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Show ADVANCE RATES ARE ALLOWED Bituminous Coal, Coke, Fruit and Vegetables Under Higher High-er Railroad Tariff. MANY INCREASES DENIED Interstate Commerce Commission Commis-sion Files Report on Western West-ern Freight Demands. Washington, Aug. 11 Tho interstate inter-state commerce commission today gave its decision in the western freight case, alleging advances in bituminous coal, coke, fruit and vegetables vege-tables and denying increases on grain, livestock, packing house products, fertilizers and broom corn. The decision allows some of the increases asked and denies almost as many others. Summary of Decisions. The commission summarized its decision de-cision as follows: "Proposed increased carload rates on grain and grain products considered consid-ered as one commodity not justified. "Proposed Increase from 30,000 to 40,000 pounds in the minimum carload car-load weight of grain products justi fied. "Proposed increased carload rates on livestock not justified. "Proposed carload rates on packing house products and fresh meats, except ex-cept as indicated between points on the Missouri river, not justified "Proposed Increased rates on bituminous bitum-inous coal except as to South Dakota points, justified. Tho rates on coke proposed, which are' the same as on coal, justified. "Proposed Increased carload rates on Drewcrs riuu ami ies iuu .-. load rates on domestic rice justified. "Proposed increased carload rates on broom corn not justified "Proposed increased Import rates and proposed increases In carload minima from gulf ports justified. "Proposed increased carload rates on fruit and vegetables justified. "Proposed increased carload rates on hay and straw where not in excess ex-cess of Class' C, justified. "Proposed increase any-quantity rates on cotton piece goods and proposed pro-posed increased carload rates from points in Texas not justified." Western Rates Affected. The decision affects -freight rates mainly west of the Mississippi and In the southwest It affects, indirectly, indi-rectly, every railroad in the United States and the commission today served notice Of its action upon 2300 large and small lines. The action denies all the larger incroasos The advances granted, in the viewpoint of the commission, are of relatively little significance. The commission itself has no final estimate of the amount of the in- Ul eii&es ill uuimio oi'u --"" - " various estimates of record, however, made by witnesses for both sides and based upon the higher figures where the estimates disagreed, the following table, announced in' the decision, indicates indi-cates roughly the annual increase In the railroad tevenues and the increases increas-es being allowed to go into effect: Grain and grain products, $2,940,-'237. $2,940,-'237. Livestock, $1,500,000. Packing house products and frjesh meats, $1,500,000. v Coal, $1,226,122. This makes d total with other items $7,004,247. - Dissenting Reports Filed. Dissenting reports were filed by Commissioners Daniels and Harlan. Differing from the attempt of the eastern railroads to get a five per cent increase, the western roads, instead in-stead of asking a uniform Increase, singled out particular commo"dIties, moving mainly in carloads, and proposed pro-posed specified increases, changes affecting af-fecting minimum weights, increased charges for special service, and increased in-creased rates on a number of miscellaneous miscel-laneous articles. Tney oasou tnese claims ior additional addi-tional revenue on the ground of financial fi-nancial needs, tho downward tendency tenden-cy of their net earnings and because the commodities involved do not bear their equal share of the burden. The state commissions and other bodies denied that the financial condition of the roads warranted increased rates. The region particularly affected by the increases embraces Illinois, Wisconsin, Wis-consin, the Dakotas, Colorado, Nebraska, Ne-braska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Ar-kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and the coal traffic area of Indiana, Kentucky and Alabama. Daniels for Railroads. Commissioner Daniels in his dissent dis-sent held the roads were entitled to increases "far in excess ' of those granted by today's decision. He was convinced that the majority of the commission in refusing the principal increases took the position that the financial fi-nancial straits of the railroads were traceable to financial mal-administra-tion. The commissioner held that there was no question as to the facts in the financial affairs of the Rock Island. 'Frisco System, and the Alton', which ho referred to as Having been , "wrecked and plundered," but he held the rate Increnses were justified on their own merit. He added that the railroads had "abundantly demonstrated" that their operating income was smaller than is demanded in the public Interest. Harlan's Dlaspnt Brief. Commissioner Hnrlan's dissent was brief, merely holding that, aside from the financial condition of the railroads, rail-roads, he was convinced that 'the increases in-creases they asked were just and reasonable. rea-sonable. He concurred in the increases in-creases allowed In the majority report, re-port, but was unable to agree with the refusal to grant increases on livestock, fresh meats, packing house products and cotton piece goods, some of the principal freight upon which the roads asked more revenue. Roads Uneconomical. The majority held that two financial finan-cial experiences of the roads had been that of industry generally, but referred refer-red to tho possibility "thai particular carriers, by reason of financial management man-agement reflected in their operating methods have been uneconomical and wasteful in expenditure and thus necessarily nec-essarily Increased their operating expense. ex-pense. "The negative conclusion reached in this connection is but confirmatory of tho fact , that the increase in net operating expenses Is traceable to deep sealed underlying causeB which have affected carriers (generally, throughout and Increased operating COStB." Decision Is Disappointing. Chicago, Aug. 11. The -western freight rate adjustment by tho Interstate In-terstate commerce commission was largely disappointing to the heads of the railroads arfected. "The advances are much less than 'we had a right to expect as Commissioner Commis-sioner Daniels who hear the evidence ?nd filed a dissenting vote said" commented com-mented E. D. Sewnll. vice president of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St Paul. "However, we are thankful for small favors." '"- Mr Scwall'B remarks were typical of others. |