The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1909-04-03
Exorbitant Rules Of the A. & c.
Will Receive an
Airing
RATES IN NEED or ADJUSTING
Hearing Will Probably Bring Out
Many Facts in Regard to Recent
Raise in Rates on This End Of the
Hill System.

| L. q. Miller, rate clerk Tor the
state railway commission (formerly
Of this city and well known here as
one OF the clerical force at the city
Office Of the A. & c. came down from
Salem yesterday morning as sort #
Ifore-runner Of the Oregon Railroad
Commission, which will assemble
here today in the Chamber Of Com
merce rooms to listen to the argn-
ments incident to the claims hereto-
fore filed with the commission by
Alexander Gilbert, Of Seaside. com
planning Of the freight rates now in
force on the A. & c. lines, The meet
ing will be called at 10 o'clock
romptly; and it is expected there viii
be large turnout of interested citi-
zens there, in this behalf, and in the
interest OF other matters that viii be
brought forward, if they are permit
ted. The commission is made up Of
Messrs. West, Campbell and Atchi-
son.
1t is not known that the wood bur
den" Of Astoria is to be exploited 1t
this mornings session Of the commits
sion, but it is known that the subject
is fast taking concrete and aggressive
shape in this city, on the score Of
the recent advance in the local rail-
way rates to this city, which. in its
logical working out will entail the
practical doubling of the cost of fuel
to the industrial interests, here as
we'll as to the private citizens; situa-
ton that demands very earnest and
practical treatment on all sides, and
which will be thoroughly aired as the
days go by.
On the first of March last, the A,
& c. deliberately raised its rates on
carload lots of wood into this city
from Rainier (for instance), from rs
cents per cord, with a minimum If
car weight involving IL cords to the
car, to $l.30 per cord and increasing
the minimum weight to IA cords per
car on which not more than II cords
can be carried; all Of which practical
ly doubles the cost of transporting
wood into this city from the upper
Columbia mills, and naturally doubles
the burden of the big and little pur-
chaser and makes the commonest fusl
used almost luxury. The old rate
stood for IL years and the company
never realized that it was losing any
thing on it, until the line passed to
the Hill interests, when the radical
and unfair change was made.
The subject has been quietly bruited
in this city for many weeks past and
the temper of the people is not at all
amenable to sophistical argument on
the subject; it is a sore spot" that
only quick and rational treatment at
hands of the railway can ameliorate,
along with some other steps that are
contemplated in private way, to
break the strain and put the business
on a rational footing
Another way in which this advance
reacts upon the general run Of people
here, is that the biggest industrial
plant in the city (in the matter ,f
regular consumption of vast quanti-
ties of common, or slabwood, fuel,)
the Astoria Electric Company, which
furnishes the vast per centage of
light and power used here, will be
compelled to advance its local rates
to consumers in proportion to the
access thrust upon it by the transpor-
tation people; and thus the evil
spreads over the community, until
not even the poorest and humblest
may escape the burden.
The river mills are completely bac-
lred; and they are at the present time