New-York tribune., 1908-07-28
FREIGHT RATES RULING
rommerce Commission to Investigate
Aduances H71thout Complaints.

vrssr.ozton July 27.-The Interstate Commerce
.--issio- to-day issued statement TO the effect
,bst without waiting for the fling Of formal COM
-,.s,ts It would institute investigation TO de-
..-,iue whether or not advances in freight rates
s-e justified The statement says:
The commission hiss no authority to suspend
n-oposed advance in rates and can order Tedueuon ion
81 the ADVANCED rates only as the respdv OF an I
.secfive but the commission. while 1t could make
efectVs siroast unlimited power of investiga-
ths and ii is understood that If the tariffs filed
with tse Thout waiting for the fling Of formal
eo-plsints, will institute an Investigation on It's
@ motion for the purpose Of determining whether
eeH @ not the advances are justified: Such general
,-rornstion would enable II TO nansie very pTonlps
r. sry complaint which may be fled against ad-
Ine IneS n freight rates The commission of
eaNa has no official information Of the proposed
s g by ths sw are re Sc set ed Win IL aha
e., thirty days IN advance OF their effective GATE
ssr,es g z fled are in the rates on packing house
PRODUCTS grain and grain products; from OHIO
r. two TO four cents per 100 pounds, according
70 the eoooy5 5 TSS Se q,esns on t. bnaeo Due
SEP Ct paul and other Northwestern points OF
o esatE ;TT per fs m snd Kansas city to Te2as
I'm points ranging from ten cents on hrst class
- four cents on the lowest class.
90. announcement by the commission that It
--o-a5 consider the reasonabieness Of rates after
-. Of increase by the shippers and prior 10
.he-6l;ng Of protests-is regarded of widespread
.--,or-anoe Following closely upon the action
- cincinnati shippers appealing TO the President
. ,suoe the commission TO take this course. it IS
.-.1tzv- believed here that the suggestion lead
- .be statement came from President Roose-
s7+ Chairman Knapp said last Saturday that the
- oonten1plates investigation of the reasonable
,sss of rates by the commission after they had
t..n-,e effective. but he thought the commission
,r+ decide that the increase effective after
ey4,-e hx- 2rTinT
=. 5.7v rate actually went into effect The COM
-,ssion's statement to-day takes that view OF its
powers.
c-as- ~ The Southern Judicial District of Geor-
-. Granting q preliminary Injunction restraining
+be Atlantic Coast Line. the Louisville & Nash
,sils the Nashville, Chattanooga & St Louis. the
rt-.,,nsrs New Orleans & Texas Pacific and the
southern Railway Company from putting into
,=ec- m August the increased rates on ship
,neuts Of staple products from Western to South
a., -oinfs In 1893 Judge Speer took the same
.or-e. IN relation 10 the increase Of cents 100
rorn6s on yellow pine by the Southern Railway
a,d Southeastern carriers. including the South
eastern Freight Association. The advance was
=, rates from Georgia and Chattanooga to Gin
;ci,,sti and other points the Ohio River The
.nerease was promulgated by the carriers TO take
EJECT April Is. 1903, and would have become
erec1ive except for the temporary Injunction
granted by Judge Speer on April IA
On Nav Is the court dissolved the temporary
.niynction and withheld further action until the
csse could be determined by the Interstate Com
-,s-oe Commission The court placed the car
-,ers under bond 10 refund the overcherge should
n. commission decide that its increased rate
7vsz unreasonable. and the new rate was then
allowed 10 go into effect The commission de-
csiug in favor Of the complainants. the railroads
-s4rsed 80 obev their order, and Judge Speer sus-
5a;ned TIE commissions decision and enforced
is order favoring the lower rates.