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Show liOMi? BEUY il RATE AOHIGE 1 j WASHINGTON, .'on 10 - -While no official announcement as vet been tissued, it is pra-ir... a-uien that tho proposed ai.v.'me; in freight uit3 in both ofiicu .i .".siflcation and western trunk jtne teiruorles now under un-der investigation 'h: he Interstate Commerce 'r-ommis.-iru will bo suspended sus-pended t0 s(U:-e ii?.t- beyond Kebm- ' ar 1 ' i Tho poslb."-y of a further suspension suspen-sion lias been Ta i.-.?.l for weeks The advent 11 o tho commission of two nhw member. Mr. McChord and Mr. Moycr. neither of whom is familiar fa-miliar with tho rqcords in The case, led to the conjecture. The, commission toda informally look up. with the loprcsentatnes of the railroads now In Washington the 1 proposition further to suspend tho rates. They in turn have referred the matter to the executive oflicei3 of the various lines. ,it is expected that the roads again will voluntarily suspend the iate-, in view of the suggestion made b the commission. If they do not comply with the com-mihslon'b com-mihslon'b -intinuted request, it Ik probablo prob-ablo that 'the commission will exerclso ,ts uuthority to suspend the rates for f such time as will enable it finally to dispose of the cases. 1 The proposeJ rates alreadj have been suspended three times, each time voluntarily by tbe roadb. Tho last date fixed was February I It was expected by tho conimissiou until within u daj or two thatthey would be able to reach a decision botore 1tben. It is an open seciet. hoeer, that diffeicnces of opinion have arisen an to tho natuie of the cumin, Salon's action in the rasei. and thee have not been allujcd in ;he last two days. It is probable that a further suspension suspen-sion will not be beyond Mirch 1. The commission roduv lls-teue.i to arguments for a id ngaln.-t th proposed pro-posed rat'-'s. (M Je Brown of the New York Continl Unei muse'iued the view of tho milrua Ik of the necessity of Increased income, because ol ihoir Increased expense". and Clifford Thorue of Iowa. Walter R. slier of Chicago Chi-cago and Francis II James, all representing repre-senting lflrge shipping Interests. In sisted that no necessity for added income in-come bad been shown by the railroads. rail-roads. If tho railroads are entitled to any increase of rateB, that lncreaBo should bo distributed fairly and uniformly-over uniformly-over every part of this traffic. This point was made by Walter L. Fisher of Chicugo, representing: the National Dry Goods' association and the Western West-ern Doot & Shoe Dealers' association. associa-tion. "This case should fail," declarod Mr. Fisher, "because this advance proposed by the roads is placed on. I certain kinds of freight only It is H not a distribution of any increased H cost of transportation of freight gen- H orally, and therefore is discriminatory H and unreasonable." H A novel argument against the pro- H posed Increase in class rates was in- H troduced by Mr. Fisher. He pointed H out that the roads had maintained H that the present class rates had been H In force since 18SS, and that class H rate was bearing Its Just proportion. H of service charge H "As a matter of fact," declared Mr. H Fisher, "the class rates Iu the period H mentionod, in efTect have been ad- H vanced CO or 40 per cent by the H abolition of rates paid to shippers." H Francis B. James, representing: the 'H National Industrial Traffic league and H the Shippers' association, declared that the railroads themselves were re- H sponsible for any discredit which may H have fallen upon their securities. H He suggested that the attempt to H discredit railroad securities, both in H this country and abroad, was made H deliberately" and with ulterior pur- poses. H |