The Washington times., 1906-08-29

$+o9000 year TO cut this terminal
charge In TWO.
60 nave the cOmmiss4es9 tx q series =
59lnt rates ard through routes over the
y eAas and Pacific and connecting roads
some TINE ago that road Cancelled all
45't' rates on live stock and required
thaL az the junction point it must be
uLiiDaled ana then reloaded in the cars
oi the connecting road IHe excuse
F Hit-H was Luat the Texas and Pacluc
didn't want its cars 20 20 of its own
llues- For two years the road has en-
forced lhls remarkable rule The new
y " Tor the nrst time gives tho commis-
Slou power 20 establish and enforce
through rates and routes. and the Tex
ans propose 20 ger The benefits Of II
i-SHf away.
Lots Of Trouble Ahead.
The first session Of The commission
with the railroad lawyers and traffic
men, after The law had taken effect
made plain that there is going 10 be lots
Of trouble getting to q common under
standing Of the law The railroad law
yers, it developed from The discussion,
are not In anything like agreement
among themselves as 10 many important
points. and OF course they don Z agree
with the commission. either. At The
same tine the American Shippers AS
sociatlOu appeared win "a series OF re-
quests which the commission heard and
took under advisement
The shippers make plain that they
VIII move for a uniform bin of lading
as soon as The law is fairly working.
LneE ask simple form. without the
multiplied conditions now embodied
sL'Apiy receipt for the goods. and
. acknowledgement that they are TO be
transported subject 10 the statute and
common law. The commission is asked
30 rule that bills now IN use by most
roads which are plainly in conflict
So
-he common law. be held Illegal and
-Eat -hcy must not longer he used. This
l7 most important matter as the
shippers feel. The railroads have writ
t-1 an sorts of conditions into the bills
of laalng, winch are utterly meaning
less under the new law, and il is about
Impossible 10 determine just what value
the conditions in the bin 0f ldding
nave urder present circumstances.
Favor the Uniform. Bill.
The members Of the commission are
strongly inclined toward a uniform bill
Of ladiug. anyhow. There is little
question THAI they have power 70 pre-
scribe and enforce it if they choose:
and the new law practically outlines
what can and cannot be in such an in
strumeGt. "a the commission does not
take action il is generally believed
Congress viii in the near future instruct
it So % do.
The question Of import rates VIII be
big one before The commission in the
near future. The Shippers Association
enumerated this as one OF the grfev-
auces 20 which 10 especially desired the
attention or the commission directed
There is a common practice of making
lower rates on imported commodities
than on domestic ones. Frequently the
difference TO inland points is SO large
that il ueEtralizes the advantage OF
the protective tariff. and that makes
Jhc manufacturers very WrOtl- So they
want the commission 10 make a ruling
that viii stop the practice. Discrimi-
nation. likewise, in favor OF export
goods is both favored and opposed by
different interests, and the commission
viii be forced 10 decide on IL soon
And there is the long and short haul
clause. which the railroads generally
disregard and claim has been abrogatcd
by court rulings applied 90 conditions
generally existent. The shippers de-
maad that it ne reinstated In force and
that hereafter the longer rate shall be
a maximum flo. an less distances over
the same line This Is going TO be q
large issue. The operation of water
competition or other unusual conditions
has been made the excuse for practl-
calv abTCgauHg this provision OF the
old Interstate law. and shippers are go
Ing to ~ ID decided, just as soon as
possible. whether ir is StlI meaningless
in view of the new legislation