Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-11-23

Word received mere last thursday
that the Northern Pacific Railawy
would cease making terminal rates
to Grays Harbor and Willipa Har-
Dor on January 1, has stirred up the
businessmen Of Aberdeen, Hoquiam
and Cosmopolis as they have never
been stirred before. The new
schedule, which will be published
December 1, abolishes the terminal
rates enjoyed by Grays HarbOr ever
since the advent of the railroad, and
means an increase of 5 percent per
hundred pounds in carload lots and
10 cents per hundred in smaller ship
ments.
A meeting was held Thursday af-
ternoon at the office of the West e
Slade Grocery Co., when 1T was de-
ciaed to wire protest to the N. p.
officials, and the state delegation i'll
congress as we'll as the interstate
commerce commission, and the fol-
lowing committee was appointed to
act in the matter: A. Rupert, j. w.
Crary, Jas. w. Parks and w. B.
Mack. The committee at once wired
both United States senators, the
congressman and the interstate COM
merce commission. The following
reply was received from Senator
Piles:
SEATTLE, Nov. 21.-My Wash
ington office has forwarded your tie
gram to me protesting to Interstate
Commerce Commission against re-
moval of terminal rate and asking
that l assist in getting you hearing.
leave for Washington next Monday,
arriving there the afternoon of Nov.
%. Have wired Interstate Commits
sion as follows: Commercial bodies
cities of Aberdeen and Hoquiam, this
state, wire me protesting against re-
rnoval of terminal rate and asking
my assistance in securing them d
hearing before action taken. VIII
you not kindly have the matter de-
ferred until the respective cities can
be heard? They are two of the most
important shipping points in this
state. sincerely trust you will grant
them full hearing"
If there is anything else you wish
done, wire me here. have sent this
telegram to Hoquiam, also.
SAMUEL H. PILES.
The telegram to the commission
asked if that tribunal could enjoin
the proposed schedule pending a
hearing as to it's unreasonableness,
to which Commissioner Franklin K.
Lane replied as follows:
WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. al
Chamber of Commerce, Aberdeen
Commission has no power to enJOln
proposed advances. Formal COM
plant that rates are unreasonable
will secure a hearing
A meeting was held yesterday NOR
ming, at which Neil Cooney, of Co.'S
rlopolis, and Fred Foster, of Hoql-
am, were present. The situation was
talked over, but no definite action
decided upon, it being deemed best
to await the action of the Aber-
deem Chamber of Commerce, which
is called to meet in the city council
chamber tomorrow night, and ut
which the Hoquiam Commercial club
will be asked to take part. In all
probability the railroad company
figured on a portest from Grays Har-
Dor, and there is small doubt that
we have fight ahead, so that 1t
is of the utmost Importance that the
procedure be carefully considered.
It has been suggested that for
NAL complaint be filed with the in
terstate commission, showing that
the proposed rates are unreasonable
and in bad faith with the people
who really built the road into Aber-
deen and Hoquiam, and Immediately
ask the federal court for an injunc-
tion to prevent the enforcement of
the schedule pending decision by
the interstate commission, practical
ly following the lines adopted by
the lumbermen last spring.
The status Of terminal points is
believed to be settled by the COM
mission, and the unreasonableness OF
the railroads position will be seen
in that. in denying Grays Harbor