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Show PRESIDENT TAFT TO ACT AT ONCE ON COHPLiT FILED BY UTAH SENATORS Alleging Discrimination by Western Roads Against Salt Lake City, Ogden and Other Interraountain Cities in Matfef of Freight Rates and Violation of Anti-Trust Laws Smoof, Sutherland and Congressman Howell Prefer Charges Washington, April 21.-Presldent Taft today took up for investigation and promised to act at once on a complaint com-plaint filed with him. nlleglng that the western road? are discriminating against Salt Lake City. Ogden and other intermountain cities in the matter mat-ter of freight rates, and arc violating the anti-trust laws. The charges were made by Senators Sena-tors Smoot and Sutherland and Representative Repre-sentative Howell, all of Utah. They asked that the matter be taken up by the department of Justice, rather rath-er than by the Interstate commerce commission. The paper3 filed alleged that Har-rluian Har-rluian shows ho reject for any law but the federal. The papers declare the Harrlman lines are enormously profitable, and include a petition from commercial I bodies In Utah, saying the discrimination discrimina-tion has been carried on for many ! years, and that thejreads have sieadl-ly sieadl-ly increased rates and eliminated com- j petition. Higher rates it h said, are being charged for freight from Chicago, Missouri Mis-souri river i oints and Denver to the Utah territory than for the much longer haul to Pacific coast cities. These rates, says the petition, are without warrant of any competent court or commission. The roada specified are the Southern South-ern Pacific, the Union Pacific, the Oregon Short Line, the Oregon Rail- road & Navigation company, the San Pedro. Los Angele3 and Salt Lake, the Denver & Rio Grande, the Missouri Pacific, the Colorado Midland, the Colorado & Southern, the Chicago. P.urllngton & Qulncy, the Chicago. Rock Island & Pacific, and the Atchison, Atchi-son, Topeka & Santa Fe. It Is stated that on cocoa beans, the rate per car from Chicago to Utah is $591, while for the same car all the way to San Francisco, the charge is only $255. On a car of nails, the I charge from Chicago to Utah Is $440, and from Chicago to San Francisco only $2S0. On a car of printing paper tho rate from Chicago to Utah is $420, and to the coast, only $300. |