The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-08-28
Assurance That All The!
Big Systems Will n Live !. u , g Il
UP to Rate Bill
THEIR RATE t ARIES 8
NOT EFT COMPLETE
Thought ThatBthe Interstate Com;
H merce G Commission Will Allow.
M ore Time to Those Who f5,,
Is5! Have Shown Inten- 81
| ton to Comply 8
s3is With Law. IA iS
{
a., anr Regular CORRESPONDENT. !,

~ ASAA " ttbA
(From our Regular correapondent.) IS
SEyNAsH1NuTON,SD. IN d.. ca August q The
railroad rate law will go into effect to-. "a q
morrow, with practically q new Interstats -
CONNER Commission to enforce It. The #
day can scarcely be regarded a han asgS
being epochal In the history Of ira r1spor--s'
tatlon in this country. For while there N
II considerable diversity Of Union as to-
the effectiveness OF the law Y regula tina #3
railroad charges passed at the last g. ses- e.';
sion OF Congress, Il after! a debate scarcely IN
equaled 4 III length In the history Of that u
body, It Is recognized that the lawssis N
a tremendous step forward N the lons g e
contest between the shippe ant and the ls3 "a A
TRANSPORT ion lines fg ght the$echoess soi 81
which have been heard in the halls q III
Congress since the early seventies Of e eS
last century. S5 s,s
b. 85 Will Not G Contest Il. 33.8s
s1t may Be stated on the authority q ii ii
a railroad man who has been In corlss#5 =
munlcation with representa- tiyes OF NJ The
princIpal trunk road IL regard g
their readiness to gcompl with the neMsa
rate law, which went into feet at IN
night, that not sing ge1 rail- way ! of; t''.;
standing has s$u any Thought q cont testinaS
OF eyading the law, ccordlng % tho
railroad men i, the sole reason for theirS
compliance Is be found In their SIN,
5SS e respect the law, g utsidsrs fa; 5s
3p,iliars wtths'sthe situation, the
other hand, that the roads have found 4
the tie law has the drop on them, SO sto
speak. and that there n alternativs
left them but to comply @ ssJ
The decision to the ttes ~
81 The AZ ew, asS led SagoSss
but not until the ions Of the latsySs
had h been read forward and n backWa
and crossways by the legal 'll ,represen ta7
Stiyes OF the road s. All the awyers are9 re-
said to have reported thai there was
not "a single loophole for escape
N lot Ready With Tariffs.
E Some OF the roads, like the NeW3SY orkS t5i
Central and the Pennsyl MAJ peg an, an ss
ding tariffs thirty days age, nd u have
been keeping 1t up ever since. Others
Sheld back until the last moment StilIfst
Others found the task so hard that here re-.
Is /. no hope at all Of their being ready
In tlme .I II sil. (, ]. e
A In fact, not a single road has Bcompl led N
fully with the law The n eWF y ork Gems
tral Is probably&as near q ~ as any road
and will have almost all freight tariffs y
on record Tomorrow Il Under the law.yg .yg
avery company will be subject to heavy
fines tomorrow. y
|56ItEIs understood, however, that the COM
mission viii not insist on its pound Of,
flesh, but will give add itlonalS time IN
every case when a road has given cyl ~
dcnce of sincere intent to comply VIII 'Lls
the law. I.5555 Il AZ 81, ,y5iss3 II y 5
committee representing the big Eastern
railroads will be here ONO rro " 5 M
order q to meet tho commission One OF
the main points to- be 8di iscussed Will pe
that provision Of the law which REQUIRES 4
two copies OF roads freight tariff 70 g % III
filed lin every shipping office "A for; free e
inspection by the shippers. rhis provlslo
ia Tbothering the freight managers O. good
denl, and their explanation is that II. ao--SS
cordIng to the letter OF the law, the II
list Of charges Is permitted TO slle about
the station 1t will be torn Z to pieces - y
few days:slt will be too bulky5fo handy
use they say also, and VII! remain .uHln-}5s9
telligent to most shippers anyhow 9Without
assistance from the station agen
OF Widespread Interest.
The going into effect OF the new stat.
uto will not be marked BY any special
ceremony, but}the Importance OF the oc-s5
casion must be fully real 60 me SIg
furcs on the railroads OF the Untted 8 States,tR
which embrace nearly half tho trackage 4
Of the world, give an idea OF the iHl- Y
nortance Of " law which turns over 70
. commission OF seven men absolute con-
troll OF tho Immense property and DuslnssA
interests involved. 49,.54 ~ # 4
1 Number OF railroads. 2,l04; miles OF
track, 377,071; locomotives. 48. .74S; cars OF
all kinds, 1,79S,66l; property represented
by stock, preferred and common, q, $50
Soo 400. bonds and other obligations, $e.-
S7S 2o5, $50, making q total OF $l3, ,2lS, ,l24679
Of property, or $6i,28s pc. miles earnings z
last year, $2,07 327, $50; emHloyes, ], ,2si ~,
Probably no body OF men In the world !g
has such absolute control directly over
property of 30 much va lue as ms COM VA
mission Of seven mon, o
What the Roads Propose.
For all these alleged or real reasons
they propose to have two copies ot .ns l,1,
charge list In the, agents Office. Win u
placards, displayed In conspicuous pieces
outside. telling that the list may pc IN
speoted at request. It Is very uncertain
flint tho commission will consent % sucn
a modification OF the plain ietter o. 'He le Il
law but the delegation that goes 20
Washington willsdo its bsst 10 inaks 'hs
commissioners "see the light. ~.
The conference between represents - si4S
I, tha trunk lines and the Interstate lion-
m meree, rec Commission tomorrow VIII hs #
attended by officials q tho ansnraeits
r,asls roads, who are especially anxious on re
section e,. which forblds railroads to ns me
owners owners Of the commodities thsX haak, y! "
Is stated chat tho Reading wan pfopaanly
,,osaa s, fight on calls section, on the
ground that 1t does not ctually owngths
asnthracite mines OF Pennsylvania, but
tha. Tie n,:aes and the railroads are
owned own by a holding company, There II {
no Il, doubt that roads which own coal mines
directly must get rid Of their pfoP Psrty II s# Il
soma way. The auest!oE has pssn - vi ", ss