Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-19
RAILWAY RATE BILL
The Hepburn Measure Not
Ready for Publication.
BELIEF AT CAPITOL
SOUNDING MEMBERS OF SENATE
COMMERCE COMMITTEE.
W. D. Kinds, Representing Railway
Interests, Resumes His Testimony
Before House Committee.

The Hepburn railway rate Dill Will not
be made public before Saturday. The SEN
ate committee on interstate commerce will
meet tomorrow and members of that COM
mittee are apprised of some of the pro-
posed features of the Hepburn bill. The
sentiment of the Senate committee will be
sounded tomorrow upon the proposition OF
obtaining an agreement upon the main fea-
lures of legislation before any bill is pre-
sented which Is to be labeled an admins
tration bill.
The sentiment OF the Senate committee
has not been fully developed, but some OF
the members of the committee think the
Hepburn bill little bit cumbersome, al
though in the main probably not obJec-
tionable. But the unwieldiness of the meas
ure may, it Is intimated, encourage the view
that there should be further deliberation by
Congress before passing railway rate leg
1slation. 1t is suggested that perhaps the
full extent and scope of proposed legislation
might be better gone into by committee Or
a commission during the recess of Con-
gress.
Belief at the Capitol.
1t was said at the Capitol today that the
indications are that it will be impossible
to pass through the Senate in the few weeks
remaining of this session legislation to
which the railroads should enter serious
objection as inimcal to their interests.
There will be no difficulty in obtaining in
formation as to the effect of proposed leg
islation. Nearly every great trunk line in
the country has an attorney in Washington
at this time and they are seen daily at the
Capitol. They are the recognized heads OF
the legal departments of their several roads
and they make no concealment of the fact
that they are in Washington to conserve
the interests of the companies they repre-
sent and to look out for legislation which
might be inimical.
Mr. Kinds Resumes.
w. D. Kinds, representing the Atlantic
Coast Line and the Louisville and Nash
vile railroads, continued his testimony
against government rate-making for the
railroads before the House committee on.
interstate and foreign commerce today,
A fundamental error on the part Of the
advocates Of government rate-making, Mr..
H1nds believed, was reference Of ques-
tiops involving commercial rivalry between
localities to any tribunal
Mr.. Townsend called attention to several
cases of this kind which had In the past
been referred to the interstate commerce
commission. This, Mr.. Kinds replied, was
arbitration which had been sought by both
the localities and the carriers and in this
respect was vastly different from forced ar
bitration. Such method he said, would
put the government in the attitude Of dis
pensing prosperity to some localities, which
action would withhold 1t from some other
locality. This was not a proper function of
the government
Long and Short Hauls.
Undue discrimination regarding the long
and the short haul, he maintained could be
corrected under the law as it stood today
There was reason, Mr.. Kinds explained,
for difference in the rates on the long or
short haul. If short haul rate was a rea-
sonable one for the service performed, it
should not be necessarily compared to a
less rate for longer haul on freight des-
tined to still further point, and which
rate had to be made to meet certain COM
mercial conditions. There was no question
IN Mr.: Kinds mind as to the right of the
commission to raise rate, in making a
readjustment, should the power be granted
1t to fix rates.
Mr.. Stevens asked What should be done
when the rate on Oil from Cleveland to
New Orleans is 26 cents and from Chicago
to New Orleans "a cents, the Cleveland
rate?"
Chicago's Rate on Oil.
The reply was that there was no reason
for comparing the two rates; the Chicago
rate on Oil should be compared with the
rates from that city to New Orleans on
other commodities. and if the rate on Oil
WdS 1OuHO W Ue lower tildn lldI On Olner
commodities, 1t should be raised. The tend
ency would be to reduce rates in case
action should be taken by a government
tribunal. The tendency toward reduction
was universal on the part of state commits
sions and the only reason it did not work
greater disaster to the roads was that state
commissions could not touch interstate
commerce. which constituted the bulk of
the business of the roads.
Mr. Kinds said he could not eScape the
conclusion that the power proposed to be
given the commission was absolute author
ity over the earnings and capital of the
railroads and over the commerce Of the
country. At the same time the personnel of
the commission could be changed every
three years, at the option Of any Presi-
dent.
Mr.. Townsend asked If the commission
had abused the power to make rates, which
1t was supposed to have had during the
first ten years of its existence.
Mr.. Kinds said the commission made
raany rates during that time, which the
railroads never observed.