The record-union., 1896-12-14
THE LONG and SHORT HAULS.
Railroads Want the Interstate Com
merCe Let Amended.
Their Petition Approved by the Cham
Der of Commerce of Sac
ramentO.

The Chamber of Commerce of this city
has recommended to the Interstate
Commerce Commission the granting of
the petition recently made to that body
by certain railroad companies of the
West, in which they ask relief from the
operation of the fourth section of the
Interstate Commerce Act, known as the
''long and short haul'' clause.
The matter was taken up at the meet
Ing of the chamber the other day by re-
ceiving the following report from the
Subcommittee on Commerce:
Sacramento, Cal, Dec. 8, 1896.
To the Board of Directors Sacramento
Chamber of Commerce-Gentleme
Your Committee on Commerce has duly
considered the accompanying commune
cation from the Honorable Interstate
Commerce Commission and the petition,
hereto attached, of the Atchison, To-
peka and Santa Fe Railway Company
the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad
Company, the Grand Western Railway
Company, the Southern Pacific Com
pany and others to the said Interstate
Commerce Commission, and we respect
fully recommend that your board favor
the granting of this petition. Respect
fully submitted. (Signed), William
Schaw, Chairman; II. Weinstock, p. c.
Drescher, w. d. Knights.
The report was approved by the di-
rectors. Following is the petition duly
attested by the officials of the various
companies:
THE PETITION.
United States of America-Before the
interstate Commerce Commission. APP
phcation of the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe Railway Company, the Dem
yer and Rio Grande Railroad Company,
the Rio Grande Western Railway Com
pany, the Southern Pacific Company,
George w. Ristine, receiver of the Colo
Tado Midland Railroad Company. and
S. H. H. Clark, Oliver w. Mink, E. FL
1ery Anderson, John w. Doane and
Frederick r. Coudert, receivers of the
Union Pacific Railway Company, for
suspension of the long and short haul
clause Of the fourth section of the Act
to regulate commerce.
To the Honorable the Interstate Com
merce Commission: The undersigned
railroad corporations and receivers of
railroad corporations respectfully rep
resent unto your honorable commission
that they are, either alone, or by con-
pection of their respective lines one with
another, and each of them is, engaged in
the transportation of property by rail
between what are known as Colorado
common points, including Denver, Colo
rado Springs. Pueblo, El Moro and Trim
idad, and what are known as California
terminal points, such as San Francisco,
Sacramento, Stockton and other points
upon the Pacific Coast That, in addi-
tion to the through transportation of
products between said Colorado COM
mon points and said California terminal
POINTS, the several carriers, petitioners
herein, are engaged in the transporta-
tion of products from Colorado common
points to other points informed be-
tween Colorado common points and Cal
ifornia terminal points, and in like
transportation of products from such
intermediate points above mentioned to
California terminal points, and from
intermediate points to other intermedi-
ate points.
Your petitioners further represent
that, through the influence Of water
competition from the Atlantic to the
Pacific Coast, supplemented by the COM
petition Of producing markets In the
interior, shipping to common markets
upon the Pacific Coast, aided by the act
i've competition of railroad carriers en-
gagged in traffic from Chicago, Missouri
River common points, Colorado COM
mon points and other producing centers
in the interior of the United States to
said California terminals. and through
the influence Of the active competition
existing in the markets Of the Pacific
Coast by reason of the easy and cheap
access to said markets by water from
various parts Of the world, your petit
TONERS have been compelled to put
In force, and have now in force, rates
on commodities generally from Colorado
common points to California termi-
nal points which do not yield,
and cannot be made to yield, a
fair remuneration for the service act
ually rendered; that the rates charged
upon said traffic, taken in connection
with the general business of said car
rlerS, both through and local, do WELD TO
your petitioners something in excess of
the actual cost Of movement of trains
carrying such traffic but do not WELD
sufficient revenue to contribute a due
proportion to the cost of maintenance
OF road and equipment, or to the fixed
charges of your several petitioners. nor
are they such as to afford any profit to
your several petitioners in the transac-
tion Of their business as public carriers
And in further explanation of the ma
ture or the influences so controlling and
determining rates between Colorado
common points and California terminal
points, your petitioners respectfully
represent unto your honorable commits
sion that, as heretofore found by the
commission In cases pending before it.
there Is from New York to San Fran
csico competition Of steamship lines
from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast.
especially from New York to San Fran
cisco. both by way of Panama and Cape
Horn; that there is, also, competition
by sail around Cape Horn; and your
petitioners represent that the said
transportation by water from New
York 10 San Francisco via Cape Horn.
and the said transportation by water
from New York to San Francisco via