Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-04-16
VICTORY FOR CHANGERS.

The Interstate Commission Decides
Against the Railroad Companies in the
Matter of Freight Rates Discrinina-
tian.
WASHINGTON, April 13.--,rhe Interstate
Commerce Commission to-day decided the
case Of the Delaware State Grange OF the
Patrons of Hlsbandry VS.. the New York,
Philadelphia 4 Norfolk Railroad Company,
the Delaware Railroad Company, the Phila.
delphia, Wilmington d Baltimore railroad
and the Pennsylvania Railroad Company
in favor of the compliments.
The points decided are briefly as follows:
For special service by carrier, such as
the transportation of perishable fruit, re-
quiring quick movement, prompt delivery
at destination, special fitting up of cars,
their withdrawal from other service and
their return empty on fast time, all in
volving expenses to the carrier, a higher
rate than for the carriage of ordinary
freight is warranted by the conditions of
the service and is reasonable and Just.
But the higher rate for Il special service
should bear just relation to the value OF
the service to the traffic, and is not wholly
in the discretion of the carrier. While q
carrier should be fully compensated, the
public interests require that the tariff
should not be rendered valueless to the
producer if the charges of the carrier have
such an effect and it can be reasonably re-
duced.
The requirements of the statute that all
rates shall be reasonable and Just involves
a consideration of the commercial value
of the traffic and implies that rates
should be so adjusted that producers of
traffic as well as carriers may carry on
their pursuits, successfully, if practicable
for both and without injustice to the
carrier.
The public good requires what is plainly
the spirit of the law, that the transporta-
ton interests are not alone to be consid-
cred, but that in the Just exercise of regu-
lation care should be taken that the lawful
and necessary occupations of citizens are
not unjustly bIrdened.
The complaint was that the defendants
charges for the transportation of specified
perishable articles of truck farming from
stations on their lines of railroad to Jersey
City.and Philadelphia were excessive and
unreasonable and that the charges we're
higher for the shorter distances from their
stations on the Peninsula in Delaware and
Maryland than for the longer distance
from Norfolk, Va. II was found that the
charges on certain articles specified from
stations ON the Peninsula were excessive
and reduction as follows was ordered
Peaches and berries from all stations on
the main line, 20 per cent.
On apples, peas, kale, spinach, radishes,
cabbage, lettuce and other vegetables eX-
cept potatoes from all stations north of
Delmar; and for apples, peas and other
vegetables except kale, spinach, radishes,
cabbages and lettuce from all stations
south of Delmar on the main line IS per
cent, On potatoes on the main line from
all stations, % per cent.
The reduced rates are however in many
cases still considerably above the rates on
the same articles from Norfolk, the show
ing not being sufficient to enable the com
mission to determine substantially how far
the lower Norfolk rates were justified by
the difference in the conditions and circum-
stances. That subject was left for future
consideration.