The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1906-06-29
WANTssQUARE DEAL
Walla Walla Business Subject
to Distance Tariff.
WANT THE SPOKANE BASIS
Garden City Jobbers Pray For Rates
That If Granted Will Enlarge
Wholesale Business.

The nearing before the state railroad
commission on the question of distrib-
uting freight rates cut of Walla Wal
la was begun there Tuesday. A large
number of the representative business
men who are shippers over the various
roads running into the city was pres
ent.
The business men of Walla Walla ask
for the same jobbing or distributing
rates out of Walla WalIa now enjoy ed
by Spokane. These rates were ac-
corded Spokane several years ago, Civ
ing Spokane jobbing radius of 100
miles.
Members of the railroad commission
admit that they have prepared tenta-
tive distance tariff schedule which
may be put into effect. And this has
been submitted to the Spokane jobbers
and meets with their approval, but is
strongly opposed by the railroads, to
whom it was also submitted.
1t is argeed by both the railroad
commissioners and the officials of the
railroads that Portland will be sub
stantial loser by the gran ting of the
proposed relief to Walla Walla.
The hearing before the state railroad
commission commenced there at 10
O'Clock. Besides the members of the
commission there were present attor
neys for the Great Northern, North
ern Pacific, o. R. & N. and Wash
ington & Columbia river railroads.
The commission was represented by
A. J. Falkner, assistant attorney gen.
eral of Olympia and G. Q. Gose of
Walla Walla. On request of Attor
ney Falkner, the name of E. @. Mac
Donald was added. Mr.. Macdonald
and Attorney J. H. Pedigo of the
Northern Pacific being engaged on the
Spencer case.
State Statistician Calderhead was on
the stand all day, and through him it
was shown Walla Walla's freight rates
are made up largely from regular dis
tance tariff rates, larger cities being
granted special rates on account of
the larger volume of business trans
acted. These special class rates, it
is claimed, enables cities thus favored
to ship goods to points of equal dis
tance of given points from Walla Wal
la at much cheaper rates than Walla
Walla can ship them. 1t is stated by
Mr.. Calderhead that the especial distrib
uting rate out of Spokane is only about
one half that charged for the same
,lsata.xoo o,,A 80 XNaI1o yUo1lo Ri
paria, on the 0. r. & N, a distance
of 55 miles from Walla Walla the
regular rate from this city equals the
special rate from Spokane. The reg
ular rate from Spokane and the reg
ular rate from Walla Walla also be
comes equal at Connell, ,on the North
ern Pacific, distance of 103 miles
from Walla Walla. Both of these
points are much further from Spo-
kane than from Walla Walla.
The o. r. & N. company was the
only one that filed an answer TO the
complaint this morning, but attorneys
for the other roads stated that their
answers would be filed later.
A comparison between rates out of
Spokane and those in force out of Wal
la Walla was made. 1t was shown that
for distance of approximately 30
miles it would cost a Walla Walla
jobber 35 cents to ship 100 pounds of
the same commodity that it cost a
Spokane jobber 20 cents.
Spokane has special class rate,
while Walla Walla has to pay dis
tanee tariff rates,