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Show PLANS FAR SOLUTION OF THE INTERMOUNTAIN RATE CASES PLACEOJEEGRE RAILROADS Interstate Commerce Commission Scheme Provides Pro-vides for Abolition of Preferential Rates, in Existence Many YearsWould Raise Some of the Through Rates. WASHINGTON, Mar. 13. The interstate in-terstate commerce commission hap placed before all railroads concerned proposals looking to tho permanent solution so-lution of in.-- inlcrmountain rate cases The plan provides for the abolition o preferential rates in existence for many years on many articles of West bound transeontinental freight to Pacific Pa-cific coast ports. Existing rates on a vide ranee of commodities from eastern cities to Pacific Pa-cific coast ports are found unreasonably unreason-ably low and adjustment would be ef fected under the proposed plan by raising through rat.ps and prescribing proportional rates to intermediate points. Present through rates on a long list Of other articles, including bras.-. Hi bronze or copper goods, electrical goods, certain iron products, pulp wood, lumber wheat, rice, tea and tobacco to-bacco are found to be reasonable and adjustment of rales to intermediate points would be made by reducing the present rates where they exceed through rates. Railroads Given Time Limit. The railroads are given until April 2 to submit proposed changes m the plan. The case will be argued before the commission April 3 and 4 and will then be taken under consideration for final decision. Tentative findings reached after long and painstaking investigations, include the following: Commission's Findings. Existing water competition is found to be a negligible factor in affecting the rate between Atlantic and Pacific coast terminals by rail. "Rates on commodities from eastern territories to Pacific coast terminals, lower than the rates on like traffic to Intermediate points, are not justi I fled under existing conditions. f Present rates on specified commo ditiea from all eastern defined territories terri-tories to Pacific coast terminals are found not unreasonably low, or not to ! bave been induced by water compcti- 1 1 tion. Intermountaln Rates to be Adjusted i no rares to Arizona, rew nuiWi 1 Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado Colo-rado and Montana as well as to California, Cali-fornia, Oregon frnd Washington should be adjusted at this time as fully as now can be determined. The facts do not admit of such a finding as is sought by the carriers, the coast cities and the eastern bhippers, namely, that present conditions Justify lower rates to the coast cities than to interme dlate points. Neither do the facts altogether al-together admit of such a finding as is sought bv the representatives of the intermountain states, namely, that all of these rates to Pacific coast cities are reasonable and fully remunerative. Some of the rates are unreasonably : low; many of the rates, however, are I not unreasonably low. "Rates from all eastern defined territories ter-ritories to all points west of the Missouri Mis-souri river should be so adjusted now ' that upon the return of water compe tition, whii-h may necessitate reductions reduc-tions in rates to the Pacific coast, the rates to intermediate poin.s need not be disturbed, except the point to f which rates may be affected by com-j bination on the coast. Graded Rates Suggested. "The suggestion is made to carriers that carload commodity rates from the Missouri river to the intermediate ter rltory west thereof be graded with distance, dis-tance, applying rates not higher than 55, 70. 80 and 90 per cent of the present pre-sent coast rates to the territory with In 600. 950, 1300 and 1650 miles from the Missouri river cities respectively "Commodity rates from points cast of i uri river to Arizona points on all items found unreasonably low at present should not exceed the rates from the Missouri river by more than 15, 25 and 35 cents from Chicago, rittsburg and Atlantic seaboard ter ritories, respectively and should not exceed certain maximum rates hereafter hereaf-ter prescribed." Maximum Rate9. In detailing the maximum rates an opnlion Is given as follows: "In our Judgment the rates on these Chicago Pittsburg and New York to i less than carload commodities from all territory more than 600 miles west of tho Missouri river 'should not exceed ex-ceed tho rates to the same points from the Missouri river by more than 30. 50 and 70 cents respectively on articles classified as first class and 25, 40 and 55 cents on nrtlcles classified as second, third and fourth class. "Present less than carload commodity commo-dity rates from eastern defined territories terri-tories to Pacific ports which are high-er high-er than ?2 50 per hundred pounds are not unreasonably low. Present less than carload commodity rates from the Missouri river to Pacific coast ports which are not higher than $2.50 per hundred pounds are not unreasonably unreason-ably low. Rail and Water Routes. "Rates on barley, beans, canned goods, asphaltum, dried fruits and Wine from Pacific coast ports via rail and water routes through Galveston to the Atlantic seaboard should be revised to accord with the require L nvnts or the long and shoit haul 9 |