Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1906-08-31
WENT INTO EFFECT TUESDAY,
Provisions Of the New Railroad Rate Law
Now Operative.

The new railroad rate law, which applies
to all railroads Ndoing an Interstate business
went into effect Tuesday. According TO the
new law the roads were 10 have filed with
the interstate commerce commission by mid'
night Monday all their tariffs and charges
showing not only the full cost OF transporia'
iion from point to point but also what items
go to the making up Of this cost. From
now on there can be no extras but the
shipper is expected to be able 10 obtain In
advance a final statement Of the charge he
has to meet. 1, was stated Monday that IN
fact not a single company had been able TO
fully comply with the provisions Of the law
requiring them TO have all their schedules on
file by midnight. The schedule Of switch.
ing charges was the most difficult OF com
pletion, and 1t is said that no road has been
able 10 finish IT,
II is expected that shippers will find
themselves benefited by the provision which
requires the railroads to include all charges
OF whatsoever nature in their quoted rates.
Heretofore a shipper has had 10 figure for
himself on icing, refrigerator and elevator
charges and the dozen or more other incden'
tails dickering with the separate companies
which had hand in q transportation or
care on his shipment. Now the railroad
must do that and the shipper meets but one
charge and deals with but one concern. All
the sources Of side charges are consolidated.
and private cars, side tracks, spurs, termih.
ais, elevators, are made subject TO the law
The new law also requires the railroads
TO establish a uniform system OF accounting
and 10 keep their books open for inspection
at all times by the expert accountants OF
the commission The railroad accountants
are now comforting in regard TO the uniform
system Of book. keeping which. however, will
not 20 into effect until June l next year. In
the meantime the commission has pui its
own experts at work deyisng a system
Forces Of clerks from all express companies
in the country have for the last few days
been engaged at New York in the task Of
revising express rates to comply with the
provisions OF the rate bill but have been I'M
able to finish their task in time to file SEIZED
ules with the interstate commerce commission
before the bill became effective.
From the new arrangement the public will
reap no benefit The rates will not be low
cred The rates of every company will be
identical with those OF every other. As a
direct consequence of the provisions Of the
rate bill the Union Pacific railway has de-
termined to install its own system Of refrig-
orator cars. Heretofore the Armour pri
vate car lines have had monopoly of this
business over the Union Pacific and South
ern Pacific, with all the profitable Califor-
mia fruit trade. The Union Pacific Monday
opened bids for the construction Of 6,000
steel underbody refrigerator cars and Is
likely TO ask for bids for another lot soon.
None OF the New England railroads ex-
cept the New York, New Haven and Hartford
system will take any action regarding the
issuance Of free passes at this time. With
the exception of the New York, New Haven
and Hartford road the railroads in this
section do not consider that the clause Of the
Hepburn bill relating to passes becomes OPP
erative before January /, In respect to the
New York, New Haven and Hartford it is
learned that an order has been issued to
suspend the issuance Of all forms Of inter
state transportation, either complimentary or
on account OF the newspapers published on
the lines Of the system with which the com
pany has reciprocal relations