Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-05-04

'ENING NEWS: EkIDA
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I SAYS the changes effected have put tn
| Independents upon fairer footing aud
make competition possible IN territor
les heretofore inaccessible. The repor
concludes as follows:
STILL IN FORCE,
| Nevertheless the Widespread dis.
examinations IN open rates attn In force
| leave the Independents at serious dis
advantage. The investigation has only
| incidentally touched state shipments
| from distributing Scenters particularly
In less than carloads The few instances
| examined suggest the probability NJ dis
| ordinations on such shipments which.
| taken IN connection with through trat-
| fc. may result in determinations on
I the Interstate business.
METHODS AND DEVICES.
~ have cited these particular Ia.
stances TO show the various methods By
which determinations are obta lnod. ana
10 call particular attention 70 methods
which. II legal. are mere devices TO OBJ
tain exactly the same result as wouia
be obtained by rebates paid on inter-
alton. whether # be state or inter.
state tends to give control OF markets
to the preferred shipper and makes
monopoly possible. II existing law
merely prohibits a special rate devic,
for obtaining discrimination. and pei.
mts the same result Ia be accomplished
IN ~ different way, then the legislation
Is TO that effect sham.
,t-t,t ratIr>r,, ~ ,rtt-r-e
This investigation has SHOWN vsry
clearly one glaring defect IN the intel
state commerce law, viz: the method
Of fling and publishing tariffs. Al
though d tarlff or rate has been FLED
with the commission In compliance with
the terms Of the law none but the IA.
vored shipper may know Of It's exist.
ence. Tariffs may be made and rates
may be combined IN such manner a.
TO make IT practically impossible for
the ordinary shipper TO find them. As
long as the state rates are not required
TO be made public and shippers use
such rates In combination with Inter.
state rates. all manner OF devices TO
cvade the purpose Of the law are pos.
sible. All state rates used In conne,.
ton with interstate shipments should
be filed with the Interstate commerce
commission. aud radical change.
should be made in the direction Of sim
plifying tariffs and in methods OF post.
ing and nling them
RESULT OF INVESTIGATION.
Explaining more IN detail the results
of his investigation Commissioner Gar
field says:
THE general result OF the inyestiga-
ton has been TO disclose the existence
of numerous and fragrant dscrimna-
tions by the railroads in behalf OF the
Standard Oh company, and It's affill-
ated corporations, With comparatively
few exceptions, mainly OF other large
concerns In California, the STANDARD
has been the sole beneficiary Of such
In almost every sec
ton OF the country that company has
been found TO enjoy some unfair advan-
tages over It's competitors and some OF
these discriminate AFFECT enormous
areas
Determinations In the transporta-
ton Of oil embrace a variety Of forms,
the more important of which may be
classed under the following heads:
DETERMINATIONS CLASSIFIED.
"l.-Secret and semi-secret rates.
80. discrimination I'm the open ar
rangement OF rates.
"S.--Discrlmnation I'm classification
and rules OF shipment.
dissemination IN treatment of
private tank cars"
Many Of the secret rates discovered
by the bureau of corporations have 1p-
piled only on shipments of oil wholly
within single states The Standard oil
which controls refineries In
20 states, IL obviously I'm a position 10
make extensive use of such Interstate
rates or as they are ordinarily desig-
mated. state rates. For the purpose OF
more effectively concealing the secret
rates given to the Standard on COM
pany, railroads IN several important
cases have used peculiar methods OF
billing and accounting.
BLIND BILLING.
Tn some cases oil has been blind |
billed that Is to say, the waybills have |
been made out showing the kind Of |
product transported and its weight. but |
without showing, as IL the usual Gus
tom, any freight rate or the amount of
the freight charges. In such Instances |
the collection Of freight is ordinarily
made, not by the local agent Of the
railroad but through the central ~
hce' by the presentation TO the stand
ard NJ summary bill showing the
'mount or freight charges at the secret