East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-09-13
NEW RATES FOR
EXPRESS COMPANY
RAILROAD COMMISSION
AMENDS FORMER RULING
New Schedule of Rates Goes Into
Effect October 1, Express COM
pany Acquesclng-Substantial Re-
ductions Made.

Salem, Ore, Sept. 9.-An order
amending the findings of last April
in the matter of the reduction of the
rates of the Pacific Express COM
pany was made this week by the rail-
road commission after conference
with the express company. Greatly
reduced rates will go into effect Oc-
tober l without being contested by
the express company. The achieve
ment is one of the most notable
brought about since the creation and
organization of the Oregon railroad
commission.
Those rates that are to go into ef-
feet within 90 days bring about an
average reduction between Portland
and main line points of 1876 per cent,
between Portland and branch line
points 20.7 per cent and a general av-
erage reduction between Portland and
all points of 20,S per cent. The new
rates will be a great boon to Port
land as possibly 80 per cent of the
business carried by the Pacific Ex-
press company in Oregon is Port
land business.
The readjustment includes 5000
separate rates, it covers all express
stations, Portland eastward to the
Washington state line and to Hunt
ington on the line of the o. R. & N.
company. 1t does not include the
stations on the Sumpter Valley rail-
way. which were taken over by the
Pacific Express company after the
submission of the controversy to the
commission) except as far as affected
automatically by the reduction to and
from Baker City, on which Sumpter
Valley rates are based. Nor does the
readjustment reach lower Columbia
river points, served by the Pacific
Express company by steamer, as such
traffic is necessarily largely inter-
state.
Rates Found Unreasonable.
Controversy originated with a for
NAL complaint filed by B. F. Jones OF
Independence, representative from
Lincoln and Polk counties. After
hearing before the commission, an or
der was made on April 20, 1909, find
ing the existing rates unreasonable,
and prescribing new rates for the fu-
ture. The rates fixed were slightly
lower than those subsequently pre-"
scribed by the amended order; for In
stance. the Portland-Huntington rate
was "a. the order April % fixed it at
SO and the amended order just issued
fixes 1t at 1926.
Before the service of the order on
the express company, 1t appeared De-
fore the commission by j. W. Rogers,
IT'S superintendent, of Salt Lake, and
wallace McCamant, its attorney, and
requested further consideration OF the
matter and conferences, with view
10 an adjustment without resort to lit
igation to contest the commissions
order. A number of conferences
were held and propositions and
counter propositions made. Mr.. Rog-
ers made a trip to st. Louis to pre-
sent personally the matter to the traf-
fic officials of the express company.
The new tariff has been checked
with care to avoid discrepancy, such
as a greater charge for shorter in
termediate haul than the longer haul'
rate exceeding the sum of interme-
date local rates, and departures from
a fair mileage scale. The original or
der was made to apply only as to ar
ticles taking merchandise and general
special rates, and not to shipments
of coin, fruit, poultry, which were not
covered by the evidence taken.
Affects All Commodities.
However, the new tariff will be ap-
plicable to all commodities, however
classified, which take rates based on
merchandise rates, or multiples or
fractions thereof There are. some
special rates now in effect between
certain points which are lower than
general rates, and no change is made
in these.
The new tariff will become effec-
tive October /. While necessarily it