The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1909-09-21
REDUCED RATES IN
INLAND EMPIRE
Especial to Silver State J


SPOKANE, Wash, Sept. 21.--Ship-
pers in Spokane and throughout the In
land Empire, where enormous tonnage
in grains, fruits, timber and minerals
is offered to railroads, believe that the
action of the state railroad commission
OF Washington in ordering the North
ern Pacific Railroad company forth
with to reduce it's freight rates on
grain to s71a per cent of the tariff
published on June 80, 1909, will have a
salutary effect all over the northwest.
Though the cut of 121a per cent ap-
plies only on the Northern Pacific main
line in the state, it will save the ship
pers from one to one and one half
cents bushel or between 1885,, 900 and
$500,O00 a year.
The reduction, based on the finding
that the company's profits are more
than $1,000,000 year exclusively on
state business over per cent annual
revenue on the investment, is taken
to mean that inquiry may be made in
to other tonnage, the carrier charges
on which are declared to be unreason-
able, excessive and exhorbitant. The
significant portion of the commission g
finding is best told in its own words,
in part as follows:
"We have found the value Of the
Nothern Pacific Railway company's
property in the state used for the pub
lie to be $111,374,95O, divided; $45,-
703,730 for state use and $65, ,671 ,219
for interstate use.
"We have found as facts that the
net earnings of the company from state
business were $4,976,273 for 1905, $5,-
174,O47 for 1906, $5,6OO,373 for 1907
and $e,223,9 ,943 for 1908.
''The earnings of the Washington &
Columbia River branch are not includ-
ed in the earnings for 1905-6-7, so the
value of the property used would be
correspondingly reduced. The value of
its property used for state business
during 1905-6-7 would not exceed $42,-
500, 1000.
"The estimated net earnings of the
company from state business for 1908
exceed $8,450,000, thus showing a net
return from state business for the Eve
years under consideration of III per
cent, 1917 per cent, 1917 per cent,
1852 per cent and 1851 per cent, re-
spectively. That this return, with the
percentage increasing yearly, is ex-
cessive is clearly evident"
The finding shows that grain amount
ed to 1897 per cent of the total state
tonnage carried by the company over
its lines in Washington and to 45.O7
per cent of the total. ton miles, and
furnished $500 per cent of the total
state revenue received by the com.
pany in 1908.
Sixteen million bushels of grain was
carried by the company. The cost of
movement, exclusive of taxes, interest
or dividends, was approximately $.966S
ton, while the average receipt per
ton was approximately 1902, the NOV
ing cost being approximately 32.O1 per
cent of the gross earnings, the operat-
ing expenses of the road on all its
business being SAIL per cent of the
gross receipts.
Carload merchandise constituted
l1.54 per cent of the state tonnage and
14.s4 per cent of the ton miles, while
1T contributed 1916 per cent Of the
total state earnings, and the cost of
moving was only $3.50 per cent Of the
gross earnings. Less than carload
merchandise constituted 1888 per cent
of the tonnage, 3.54 per cent of the
ton miles and contributed 1926 per
cent of the total state earnings, the
cost of moving being 51.93 per cent of