on December 14 and after due de deliberation deliberation de- de liberation the commission wilt will announce what it is generally considered d wilt will be bethe bethe the most important decision it has ever everl given The hearing was instigated at the in instance instance in- in stance of shippers who rose in protest when western railroads announced that rates on fifty different commodities would be advanced Opposition tor to this became general and the railroads agreed not to put lit the new rates into effect until the Interstate commerce commission had conDucted con con- Ducted a hearing at which the shippers be bf heard heard- heard as as to the fairness fairness- of ot the proposed advances es Hearings were held at New and Chicago Chicago- conducted d at first first- by an ex examiner examiner ex- ex but later owing to the p para paramount mount importance of the case Commissioners Commissioners Commis Commis- Clark and Lane assumed the duty It took the shippers only a few hours to introduce evidence but an Imposing Imposing Im- Im posing ma mass s of statistics and testimony went Into the record for tor the railroads The shippers were represented bv a number number num num- ber of or attorneys who confined their ef efforts ef- ef torts forts l largely rg lY to attacking the railroad eviden evidence e rather than to Introducing original inal testimony for themselves Railway men admitted that the advance advance ad ad- vance in rates on the fifty commodities ties which formed the basis of th h hear hearing ar ing was merely an entering wed e e. e th ultimate purpose being to advance rate all alon the line According to the shippers the final effort of this policy would be to place a tax of on the consumers The Railroad Side In k a general way the argument presented presented pre pre- by the railroads was that in increased increased in- in creased rates were necessary for tor the following reasons 1 Increased wages to employees 2 Increased cost of maintenance and operation 3 Public demand for increased and expansion of or transportation facilities The position taken by the shippers was that the railroads were receiving a gen generous en- en erous return on their actual Investment and among other things they sou sought ht to show on examination cross that the low rate of ot earnings shown in the statistics presented was due due- more to overcapitalization than to low rates During the examination today of ot Stanley Stanley Stan Stan- ley H. H Johnson assistant freight traffic manager of the Rock Island road Commissioner Commissioner Com Com- missioner Lane Ian as ed some pointed Questions questions ques Ques- I h v found In m my experience he said that railroads find very little difficulty culty in raising rates without much Justification Jus jus- atlon and at any time they see fit fit- If It there were no restraint placed on the railroads could not the roads advance th the rates without end Of Ot course if the railroads were utterly utterly ut ut- terly Indifferent nt to public opinion and were not a body of minded fair men then the rates might be raised endlesslY endlessly end end- lessly but this would not be done as the railroads only ask a fait fal profit replied Mr Johnson JOhnsn Rates Not Too H High ghIs gh Is it not a fact asked Commissioner Lane that deep down in the mind of the traffic manager he knows that even the present rate rat is is' too high This brought a laugh from the crowd during which time the witness replied in the negative e. e In the course of ot his testimony Mr Mr- Johnson admitted that no general ad advances vances In rates were made by the railroads railroads rail rail- roads without agreement with other com com- If they did he added It would mean going out of business Attorney Ellis representing the Chicago Milwaukee St St. Paul Introduced tables showing the effect which the proposed advances would ave on traffic in South Dakota i and North Dakota The tables showed showed- that th the increased revenue on pounds of wheat coarse grain flour and other mill products would amount to His tables showed that of ot the proposed Increases which on all commodities commodities com com- he estimated at nearly half alf would come out of the farmers of the two Dakotas Mr Ellis declared that while railroad rates have been standing still the farmer his has been earning 50 more per acre from his farm tarm The road he declared is asking askin only an Increase p i tf B P i of 13 cents per acre for tor freight rc ht charges on farm products not so bad Said the witness We helped the farmer to get that and for our share we ask only 13 cents |