The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-10-17
Position of Spokane in Freight
Rate Matters Same as That
of Salt Lake.
COAST POINTS DEMAND
OPPOSITE OF FAV0RS
Commission, Railroads, Sea-
board and IntermOuntain Sec
ton Fight Each Other.

City. claim that rates to the Pacific
coast from the cast should remain about
as they are, bat the inland points should
have lesser rates from the east because
the distance is shorter. The coast
cities. such as. Seattle, Portland or Los
Angeles, claim that the rates TO the
inland points (Spokane, Salt Lake
etc from the east are about as they
should be- but that the rates from the
Pacific coast eastward are too high, rs
are the rates from the east TO the
coast,
The railroads claim that the rates are
all right as they stand, with perhaps
minor changes. The interstate com.
merce commission appear TO THINK tnat
all rates are too high.
The situation reduces itself to prac-
tically this: The inland cities and the
coast cities are asking Just tho opposite
of the Interstate commerce COMMISSION
What the commission gives TO the
coast cities it must deny the inland
cities, and what is granted the inland
cities adds to the woe of the coast
towns 1t is all q fight between cities
over trade territory, with the inter"
state commerce commission as the UNI
pre-.
On this point the coast and the in.
land cities are at war, but in spite OF
fhis both coast and inland points are
fighting together against the railroads
20 get lower rates Ia any event. The
general bearing of the interstate com
merce commission is with the cities as
against the railroads in this matter.
Three out of the four parties to the
fight want lower rates, while the rail
roads alone are seeking TO hold rates
ms they are, or even TO raise them IN
many cases.
What Inland Cities Want.
The case of Spokane is fairly repre-
sentive of the position of all the IN
land cities, such as Salt Lake, Ogden.
Reno and other places, as opposed to
the demands of the coust towns like
Seattle and San Francisco.
The following interview recently
given in Spokane by Frank II. Nc
Cune, the expert who prepared the case
that the interstate commerce comms-
sion has decided in favor of Spokane,
gives fair idea of the position of all
the inland points as regard TO freight
rates, Mr. McCune's s statement is as
follows:
"In these latter days the evil Of
freight rates has reached the stage
where aggravation forctells ITS doom
In IFS early history. what are now
rates, the original scheme graded the
rates according TO distance dcmarcat-
ing the lines at New York. PittSburg
Cincinnati, Chicago, Mississippi river
and Missouri river, which includes Du-
luth the gradation being 10 cents the
hundred in favor of the Missouri river
section TO Pacific scaboard and tribu-
tary territory. as compared TO the
rates from New York. This adjust
mcnt was normal one in principle.
This method was modified from
time to time. until these natural lines
OF demarcation have been wholly OBJ
liberated and the entire region cast
ward from Wyoming has been thrown
into pool of the postage stamp rate.
or blanket rate scheme. of single rate
on the same article for the entire ter.
rltory.
1.-The origin of this system Of dis
elimination Is traccable 10 the man
agemcnt Of the Central Pacific Rail
way company, when IL Inaugurated the
practice of arbitrarily hauling traffic
through the interior points to which
it was consigned, TO San Francisco,
and then rehauling back 10 point of
delivery practice that came into
vogue shortly after the completion of
that line in 1869.
How Rates Are Made.
outset 10 meet the operating expenses,
and for the purpose of meeting this
need, the idea was conceived and es-
iabllshed of enforcing the additional
haulage so that the local rate from
San Francisco to the interior point of
consumption could be added as an eX
ira charge to the through rate from the
eastern point of origin, which at that
time was the same TO the intermediate
uOint as 10 thp Pacific
'iAnd thus was the seed of iniquity
sown the root of which has spread nn-
til il saps the viTility of iAtcrnal com
iuerce IN every part OF the United
States.
"With the upbuilding of the intc-
rior the complaints of merchants be-
came so clnmorous that to stem this
ride and cvade remedial legislation,
the railroads abandoned the practice
Of hauling the traffic the additional
mileage, but made delivery direct
''Howevcr. they refused to relim-
quIsh the extra charge. which was still
collected under the excuse that the
railroads were perfectly willing to per
form the service. and were only max
lug direct delivery purely as an accom-
modation to rhc merchant.
Forcsecing the death of this ex-
euse. another had to bc created 10 take
It's place aud later the water compe-
ttOn theory was invented. This vie
ious sub, orfugo has been used success
fully for years 10 pefpetuatc this false
basis of charging for service not ren.
dcrod. and not necessary. and bv this
means. tho consumers in the interior
hayc been annually robbed Of millions
OF dollars and the development Of the
wide territory has hccn retarded and
pushed into the future so far that the
present generation cannot hope 80
gather where ii has sown.
Water Competition,
SO profitable device could not
fail TO attract other evil minds en-.
gagged in the transportation business
and it was therefore introduced into
ether parts OF The United States
II can be found under Yariou,
lHmcs, such rs inland water compcti-
lion. railroad competition, commercial
ap'. lissi.ni,ar conditions. competition
between section and section or citv
ard ciig. hut ihcsc aye only pretexts.
ihe specie OF the genus of the higher
ntoiIncdiate rate inaugurated hy the
Central Pacific railway as q revenue
expedicncy.
''Thc impelling motive is to so con
Gcl the Commercial situation as tu