Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1905-05-08
Discrimination Necessary.

that man worked.
Discrimination Necessary
Determinations were necessary, de-
clared Mr.. Hill. When his road was
built he went to Washington state and
found that its greatest product was
lumber. There was rate of 80 cents
ON lumber to the Eastern market.
Lumber dealers said they could ship
at 65 cents. He knew they could not
do it and he made rate of 40 cents
and was shipping large quantities of
lumber. This was discrimination
against lumber on the Eastern end of
the road, but in ten years there would
be no lumber produced in that section.
1t was because the cars going out with
merchandise brought loads back that
these low rates could be made.
Beside the merchandise for the Pa
cific coast his road handled freight for
the Orient. Large quantities of flour
at one time were hauled from the Twin
Cities to the Orient, but the interstate
commerce commission stopped it.
This statement produced fire of
questions from the committee, and in
reply Mr. Hill explained that the COM
PAW was compelled to file its through
rates with the commission. This rate
being made public, was cut by rival
railroads which were not compelled to
make their rates public. His conpa-
ny, under the law, could not change
its rate for seven or eight days, and
meanwhile other lines took the cargoes.
Somebody Charging Too Much.
Mr.. Hill told of a shipment of loco
motives from Philadelphia to Yoko-
hama by his company at rate equal
to what another company charged for
transporting locomotives 500 miles.
"This is case,' he remarked, "for
the interstate commerce commission to
take up and investigate. They would
find somebody charging too much"
Commenting on the statement of Mr..
Hill that in twenty years there had
been reduction of rates from two
cents to seventy six hundredths of a
cent per ton per mile, Chairman Elkins
asked what would happen to rates in
the next twenty yeatrs. 'Give the
roads fair treatment replied Mr..
Hill, "and in twenty years think the
rate will come down to half cent per
ton per mile"
Mr.. Hill said the ability of the rail
roads to raise money for increasing
their equipment and for building adj
ditional lines would be destroyed by
taking away from them the power to
make rates. He criticized the terminal
charges enforced below the Harlem
river in New York, saying they were
greater than the rate from Buffalo to
Harlem. He suggested that the inter-
state commerce commission might in
vestigate these terminae charges.
"Why don't the commissioners take
up that natter asked Chairman Ell
kins.
They are too busy replied Mr..
Hill, trying to get power to fix rail
road rates."
There was an interesting discussion
between Mr.. Hill and Mr.. Elkins about
the competition of Canadian roads.
The latter asked what ought to be done
to meet the rates and rebates of the
Canadian lines.
"We are willing to work that out
among ourselves replied Mr.. Hill.
Before we are through with them
they will cease cutting rates.
Replying to Senator Foraker, Mr..
Hill said no interest would suffer if
export traffic with non contiguous
countries as exempted from control by
the interstate commerce regulations.