Show 8 Rate on Steel tee to tote the Coast i A rate of 8 a ton on steel shipped by motor truck from the Geneva plant to principal cities on op the Pacific coast has been sanctioned by the interstate commerce commission The commission commission commis- commis sion Bion late Th l Thursday denied the peti petition on of the Inland Steel company company company com- com pany for suspension suspension- of the pu published motor c carrier rate That made the fhe rate effective immediately Under this new truck rate the cost of delivered steel throughout through through- out the western territory served by Geneva will be substantially lowered The lower rate applies not only on shipments to Los Angeles San Francisco Portland and Seattle but to intermediate intermediate intermediate inter inter- mediate points also H. H W. W who appeared before the commission to support support sup sup- l port ort the lower rates on behalf of the Utah department of publicity publicity pub pub- and industrial development cited the difference the new rates would make in the cost of steel to users in Pocatello He said that the price of steel in inland sections of the west heretofore heretofore hereto- hereto fore afore was was on the basis basis' of the Chicago price plus plus' freight from Chicago to the point of delivery regardless of where the steel came came from The rate on steel plates from Chicago to Pocatello for instance instance instance in in- stance was 2160 a ton When added to the Chicago base price of 50 a ton that made the cost of delivered steel at Pocatello Now with Geneva established as a i- price basing point th the cost of deli delivered ered steel at Pocatello will win be the 53 a ton base base- price at Geneva plus per ton freight or a total of That is a saving to Pocatello steel users of 1240 a ton t n with comparable savings to other inland western steel users That's one important result of this I C C approval of the lower tower rates for motor carriers There is another probable result The rhe approval of the 8 rate for motor carriers seems to indicate similar approval for the proposed 8 rate for rail haul to the Pacific coast While the two rate cases are entirely independent it is deemed unlikely ely that the I C C would not approve competitive competitive competitive com- com rates for rail shipments I If both rail and truck rates of 8 are approved the freight cost coat problem which was one of the most critical affecting Geneva should be solved There is every reason to believe that Geneva can make steel and sell it on the coast with such a freight rate in n competition with any other steel producer in the country |