The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-07-28
.INvEfIGATE R. lE INCREASE Interstate Commerce Commission to Act. IA STATEMENT IS ISSUED "A Close Check Made on All Rate
 Advances. The Commission Has No Authority to Suspend . Proposed Advance But
 Has Unlimited Powers of
 investigation.

Washington, July 27.-The Interstate Commerce Commission today Issued a statement to the effect that without waiting for the filing of formal com plaints. it will institute an investiga- tion of it's own motion for the purpose of determining whether or not ad- vances in freight rates are justified.
 The Commission" the statement says, s'has no authority to suspend a proposed advance in rates and can or der a reduction of the advanced rates only as. the result of an investigation after the advanced rates have become effective, but the Commission. while it could make no effective order prior to the actual advancing of the rates, has almost unlimited power of investiga- tion, and 1t is understood that if the tariffs filed with the Commission show general increases. the Commission. without waiting for the filing of for nal complaints will institute an in- vestigation of its own motion for the purpose of determining whether or not the advances are justified
 The Commission is having a close check made of all advances in freight rates. The Commission. of course, has no formal information of the proposed advances until they are set forth in tariffs which are required by law to be filed with the Commission thirty days In advance of their effective date. So far the principal advances disclosed in the tariffs filed are in the rates on packing house products. grain and grain products from Ohio River cross ing to Southeastern territory. ranging from to 4 cents per hundred pounds, according to the commodity. rates on sugar from Atlantic Seaboard points and New Orleans to Chicago. Duluth. St. Paul and other Northwestern points of 3 cents per hundred pounds. class rates from Mississippi river points. and Kansas City to Texas common points, ranging from 10 cents on first class to { cents on the lowest class"
 There Is much interest in the action by Judge Speer of the Southern Judi cial District of Georgia granting 6 preliminary injunction restraining the Atlantic Coast Line, the Louisville and Nashville. the Nashville. Chattanooga and St. Louis. the Cincinnati, New Or- leans and Texas Pacific and the South ern Railway companies from putting into effect on August 1 the increasL products from Western to Southern points.
 In 1903 Judge speer took the same course in relation to the increase of 3 cents per hundred pounds on yellow pine by the Southern Railway and southeastern carriers including the Southeastern Freight Association. The advance was on rates from Georgia and Chattanooga to Cincinnati. and other points on the Ohio River. The increase was promulgated by the carriers to take effect April 15, 1903, and would have become effective except for the temporary injunction granted by Judge Speer Aprsl 14. On May Is the court dissolved the temporary injunction and withheld further action until the case could be determined by the Interstate Commerce Commission.
 The court placed the carriers under bond to refund the overcharge should the commission decide that it's increas- ed rate was unreasonable and the new rate was then allowed to so into effect The Commission deciding in fa- vor of complainants the railroads re- fused to obey their order and Judge Speer sustained the Commissions de- cision and enforced it's order favoring kha IoWar rafe