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Show NEW FREIGHT RATES MEET OPPOSITION Salt Lake Jan. 20 Amendment of the interstate commerce act of 1010 is proposed as a means of preventing an increase In freight rates from Missouri Mis-souri river common points to Salt lako and I'tah common points-. Y H. McCarthy, secretary of the Salt Lake traffic bureau, proposes to car-1 rv the fight Into congress aurl to ask the legislative branch of the government govern-ment to strip section 1 of the act, known as the long and short haul Hause. of everything contained therein there-in with the exception of the long and BhOrt haul clause proper This step is to be taken to avoid long and tedious hearings before the interstate commerce commission and to prevent long drawn out appeals be fore the supreme court of the I'nited j tates, based upon tne "rule of reason," rea-son," which is included In the second sec-ond clause of section 4. In the fight It Is hoped to enlist every railroad and public utilities commission in states west of the Missouri river and all of the commercial organizations in the states affected by the proposed Increase. Thp interstate commerce act as I amended IB 1010 contains the long 1 and short haul clause which provides that there shall not be charged a j higher rate for the transportation of passenper and freight for a shorter haul than for a longer haul In the same direction The second clause of the section grants to the Interstate commerce commission discretionary powers to permit railroads to charge higher rates for a shorter haul than for a longer haul If the commission deem" it. expedient, after a hearing is held The third clause of the section Is known as the water competition clause, which ?Ives railroads the right to charge a greater rate for a shorter haul than for a longer haul when the longer haul is to a point upon a sea-coast sea-coast or a river where railroads must compete with water rates, which are much lower than railroad rates. Before the supreme court of the L'nited States there is pending a case in which the powers of the Interstate commerce commission have been questioned ques-tioned both by the railroads and by the shippers' associations which have filed a dual appeal from the decision and orders of the interstate commerce commission. This case has been upon the docket of the tribunal for eighteen months. |
