The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-05-16
'dRAINRAIE HEARING For FOREST SERVICE
RAILWAY COMMISSION BEGINS
TAKING TESTIMONY AT RITZ
VILE. !.
Meeting lnaugurates Long Contemplate
ed Work Of the Commission, Which
Probably Will Not Close Until the
ReasonabIeness Of All Rates Have
Been Investigated.

North Yakima, May It'll tue near
ing OF the railroad commission OF
Washington, which begins at Ritzville
today, in which testimony as to, the
reasonableness of wheat rates will be
taken, there will be inaugurated the
long expected work of the commission
which will not close until the reason
ableness of sall rates has been inves-
tigated. Ever since It's formation the
commission has been preparing for
this duty. That period OF preparation.
which has been long and tedious, has
about ended and the members now
feel themselves qualified to intelligent
ly and fairly inquire into railroad rates
and determine upon them. Monday,
at Ritzville, they will begin where the
wheat growers of that district asked
them to begin about two years ago.
Since then the commission has done
a mass of work. 1t was necessary to
determine the holdings of the railroads
within the state. To ascertain the
value of the property it was necessary
to go thoroughly into the whole work
of the various railroad lines, even to
the point of making field surveys in
some instances. An expert engineer
was engaged and the work pursued
On the basis of values, operating
expenses and average life of rolling
stock and other equipment thus pro-
cured the commission feels that it is
in a position to determine whether a
specific rate, within the state, is reas-
enable.
Members of the commission believe
that they have solved the problem
arising from the interstate character
of the roads, which has bothered all
commissions. This interstate charac-
tel, of the. railroads has led deep think
ers along the lines of railroad COM
missions to believe that the only solu.
ton of the problem is one commission,
having federal power, for the whole
United States. The Washington COM
mission thinks differently. It thinks
that, having determined the total value
of the railroad property within the
state, it can now determine the pro-
portion of the total holdings necessary
because of business originating within
the state and handled within it. 1t
can also, it believes, determine the
proportion of operating expenses rem
dered necessary by the purely state
traffic. This proportion of the total
holdings, when established, will be
the basis of valuation on which the
reasonableness of all rates will be de-
termined. Before committing itself
to decision, or a ruling, the commits
sion will probably await action by the
courts. Questions of joint rates have
been under litigation. Decisions to be
handed down some time this summer
will make more clear than it is now
the course which the commission or
the state must pursue. Not to COM
plicate matters the commission will
probably withhold any rulings until
present cases have been determined.
An adverse decision may lead to spe-
cial session of the Legislature or may
throw the work of the commission
over, as Judge Hanford declares it
should be, to the next legislature to
become a legislative enactment of the
state.