The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1905-11-15
TO MAKE Joint RATE
'uEARING m TIE nATTER At
COLFAx ENDED.
IommissIon, After long Executive
Session, Hands Down Q reno.
randum Goods 20 Eastern Wash.
lnaton riust Oe Seat. ~ Quickest
Roufe-Rate on Coal.

Collar, Nov. 14.-After an execu-
tive session Of nearly three hours, the
railroad commission met In the supe-
rior court room at O'Clock last even.
ing and handed down the following
memorandum Of it, findings in the
joint rate hearing:
"The commission has unanimously
agreed upon tho following general
principles governing the decision Of
this cause, viz:
"It 10 satisfied BY the evidence that
the employees Of the Northern Pacific
Railway Company have for many years
followed rule, regulation or practice
Of routing goods from Puget sound ter
minals to practically all points In
Eastern Washington situate on the lines
Of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation
via Portland, Or, and this practice
and custom has prevailed for suoh .
length Of time that the company 10
chargeable with knowledge thereof,
and that such practice and custom,
under the circumstances, constitutes .
rule governing shipments ~ alleged in
the complaint.
Causes Deisy and Expense.
"That such rule and regulation
causes unnecessary delay and addition
al expense, thereby injuriDg both ship
pers and consumers, and 10 therefore
unfair and unjust and unreasonable.
"The commission will therefore
cause an order to be entered abroRatipg
this rule and in lieu thereof will pro.
vide that such goods be routed via
suoh gateways in Washington 40 are
most expeditions and economical. I'M
less otherwise directed by the shipper.
"The commission 10 satisfied that
the sum of the locals now charged on
shipments over two or more railways
in the state is an unjust and unreason-
able rate. and that joint rates ON the
goods mentioned in the complaint CO.
ing in either direction should be estab.
lished.
"The evidence IL practically uncon.
tradicted that for nearly eleven years
joint rate was voluntarily esta blished
and maintained BY the o. H. & N. and
the Great Northern companies which
met the local rate Of the Northern Pa
ci6c railway and also the rate Of the
o. r. & N. to Portland, and the pre-.
sumption must maintain that these
products can DO profitably be carried
were joint rate established.
Joint Rate Should Be Fixed.
The commission 10 satisfied from the
evidence introduced that a joint rate
on coal from Roslyn to Colfax and in.
termediate points should be stablished.
From 1894 to 1902 q joint rate was in
force and voluntarily maintained BY
the Northern Pacific Railway Company
and the o. r. & N. company, when it
was abrogated by the o. r. & N. COM
pany, as 1t frankly admits for the ben.
eft Of the Union Pacific Coal Company
and the Union Pacific Railroad Com.
pany, and q prohibitory rate was
placed on Roslyn coal from Wallula
junction to Colfax.
THE commission will establish q
joint rate on coal from Roslyn to Col
fax and intermediate points.
1.-THE details Of all these joint rates
will require careful consideration and
will be embodied in the formal find
ings, which will be promulgated at an
early date"
The entire day was given up to the
traffic officials Of the three railroads
complained Of. Shortly after O'Clock
the last witness had left the stand,
and 1t was announced by the commits.
sion that at O'Clock announcement
would be made Of the findings of the
board in the event Of an agreement on
the points involved.
o. r. Z N. Puts In New Rate.
After the testimony was in, Attorney
James d. Wilson. representing the o.
r. & NJ, announced that within the
past three days on his recommendation
the o. r. & N. had reduced the rate
on coal from Wallula to Colfax from
$3.50 at on to s2.65 a ton. This, he
says, will put Roslyn coal into Colfax
at the same price at which Wyoming
coal 10 sold here, and will at once dem
whether Roslyn coal 10 oonsid-
cred superior to the Rock Springs arti-
ole, a. claimed by the oomplsinstns in
the GOAL case.