The Portland daily press., 1890-03-17
GAR LOAD CASES DECIDED.
compIainants Win Case Before the
Interstate Commission.

WASHINGTON, March 16.-The Interstate
Commission yesterday, in an opinion by
Commissioner Schoonmaker, decided the
cases brought against the Trunk lines by F.
B. Thurber and others, Thomas L. Greene
and Francis II. Leggett G. Co. of New York
City, known as the carload cases" in favor
of the complainants. The complaint was
made of too great difference in rates charged
on carload and less than carload quanti-
ties. More than 1000 persons, firms and cor
porations doing business in various sections
Of the country filed memorials with the COM
mission expressing their views The points
decided, briefly stated, are: The classified
tion of freight for transportation purposes
Is, in terms, recognized by the act, to regu-
late commerce and therefore lawful: The
classification of freight designating different
classes for carload quantities and for less
than carload quantities for transportation at
lower rate in carloads than in less than
carloads is not In c0ntravention of the act to
conditions of transportation in respect to the
work done by the carrier and the revenue
earned, are dissimilar and may justify reaS.
enable difference in the rate. Public inter-
ests are subserved by carload classifcations
of property that, on account of the volume
transported to reach the markets or supply
the demands of trade throughout the cOun-
try, legitimately or usually moves in such
quantities. Carriers are not at liberty to
classify property as basis of transportation
rates ana impose charges for its carriage
with exclusive regard to their own interests.
They must respect the interests of those who
may have occasion to employ their services
and conform their charges to the rules of
relative equality and justice which the act
prescribes. The cost service is an important
element in fixing transportation charges and
entitled to fair consideration, not alone con-
trolling nor so applied in practice by car
riers The value of the service to the prop
erty carried is an essential factor to be re-
cognized in connection with other consider
ations. Public interests are not to be subor-
dinated to those of carriers and require
proper regard inthe value of the service in
the app0rtionment of all charges upon
traffic. Difference in rates upon carloads
and less than carloads of the same mer-
chandise between the same points of car
riage so wide as to be destructive to COM
petition between large and small dealers,
especially upon articles of general
or necessary use which under existing con-
ditions of trade furnish a large volume of
business to carriers, Is unjust and violates
the provisions and principles of the act.
difference In rate for solid trioad of one
Kind of freight from one consignor to one
consignee and carload quantity from the
same point of shipment to the same destina-
tion consisting of like freight or freight of
like character from more than one consign-
or to one consignee or from one consignor to
more than .cne consignee, is not justified by
difference in the cost Of handling. Under
the official classification, articles known in
trade as grocery articles are so classified as
to discriminate unjustly in rates between
carloads and less than carloads upon many
articles and revision of classification and
rates to correct unjust differences and give
these respective modes of shipment more
respectively reasonable rates, is necessary
and is ordered.