The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-17
HARTMAN TRAFFIC
CHEFS IN Session
Secret Consultation Had in
Washington Regarding Spo-
kane Rate Case.
WHOLE WESTERN SITUATION
DISCUSSED IN CONFERENCE
Thorough Shaking Up of Trans
continental Freight Rates
From River to C0aGt.

There is to bc a general shake mp IN
! freight rates between the Missouri
/ River and the coast. according TO the
! statement of n traffic manager who was
present at the recent consultation OF
| representatives Of the railroads in ChI'
! cago.
On Friday there was a conference oil
| officials of the Hartman system III
| Washington at which j. \. Reeves, gen
cral freight agent of tho Oregon short
Line railway. was present. This meet
lug nj the national capital was secret
ono. 1t followed the general meetings
held in Chicago where representatives,
of the Hartman lines devoted much
| time getting together as TO the policy
to he pursued
IT will be remembered that the Har-
| riman system prayed tho interstate COM
mcrcc commission for exemption from
the Spokane rate case decision. The
Washington meeting, however, was pre-
paratory 60 their meeting with the
interstate commerce commission, over
the Spokane rate case decision. Those
present Mt the meeting were j. =
Stubbs of Chicago, =. b. Miller OF
Portland j. \. Reeves of Salt Lake, j.
A. Muuroe OF Omaha of the Hartman
system. James Woodworth. G. Il. Burn.
ham aud w. w. Broughton Of 81. Paul
Of the Great Northern. and j. y. Hama
ford of st. Paul OF the Northern Pa
cific, and its object was To prepare their
case for presentation TO the commis-
sion \ Washington special TO the Spo.
kane Spokesman-RcYicw under date Of
the 18th says:
Covered Whole Field
At miduiGh, ono OF the general traffic
managers. who took part in tho confer
cncC here said 10 the Spokesman KCElt"
This conference today by principal
traffic dirccbrs and vice presidents oi
mcnt of rates between the Missouri river
and Pacific coast. The complaint by the
Salt Lake Chamber OF Commerce bears
the same relationship to the general rate
adjustment 10y California lines as the
Spokane case bears 10 the general rate
adjustment OF the northern lines, and not
only is il necessary to determine what
future rates will bc from eastern points
10 Spokane. but. too. the relative adjust
meat from eastern intermediate terri
tory as well as rates from the Pacific
coast cast 20 the same territories. The
ommiSSion'S decision iutimatCd that tn"
commission expected such an adjustment
of distributiye rates from the coast east
ward,
From our point Of view the entire
freight revenues of the several com
panics are involved and the scope OF our
discussion. therefore, under these CIR
cumstanrcS. is not alone the Spokane
rates, but absolutely the whols western
rate situation. although. Of course. the
Spokane rates control In the whole mat
ter and arc our starting point rs n mat
ter OF necessity, especially AS 60 the
northern lines.
Decision Not Reached.
1--WE have reached no decision even
on the plan to be followed. therefore We
absolutely do not know anything specili-
caliy about what nur new rates will he
under any plan that might bc adopted
We have not decided whether the com
missions invitation To submit an alter
native plan in the Spokane case viii be
accepted, or that the roads make their
own rcsdjustmcnt according to n plan
covering rates TO Utah. Montana and
other territory. or resist the order OF the
commission in the spokane case. Wc
might decide 10 submit an alternative
plan in the Spokane case and ask va
cation Of the commissions order in which
instance there would probably be fur
The dispatch further says: '1t is
! learned that the coast cities fear that
the plan To he proposed 10y the roads for
readluS tmcnt or rates will strike q blow
sumahly being due 10 some intimations
given there that the diStributiyc rates
win not retain the advantage hitherto
acCrUing 10 them under the supremacy
of water competition In tarft making.
"A growing belief here is that genuine
compliance with the commissions order
VIII mean thorough shaking up Of trans
continental rates, rcvOlUtioniZing the en-
tire freight situation from the Mississlppi
river 60 tue Pacific Commissioner Prouty
will have a most prominent part i'm con-
sldering this matter as he wrote the lnag
order In the Spokane case"
The railroads have promised tho
commission that = final discussion will
be mgdc bV Nav 20