Show I I Till Im J Astronomers tell us UM and Nome Home people J are broadminded enough to believe bellev It that even the moon monn has hns two side though no ono ona has hail over ever seen Moen more one onn side of nt It In like manner we Ve sus etis suspect pert that the tho of ot railroad height rates may have hit more moro than Ihan one onen asPect n though the general public rare rarely rarI ly I sees pens lIel morn more than one ono side Bide of or this In Interesting question Mr Plaisted of the tho Oregon Short lAne Lino railroad has hu undertaken to show shuw to the tho public the point of ot view lew as Re to tho the how why wh of 0 freight rated Ho lie maintains first of ot nil all that thai mull road rOat ratemaking Is IH ns as much a n as na other ratemaking not ilOt an I science like Ilko mathematics hut hilt a n pio pin If scientific experiment never r attaining but bill always approaching per p perfection r The advocate of ot a strictly cost COAt basis of ot freight ht rates luIS has III In dead ded a n plausible cn ease o on tho surface end anti nn the tho argument that Ihal distance alone should be the of ot r Is lit charges charge I seems reasonable enough at al u it first glance but hul title this striking met fact IH is vouched for tor hy by h the Ih writer quoted that no other In iii thin Ilia li is based rigidly rh on nn cost colli Why h then lien he lie heacks acks should railroad freights he be made nindo madean an exception hy by b law The Tho general situation Is thus an analyzed analyzed With Ith Its Invoices as liS It no noon cr cron on the tho bill hll boards under the fierce fl light of ot publicity Its It terms lerm itt Iti It discounts Its II variations all nil Its it details antI criticized by II the th uninformed flint and s and nil misinformed ml some canto sometimes sometime times time fairly sometimes unfairly some coma ties disinterestedly sometimes h ly Its errors and Imperfections fled Its It merits minimized or forgotten tt n nIad made Iad the football of ot politics politiC regulated by hy without responsibility rf ex u exploited by h theorists advocates of ot social the right of 0 those who understand It to 10 defend dl It denied or their Ih motives moll challenged anti ml their de defense 11 defence fence discounted In advance whit other line of nr price making In the Inn world would have havo weathered Mich n it 1 storm even n as 11 well vell an as oura our a has hilS weathered It There Is I much hurh force folte In ill Mr lIr argument Ho lb shown that the tile Amen Ameri America call enit ca n plan of or fixing TRies rates which has hu grown tOwn naturally out of or the thA re ments nicole of nt developing a 1 new country Is II necessarily different from the Ih method employed In III the densely populated 1 countries of or Europe where the zono plan In II followed that namely of ot fix Ox fixing tog ing the Ihl price by tuy h the tho distance so many man nian muss miles xo so mulch much money Accordingly on en tile h plan low grade Irad freight Ight be he I transport transported orl ed eti nt lit all 1111 to 10 certain terminals that plan Is Ii to 10 charge what It would actu actually ally all cost cent plus pill a fair air profit arid and often preclude hauling such cars urR of ot mer flier merchandise chandise as RII cement nit colt scrap or mer nier merchant chant bar har Iron Imn ore or anti and an simi 1011 similar let lar heavy hIli V materials The following colloquy elucidates this th point mInt Question What do tin If they Ihl do with low grade Ira cheap commodities which 11 to tit It move long distances to t there Answer Well they Ihy use lIe the where there thOre mute are B rivers or where then hI are not nol they thoy dig dl canals If It they ran Ian h rl they cant ant they Ihl dont move urh such It If you iou wi wish h to learn I arn nil iuli about that Sort of ot railroad policy timid Its II disastrous dl effect on tho the Industry In you ou should road read Government of ot hy by Pro Prof Hugo huge Meyer published by b the I CM 0 New Iw PW York ork lIe JIll went to ti til l Europe under the U nI tI thAt Post ro of ot Service was th the proper basis bul for railroad rate rat making but ho ws wits com cHIn by what wl ho he h B lieu had resulted from that beet basis on this thu Ih continent Tile Tho American plan l is III to III base bu rates rate the rail railroad railroad upon tho thu entire cost coat of ot running road rood llio Iho European I upon lIpon the cost coot of If handling the freight Tho Tile I Its rates upon the v talus lu of ot It itt service to td the tho producer seeking to 10 move tho the commodity It anti ho has to t mako make n it rule rain which enables enable the th producer to reach the market markt If It It IL can It 11 In is to the th railroads Interest and the Interest t that tile the business budness shall bo done If ti possible That Is real really ly jy what makes competition In Ill this country the of ot the Ih producer of ot every section to It get Ret to every mar rt possible anti the disposition of ot the tho th railroads to help heip him da Ito so Thus tIme tho American railroad must monet do ito bu on varying profits wiling surplus units of ot Its service nt nl what they will bring although It could not possibly pos sell s tilt nil Its units so Ci cheaply hId find while he the railroad In is permitted to 10 Ary vary ltd its profits and fluId discriminate Intile In tile tho price PIle for which It will haul tilt dif different ferent things or In the price for tor which It will haul the same caine things under dif different iii ferent conditions It Is IR not permitted to discriminate between b shippers In Its price for tor hauling the same panic things un tin under under tinder der the same lime conditions this Is a Il pro provision provIsion vision of ot tile the Interstate commerce law Ill Mr presentation pres seems to 10 tobo tobe bo be a clear dear and t one and un l lie ho hor refers r those who wish to 10 go to more mora thoroughly Into the tho whole question to the tho following publications Problems by Wm m 7 nip flip ley II PhD Ph D Prof Irot of economies liar Har Harvard yard vard University Government Regu Regulation lotion lation of Hallway Rates by lIngo Hugo o Meyer As ABet t I Prof irot of ot Political Icom lly of ot Chicago Freight Haten In relation to 10 th Ih the Industry anti nn Commerce of ot tho the United States by ly Logan O CL John son eon on Lecturer on Transportation Hopkins University Wo take no sides In this Ihla matters matter wo vo aim only to get nt Rt the tho truth the whole holo truth an nothing but tim tho truth To Todo Todo Todo do this It Is in Important to 10 learn loarn what the Ihl railroad officials think about the lIlI popular r demand for or absolute equality In tn freight rates |