Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1908-06-01
RAILROAD Rates
LUMBERMEN TO TAKE Fight IN.
To NATIONAL POLITICS.
PaCitiC Coast NanufaCfurera Appeal
for q Plank in Democratic and Re.
publican National Platforms for
enlargement OF Powers of Inter.
state Commerce Commission.

SEATTLE, Wash, May 30
Following closely upon the heels
OF the big gathering of commercial
bodies OF every description, CONNER
cial clubs, chambers of commerce,
manufacturers wholesalers and re-
tailers' associations, to the number of
hfty-siX, which met in Chicago May
10 to formulate plan of action to
head off the threatened 10 per cent.
advance in freight rates, the freight
rate committee, of which C. F. White
is chairman, and A. F. Specht is sec
retary, representing the combined in
terests of the Pacific Coast Lumber
Manufacturers Association and the
Shingle Mills Bureau, has just issued
to more than 1000 Eastern corres-
pondents confidential letter on
transportation politics, which out
lines plan for effectively heading
off any possible freight rate ad-
vances.
Briefly the letter calls upon busi-
ness interests all over the United
States to join in requesting delegates
to both republican and democratic
national conventions to support the
following as an article of political
faith and to see that it is made a
plank in the platforms of both poll
tical parties:
I'VE urge that congress enact an
amendment to the interstate COM
merce act whereby the interstate
commerce commission may, at it's dis
cretiOn, upon proper complaint, sus-
pend tariffs and investigate advances
in freight rates as to their reason
ableness before becoming effective
This plan, it is held, if carried
through both conventions successful
ly, will not only accomplish what the
Chicago conference of shippers and
| commercial interests sought to COM
bat, but will be the means of creating
stability in freight rates, the lack of
which, it is argued in the letter, has
been the cause of upsetting business
conditions not only in the Northwest
among the lumbermen, but all over
the United. States On this point the
letter says:
1.-The shipping interests of the
country not only must have courts
and commissions to which appeal
may be made when arbitrary and un-
just rates are sought to be collected
by the transportation companies, but
manufacturers and the consumers
of goods that must be transported de-
mand and must have stability in
freight rates and transportation
charges. There can be no feeling of
reasonable security of just rates and
reasonable charges being maintained
while the making of the effective tar
| iff contract is left solely in the dis
cretion of the carriers. The evils of
this one-sided arrangement have been
most harshly felt by the lumber and
shingle manufacturers of Washing
ton and Oregon. The interstate COM
merce commission should be given
the authority to suspend tariffs pro-
mitigating rate advances until hear
ing upon the same may be had and
reasonable rates established by the
commission.
The letter then quotes from the re-
port of the interstate commerce COM
mission to congress urging that it be
clothed with the authority to review
rates before they be made effective.
Considerable space is devoted to a
discussion of railroad earnings, the
steps leading up to the advance in
lumber rates in the Northwest, and
statistical information is given tend
ing to show that the advance was
not justified in the light of the pre-
vious earnings of the Great Northern
and Northern Pacific. The effect OF
the advance is reviewed, the letter
declaring that $4,000 mill and lum-
ber camp employees are out of en-
ployment on account of the advances,
that the prices Of forest products
were forced down and that mill men
of Oregon and Washington, to do
business at all, are now under bonds
filed in the federal courts aggregat-
ing s1.47S,OOO. 1t is pointed out
that the loss has not fallen on the
shippers alone, but that the earnings
of the railroads have also fallen off
enormously, the gross decrease for
both the Great Northern and North
ern Pacific for March being, it is