Show Much Damage WASHINGTON DCMay 4The State Department De-partment has received and transmitted to the InterState Commerce Commission a letter from tho commercial agent at London Ontario relative to the effects of the Interstate Inter-state Commerco law on trade between the United States and Canada The letter declares de-clares that since the law went into operation opera-tion imports into Canada from the United States have greatly fallen off and that England Eng-land is securing the trade thus lost Owing to the inability of American shippers to know what through rates are tho Canadian railways cannot yet give through rates over their own and connecting American lines and shippers are consequently unable to let their goods go to the frontier not knowing what further deliver to inland and seaboard points will cost The letter says a settlement settle-ment must shortly be arrived at as our commerce com-merce will receive much damage It will take years to regain this lost trade I wi prestige which we now enjoy in this country To exemplify a case has just COUtr come under my notice of a Canadian merchant who tried to make a purchase of California goods amounting to about 10000 Calforia give it up on account of the inability in-ability of tne American railways to make him a freight rate and consequently he purchased elsewhere In some cases where shipments have gone out the rates have been so much higher than before the passage of the bill that they have absorbed all profit discouraged shippers from repeating proft peating their consignments The increase has been from 2 to 100 per cent above the old rates which is a bad condition of affairs while prices remain the same I I |