Show WESTERN RATES DECLARED TO BE QUATE FOR SERVICE RENDERED PUBLIC brief filed with interstate commer ce commission states roads roada can not continue As at present washington D C western railroads cannot continue to maintain adequate transportation service under n present general level of freight rates they declared in the text of 0 a joint brief filed with the interstate commerce commission reductions in the rates on agricultural products in recent years the document declared have already menaced the maintenance of an nil ad equate system ot of transportation in the west tile the railroads asked the commission which now Is engaged in pro preliminaries limin Ilmi aries narles to a general investigation of all rail railroad rond rates to treat separately tho the study ot of the western railroad situation and to ascertain by additional 1 dit tilt ional inquiry whether there are not particular classes of traffic and particular classes classel in industrial products which cannot boar bear increased charges supporting the contentions the brief contained estimates of earnings intended tu to show that tor for 1924 the return upon railroad investment in the west was per cent as compared with per cent in the remainder of the united states in addition the wage payments of western railroads were given as per cent of their payments in 1916 the tax ac accounts counti of western railroads in 1924 were placed at per cent of their tax tai accounts irk in 1911 1011 while in tho the united states staten as a whole the brief said the increase had made the 1824 payments per cent ol of those of 1911 the receivership of the chicago milwaukee st paul railroad was cited the situation of other carriers in this district 6 Is desperate the brief proceeded in spite of at the most moat rigid economies of operation they have been faced with a diminishing net railway operating income while there has been no tendency on an the part of governmental government nl authority to reduce tile the tax burden or be less lesa stringent in respect to required expenditures for safety of operation neither Is the shipping or traveling public ready so tar far as wo we are admixed to accept any impairment of service wo we submit that under tinder these circumstances these carriers carrier are not n et able to withstand even tor for a limit limited e d time a further curtailment in their revenues the faus faila instead warrant increases substantial in their nature western carriers the brief said had encountered a loss of of tonnage by reason of panama canal competition |