Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-17
NOT TO RAISE RATES
Unexpected Opposition to the
Proposed Move.
BAER VOTES AGAINST 1T
Hartman Vehemently Insists Upon
an Increase.
WESTERN SHIPPERS PROTEST
Manufacturers of Illinois Will Meet
and Map Out a Plan of
Campaign.
WESTERN SHIPPERS PROTEST

| NEW YORK, July 1.-THE Herald saws
today: At meeting of the presidents OF
the great eastern railway systems at the
Trunk Line Association offices yesterday a
radical split in opinions developed as to the
ACCESSIBILITY of an increase in freight rates
1t had been determined previously ia
hold this meeting August Is. but as many
of the railroad officers had planned to go
abroad it was thought the momentous
question could be adjusted earlier
To the surprise of many important rail-
road interests there was manifested at
the meeting a sentiment of strong oppo-
sition to freight rate increase. The SUBJ
ject was argued pro and con by the lead
ing railroad interests of the country from
II o'clock in the morning until nearly 4
o'clock in the afternoon.
No Action Taken.
Results of the session were indetermi-
nate and the meeting closed with the mat
ter still unadjusted.
! It was announced that the railroad presi-
dents would hold another meeting some
time between now and the beginning of
October in an endeavor to reach some
| agreement as to the question Of freight
| rates.
While the sessions of the Trunk Line
Association. which represents all the great
| railroad systems east Of the Mississippi
| and north of the Ohio and Potomac rivers
are secret, it was learned that the New
York Central interests and Edward H.
Hartman, on behalf of the Erie railroad
and the Delaware and Hudson company,
were the chief advocates of a general in
crease in freight tariffs.
Mr.. Hartman Insists.
| Mr.. Hartman was especially vehement
| in insisting that the commodity carriers
were entitled to higher compensation for
| the transportation of freight and that the
present rates were insufficient to yield
roads such as the Erie profit
| To the surprise of the gathering. a
| strong opposition developed to this theory.
| The leader of the opposition was George
F. Baer. president of the Philadelphia
and Reading Railway Company. Mr.. Baer
argued that the industrial plants in the
| territory served by the Reading were suf-
| fering severely from the business depres-
sion and that the industries represented
could not stand an increase in rates of
| shipment without sustaining further
| losses.
Mr.. Baer's Opposition.
| In formulating his argument Mr.. Baer
| diverted to wider economic field. and as
serted his belief that conditions demanded
| that there should be a liquidation in the
prices of commodities and in the cost of
! labor equivalent to the liquidation that
has been enforced in the stock and bond
markets.
| He contended that there existed an i'm
| hnent necessity for an adjustment of
commodity prices and wages, to meet the
I-lessened demands of trade. His attitude
was in direct opposition to the position
assumed by the Morgan interests in seek
| ing to maintain steel prices, notwith-
| standing the reductions in the cost Of
| pig iron and iron ore.
The Illinois Protest.
Another matter that was called to the
attention of the trunk line representa-
| tives was the protest made by the Ill-
| nois Manufacturers Association against
any increase in freight rates. Members
| of this association yesterday announced
| that they would hold a meeting in Chi
cago to map out plan Of campaign and
| inaugurate an opposition to the efforts
of the railroads to advance freight tariffs.
| The action Of this powerful body was
called into life by the announcement that
| the Southwestern Freight Association had
| filed with the interstate commerce COM
mission a new freight tariff showing
general advance in freight rates for the
state of Texas of approximately per
cent, to become effective August TO-
| This action taken by the Illinois manu-
featuring interests was accepted as an in
| dication of the opposition that might be
| expected from the country's shipping In
terests in the event of the filing of gen.
eral tariff increase by the combined rail-
road interests with the interstate COM
MERGE commission.
Shippers Want a Conference.
CHICAGO, July 1.-THE national COM
mittee appointed through the instrument
tally of the Illinois Manufacturers AS
ISOLATION to take care of the shippers in
| terests in the proposed advance in freight
rates is about to ask the railroads for a
joint conference upon the subject. Presi-
dent Upham, who as at the head of the
associations committee, announces that
the shippers represented by that body did
not want to be understood as being in
battle array against the general advance
| by the eastern roads October 1.
I'VE have not yet put our armor on,
declared Mr.. Upham, but we are in the
position of the man from Missouri and we
must be shown We do, however. most
emphatically protest against an advance
| In freipht rates without any consultation