Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-10-16
NOVEMBER eighth
SET BY THE STATE RAILWAY
CnMMTecInN
UUNlNIEDUfuIst
To Have Railway Companies Oper-
atiEg in Washington TO Appear
and Answer Complaints. The
Commission Makes the Complaints
to Themselves. Will Hear Cases.

The Washing on state railway com.
mission is M king strenuous endeavors
to keep "busy," and is meeting with fail
success. The commisei ion of its own
motion has iioi with itself complaint
against four railroads, designed to com
pei Joint freight rates, and a hearing will
be held at ColfaX on November s, after
the requisite thirty days notice has ex.
pired.
The railroads named as defendants OF
respondents are he Great Northern, the
Northern Pacific, the Oregon Il Rtilroad x
Navigation COMPANY aud the Washing.
ton u Columbia River railway.
The Seattle complaints, AS we'll as the
Roslyn-Coliax coal complaint. and, in
fact, the whole joint rate matter, is
raised bv the complaint, which recites
each instance separately, and asserts
that the failure to make joint rates by
the roads between points within the
state and the charging OF local freight
tariffs on each road is unjust and un-
reasonable. e complaint starts by
rectng the np, ion of the several de-
fendant road
1t is then r. ted that a. Spokane there
are facilities or the exchange of less
than carload freight shipments between
the Great Nor he"n, .. r & n. and
Northern Pacific roads, and that such
roads have tx Changed such freights
there, and have in the past made joint
rates for the transportation of freight
from point on one of such roads to points
on another road through such transfer
point, Spokane. Similar facilities are
alleged to exist for exchange of freight at
the following junction points:
At Pasco, where the Northern Pacific
and the Washington & Columbia River
roads connect.
AT Wallua Junction, where the 0. r.
II N. and Washington and Columbia
River roads connect.
Both at Pasco and at Wallula, it is
alleged, the railroads have exchanged
freights in the past under joint rates.
1t is then alleged in turn that the
shippers have demanded and have been
refused joint rates by the several roads
through tn Spokane, Pasco and Wallula
functions, and have been forced to pay
local rates on each road, which rates are
said to be nnjust and unreasonable.
Instances are cited generally that per.
sons on the Northern Pacific and Great
Northern are denied joint rates through
Spokane via the y. X. & N. to South
eastern Washington points.
The Northern Pacific is charged with
having stahlished rule by which such
shipments from points on its line are
hauled to Portland, and there turned
over to the o. II. & N. for shipment to
Eastern Washington points at rates equal
to the Northern Pacific rate 10 Portland,
plus the O. r. & N. rate from Portland
to destination.
1t is chargee that people in South.
eastern Washington desirous OF shipping
hay, corn, millstuffs, etc, to Puget
Sound have been denied joint and rea.
sonable rates through the natural con-
nections, Wallula and Pasco.
The Reslyn case is also incorporated,
and the charge is made that instead OF
the old rate through Pasco, the rate is
1926 ton more, because the o. r. & N.
refuses to make rate from Wallula
Junction, and freights have to be paid at
local rates via Portland.
The procedure requires the railroads
to appear and answer aud bring evidence
to show that the rates are not unreason-
able, and to show cause why joint rates
are not established.