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Show UTAH II FIGHT TO HALT MTEJUfflCE Possibility of 50 Cents Ton Increase in Coal Price Eliminated FREIGHT SCHEDULE FOR STATE REMAINS SAME I Steam Roads Granted Right to Raise Passenger Fares; Not Electric Lines The interstate commerce commis-Islon commis-Islon at Washington yesterday Issued a decision In which the railroads In l "tab wore denied their request for i permission to raise freight rates ln , Cta h 25 per cent. Steam roads, however, were granted permission to Increase their passenger passen-ger rates 25 per cent but no such permission per-mission was given In the case of tho electric railroads. j It Is estlnialed by rate experts that tho consuming public of Utah saves I about $2.u0m.o00 a year by reason of the decision given yesterday. M l,i M I I I l . Had the commission granted Uie railroads' reqaest for an increase In freight rates, Ogden consumers would I have almost Immediately been called tupon to pay 60 cents moro a ton for 'coal, it is declared. Under tho decision, Utah conl mines can continue to ship coal to Utah points under the' Intrastate rates and these are 26 per cent lower than the intorstato rates. Wyoming coal mines, being In another state, pay a 25 pot-cent pot-cent higher rnt in shipping coal from Wyoming to Utah, but evidence was Introduced at Wwfnhlngtnn to show that the difference in mllesge lo tho principal prin-cipal markets from tho Cnstlegato field and tho Rock Springs field evened even-ed up matters. SAVL.S UTAH MIM i. Metal mining men consider that the refusal of the board to sanction tho Increase asked for prescives their Industry. In-dustry. The case before the Interstate commerce com-merce commission developed a-fter tho commission last August gav0 a blanket increase to carriers engaged ln Interstate Inter-state commerce. The lnerca.se wss 2 5 per cent. Immediately tho roads applied ap-plied to tho Utah utilities commission for permission to raise rates for bust-ness bust-ness exclusively ln Utah to tho rate granted for Interstate business. II H1 VOX OH I t s . H. W. Prickett, manager of the Traffic Servico bureau of Utah, appeared ap-peared before the commission as a Protestant .representing the mine operators, op-erators, thercoal operators and the Salt l-ii..- Commercial dub, presenting Hons against the granting of tho Increase. In-crease. Tho carriers presented but little lit-tle testimony, holding that the ruling of tho Interstate commerce commission commis-sion should be applied to Intrastate rates by virtue of the author. t of the transportation act Tho state commission refused to grant tho increase on ore, coal and passenger rates, save in special cases of the latter Thereupon the carriers appealed from tho decision to the Interstate In-terstate commerce commission, and a hearing was conducted on tho appeal before Kxamlnor William A. Dlsque November 3, 4 and C of last year ln tho federal building. SHIPPERS PKESKN i El IDEM i At that meeting .Mr. Prickett, under whose direction most of the evidence of the protestants was prepared and who conducted a large part of the case, Introduced further exhibit! and evidence In support of tho opposition I to the Increases. Joshua Greenwood, chairman of the state utilities commission, commis-sion, presented the views of the stato body that the Interstao body did not have authority to regulate intrastate I rates. 1 Mining men. Including Walter Fitch. Sr.. president of tho Chief Consolidated Consolidat-ed Mining company. F. A. Sweet, president presi-dent of the Standard t'oal company, anei A. G Mackenzie, secretary of t he 'L'tah chapter of the American Mining congress, were called upon by Mr. I Prickett to testify what the effects of! .the proposed InoreAaes In rules would I I he. Mr Prickett supported these presentations pres-entations nnd with voluminous docu-! mentary proof. ) Tho carriers presented considerable I rebuttal testimony to Examiner . oisque. On December 13 the Utah 'men. led by Mr. Prickett, Warren I isioutenour of tho utilities commission,! ,and Mr. Fitch, presented their nrgii-i mentfl to tho lnterstutc commerce com-j , mission. CONTENTION SI s UNI l Mr. Prlckett's concluding statement' I In ins argument, with which the com-! 'mission has apparently agreed, stated: I "Tho heller of protectants is that I they have shown the Utah Intrastate! rates on ore and coul to bo not un-l reasonably low. If such a showing has been made, then It would appear! that a holding to advance the said' rates to an unreasonably high level I In order that the excessive revenue d-rlvd d-rlvd therefrom should ! used to make up a deficit of the carriers In some other part of tho country would bo repugnant to tho spirit of Justice and fair play, thereby defeating the) very purposo for which our constitution constitu-tion was formed, nnd tho effect of I such a holding would be to Ignore Ihe provisions of the act to regulate commerce (which commands that alii rates shall ho just and reasonable) and appear to be nothing more n..r los' than class legislation." ! I 1 1 is STRIKING. The Utah case takes on u partlcu-l lar significance nnd the value. Of the victory to the Utah shippers and con-: sumers la especially striking, In view of tho fact that the Utah caao Is the nlj pne Of the elozen or more state, cases ii which the commission saw fit to uphold the existing intrastate rates.' |