East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-07-12

That the o. II. & n. company will
be forced TO adopt joint rates on
wheat with the Northern Pacific and
Great Northern in Washington now
seems inevitable. The Washington
railroad commission has investigated
the matter thoroughly and the con-
sensus of opinion is that the joint
rate viii be ordered when the evil
dence is reviewed by the commission.
Under the joint rate the o. r. &
N will be forced to deliver wheat to
the Northern Pacific and Great
Northern for Puget sound shipments
in all parts of the state of Washing
ton at rates now charged by the lat
ter two roads, which is now 1917 cents
per 100 pounds.
This will deprive Portland of the
bulk OF o. r. & n. shipments from
Washington and forms the chief OBJ
lection of the o. X. & n. to making
joint rate with the Washington
rate. An Olympia dispatch says of
the joint rate hearing:
A hard blow was landed today
against the railroads who oppose joint
rates Oh wheat shipments in WASH
ington, when w. W. Broughton of
st. Paul, traffic director of the Great
Northern, told the state railroad COM
mission in detail Of the new joint
rates his line has Just voluntarily
made with the Spokane & Inland
Electric road covering wheat ship
ments from the richest sections of the
Palouse country to Puget Sound.
Attorney Spencer, for the o. f. &
NJ. tried TO weaken the effect of this
testimony by asking II ]. j. Hill and
the Great Northern are not finan-
ciallv interested in the Spokane E.
Inland road. Mr.. Broughton said he
did not know, and pleaded like ig-
nora1ce when asked If Mr.. Hill had
not testified before a Minnesota leg
islative committee that he owned
stock in the Spokane & Inland.
Mr.. Broughton testified that the
agreement with the Spokane & Inland
is for a joint rate of the 19A cent
per 100 pounds from points on that
line to Puget sound. This is divided.
first 2iA cents to the Hill road as
an lrbitrary for terminal facilities,
the balance on pro-rate mileage ba-
sis on the actual haul, with mini
mum Of 25 per cent Of the rate to
the short haul road.
q. Il. 4 n. the Peal Objector.
1t developed stronger today than |
at anv time since the hearing began
that the Hill lines are not as serious
ly opposed to the order as is the o. r. |
6 NJ and that the main fight against |
the order must rest on the latter sys-
tem
The railroad commission realizes |
the situation and during the day Mr.. 7
Lawrence attempted to secure admis-
sion from o. r. &; y. witnesses that
If the commission gives the Portland |
road Joint rates with the Spokane & |
Inland, which latter road to an et-
tent parallels the Palouse branch of
the Northern Pacific through the rich
wheat section of Whitman county, the
q. r. & n, by that connection might
get for Portland delivery grain
enough to make up for what it lost by
its joint rates connections with the
Northern steam roads.
The joint rate hearing was closed
today by the state railway commits
sion, the last of the testimony being
taken late this afternoon. Decision
on the matters involved was taken
under consideration by the commits
sion and it will probably be 90 days
before further action will be taken,
as 1t will take about that long to
transcribe the testimony taken and
to allow its being read by Commits
sioner Jones. who was absent during
all the hearing, and Commissioner
Fairchild, who was away part of the
time.
Joint Rates Inevitable.
Undoubtedly the commission in
tends to order joint rates or wheat,
but as to physical connection of |
tracks or. other points involved in
this complaint, action can not be |
predicted at this time.
The commission adjourned indefl-
nitely the taking of further testimony
relative to the cost of the railways, |
as certain data nece ssary is being Sc
cured at st. Paul by Secretary Call |
derhead of the commission and 1t |
may be weeks before he can return
to put it into evidence.