Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-06-22
WASHINGTON news
LUMBERMEN and RAILROADS ARE
BOTH SATISFIED.
The Interstate Commerce Commits.
sion Decides Lumber Rates That
Are Favorable to Western Roads.
Spokane Made Bene fiCiary Under
the New Ruling.

WASHINGTON, D. C. June 19.-
The interstate commerce commits
sion today rendered it's decisions in
group of important cases involving
rates on lumber, shingles and other
forest products from Washington,
Oregon, Idaho, Montana and British
Columbia to Eastern and Southern
markets, also from points in the
Willamette valley to San Francisco;
Oregon and Washington Lumber
Manufacturers association, Pacific
Coast Lumber Manufacturers assO-
citation ct al, and Southwest Wash
ingtOn Lumber Manufacturers asso-
citation.
The commission decided that ad-
vanced rates applying to all points
on and west of a line drawn from
Pembina, through Grand Forks,
Moorehead and Breckenridge, Mimi,
Sioux City and Council Bluffs, Ia,
St. Joseph and Kansas City, Mo-, and
thence to Port Arthur, Tex, along
the Kansas City Southern railway,
including also all points east of that
line which now take the same rates
as any point located on said line be-
tween and including Sioux City, Ia.
and Kansas City, Mo-, were unreason-
able, and by its orders restores the
lower rates, which were in effect on
and prior to October 81, 1908.
Somewhat different conclusions
are reached with respect to rates ap-
plying to the territory lying east of
the Missouri river. A part of the in
crease made by carriers to more dis
tant markets lying east of the Mis-
souri, river is permitted to stand.
The maximum increase authorized
to eastern territory, however, is five
cents per 100 pounds over old rates,
and this maximum is not authorized
in it's entirety, except to Duluth.
Minneapolis, st. Paul and the Minne-
sofa Transfer and points on and east
of the Mississippi river, SO that to
points to which the maximum in
crease is allowed, approximately SO
per cent of the increase made by the
carriers is condemned, resulting in a
reduction of about 5 cents per hun
dred pounds in rates now in effect.
In the case of the Pacific Coast
7 No 20 4 nrc.,
against the Northern Pacific and
other roads, the commission declines
to establish another through rate
from Washington to Colorado, COM
mon points and eastern destinations.
1t requires, however, that the North
ern Pacific railway, the Northern
Pacific Terminal company of Oregon,
Oregon Railroad e Navigation cons
pany, Oregon Short Line and Union
Pacific establish through rates for
lumber from the Northern Pacific
line in Washington. north of Port
land, as far as Seattle, through Ports
land to Ogden and Salt Lake City
and Utah common points and 40
cent per hundred rate on fir and
spruce lumber and 5O-cent per hun
dred on cedar lumber and shingles
prescribed for through traffic.
In the Potlatch case the decision is
that rates from the Spokane district
should be lower than from the Pa
cific coast and should be made with
more uniform differentials under the
coast rates than were in effect prior
to November 1, 1907, on the general
grounds that from this district the
haul is much shorter and the noun
tain grades over the Cascades and
the long haul through the wide, tree
less farming section intervening be-
tween the Coast and Spokane dis
tricts are not incidents as they are to
transportation from the coast.
No reduction Is made in the rate
from Portland, since the shippers
from that point have the benefit of
the water rate and are not depend
ent upon the rail carriers for reach
ing San Francisco.
Chairman Knapp and Commissions
er Harlan dissented from the con-
clusions reached by the majority in
those cases, on the ground that most
of the advance in rates is reasonable.