The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-30
FREIGHT RATES
ARE CONSIDERED
interstate Commerce Commits
sion to Go Into General In
veStigation of Tariffs.
TO INCLUDE WHOLE WEST
HUNDREDS OF RATE CLERKS
EMPLOYED.

Practically all Of the big railways
now have representatives in Washing
ton. .. c., checking mp freight rates
and going over the tariff sheets pre-
pairing figures and statements that may
be called for the interstate commerce
commission on June 9, when that BODY
viii take up Cor rehearing the Paruc-
ulars Of the Spokane rate case. The
public has little conception OF the
enormous amount of work involved IA
this matter. Hundreds Of rate CLERKS
are engaged in the work. Ii requires
the checking up of several thOusa. O
shipping points and embraces figures
on several hundred different classiii-
cations Of freight J. a. Reeves, gen
eral freight agent OF the Oregon hort
Line railroad. IS in Washington now
in connection with this matter and ne
teleeTaphed yesterday. NO man can
tell when this matter win be all set
tied"
His information was TO the effect
that when the merits of the Spokane
case are taken up BY the commission
on June 9 that the commission viii 20
ahead TO consider the whole problem
of freight rates from eastern 10 west
crn points. This WIFI. of course. in
Reno, Rev. to Boise and POcatello. IA
Idaho, and al western railway points.
1t VIII go fully into the matter of
freight rates to coast points as COM
pared with rates 10 inland cities. thus
going fully into the matter of water
competition which inland shippers CON
tend can no longer be held up as au
excuse for railroads for discr mInation
in rates, but which the railroads, az
this hearing will contend ana will en-
dcavor. 10 prove. Is OF more vital i'm
portance now than ever-strOnger
more effective and more competitive
than ever TO rail transportation.
Matter Is Complicated.
It is the impression of the shippers
who are interested in this hearing, and
also OF the railway men VINO have
talked on the matter here, that the
hearing will eventually result in a
wholesale overhauling of freight tariffs
to western points. That there will be
many general changes there Is little
doubt. That there Will be reductions
in the rates on many classes of freight
seems quite certain, but just what they
will be or to what extent il is impossl-
bic now to even surmise, 1t may be
a short time or il may be months be
fore there can be any changes made.
The question, as it now stands is SO
complicated that even the wisest traffic
men on the largest railroads throw UP
their hands despairingly when asked
for opinions on the subject. Freight
rates. the old-timers say, is a study
which no man has yet ever mastered.
II is stated that the railroad commits
siOR's acquiescence in granting d re
hearing in the Spokane rate case and
setting aside the first decIsiOn rendered
in the case was for the purpose OF go
ing into the general question of west,
ern freight rates in detail and thorough
~. This indicates that the decision
finally to be rendered viii be general IN
nature and viii affect the whole inter
mountain country. The taking up OF
this question and that question sep
arately, as presented by commercial
bodies and individual shippers OF this
and that city. has been found very un-
satisfactory 20 the commission and the
endeavOr now will be 20 settle as near
as may be the whole question regard
ing freight rates from the east to all
parts of the west. One railroad man
yesterday predicted that at the very
earliest there could be no definite
changes made in the freight rates IN
less than 60 days, and he believed that
three months would be required to
settle the matter even after the COM
mission has rendered its decision.