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Show j Sectional and Selfuh PACIFIC coast Interests havii entered protests pro-tests with' the' Interstate commerce com-"mlssion com-"mlssion against the proposed reductions in the freight rates orr copper from Utah and other mountain states to he Atlantic toast refineries. .The protests are selfish , in that they seek only to preserve Pacific, coast advantages at ' til costs. -Under existing rates copper can be ehtnm-rf In the ' Pacllc coist bv rail and . thence to the Atlantic seacoast ' by water cheaper than ft can be shipped direct by rail 'to the Atlantlr coast Tefineries. ' - In these protests the railroads find themselves them-selves opposed by a territory which they have helped to build and develop through the maintenance main-tenance of favorable freight fates. It Is still possible to ship some commodities from the ; East to California points and back to Salt Lake cheaper than the same products can be shipped direct to Salt Lake. These advantages advan-tages have done much to fcuild the Pacific coast at the expense of the intermountain country. ' ,. - ; Water competition,' of course, has been a direct aid to the coast Interests in forcing and continuing these discriminations. 1 Even so It must be admitted that a friendly relation be-tween be-tween the railroads and the coast interests has "delayed intermountain development longer '.than water competition demanded. The Pacific Pa-cific coast protest, however, Is not in the interest. of the railroads but in that of the 'shipping interests. It is not exactly gratitude for the many favors granted the Pacific coast . by the railroads in the past, and it is difficult to see how the interstate commerce commission commis-sion can heed the complaints which are so ' admittedly sectional and selfish. |