The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1905-02-25
BY William Francis Guion.

attic and Spokane, Portland and Spo-
kane. To compete for Yakima, or
Wenatchee, business Spokane jobbers
would enjoy the same rate into those
! towns as do the jobbers of Portland
, or Seattle. Therefore, says the sup
porter of Durhamism, Spokane will
be placed on an equal basis with the
, coast shippers at those towns. With
this line drawn through the state the
coast shippers can not pass We
natchee or Yakima because the rates
would be higher on the longer haul
| and this would give Spokane the adj
vantage.
This argument is used repeatedly
to clinch the theory that an equalizing
of rates, leyellng of state tariffs
by the commission, would give ample
protection to Spokane against the
| coast shippers.
But would it?
1t would, certainly, if that were
all there would be to the rates
charged 1t would if the goods origi-
mated in Spokane and were not ship
ped to Spokane, or Seattle, from the
| eastern manufacturing centers.
But Spokane must get her goods
from other markets. Those other
markets are beyond the confines of
the state of Washington and, there
| fore. the goods are shipped under the
interstate commerce law-with which
the Washington state commission can
not interfere.
1t Is because of this interstate
commerce supervision-this long in
| terstate haul--that an equal division
| of rates inside the state would work
injury to the Spokane jobber.
Why?
Because, under the interstate COM
merce system Of rates for the long
| haul, Seattle and Portland are given
| the cheaper terminal rate, while Spo-
kane is allowed but the local rate.
In other words. the rate on first
| class goods from eastern points to
Spokane is $4.15, while the rate on
| the same goods from the same points
to Seattle is but '$2.67.
This is wrong, you say. 1t should
not be that goods can be shipped
through Spokane the longer distance
| to Seattle for less cost than they
can be shipped to Spokane. 1t ought
to be remedied, you declare.
Well, can II be remedied? Not, l
say, by any commission created by
the state of Washington. The state
! commission, does not, can not assume
| jurisdiction over goods in transit
through this state when those goods
are shipped from another state. 1t is
| interstate commerce business, regu-
| lated and controlled by federal laws
| 1t is as separate and distinct as are
the customs collections from the
state revenues.
The state commission can not die
| tate to the railroads what rates they
shall charge on goods hauled from
| another state into Washington.
Therefore the state commission can
not equallze the charge of s415, as a
local freight rate to Spokane, with
the interstate or terminal rate of
$2.67 to Seattle.
Now let us figure what. under such
conditions of interstate freight
charges, would happen If state COM
mission We're to equalize the rates
from Spokane to Wenatchee, or Yaki-
ma, and from Seattle to those points
In the first place, you must bear
in mind that the state commission
will have no control over that rate
of S4.15 to Spokane and that rate Of
$2.67 to Seattle. You must not lose
sight of the positive fact that a
state commission can not change
those rates. Only the railroad COM
pany or the Interstate commerce
commission can do that.
| Now take the rate of si16 on first
class goods from tho east to Spo-
kane. This is fixed cost to the
| Spokane iobher which he must pay
| to get his goods into Spokane Then
| he sells those goods to the customer
at Wenatchee. The freight to We
natchee. under the equalizing of the
commission, Is - cents. Add the
s415 to the "A cents, the cost of get
| ting the goods into Spokane and of
shipping them to Wenatchee. 1t
| gives you a total cost. in buying
goods ut Wenatchce through n Spo-
kane jobber, of sLS9 as freight
charges, this. of course, being added
to the original cost OF manufacture.
Now take the same class of goods
| in Seattle. These goods cost the Sc
attic tobber. In freight charges. s2.67,
the ratio based on the longer haul to
n terminal. Add to this s2.67 the
| n cents the commission has estab-
| lishei a. the rate from Seattle to