New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-09-12
SHIPPERS WANT FIGURES
Cross-ExaminatiOn of Railroad
Men May Not Proceed To-day.
NOT EVADING AN INQUIRY
Expert Says Railroad Men Now
Know Better than to Avoid
Anything in Investigation.

When the chief examiner for the Inter
state Commerce Commission George N
Brown, reopens the hearing to-day on the
question of the increase Of freight rates
by the railroads in the territory east of the
Mississippi River and north of the Ohio
and Potomac rivers, he NAV find that
counsel for the shippers. instead of cross
examining the railroad men. will wait for
the additional figures demanded and half
promised last week.
From an expert interstate commerce
reguIa tions and railroad affairs in general
who attended all the meetings. including
the session of Saturday morning, It was
learned Yesterday that the railroads did
not seem IA he gathering material for
test of the new law in the courts. He said
further that despite the appearance Of re
luctance on the part of the railroad men to
give figures demanded by certain of the
counsel for the shippers. the transportation
experts were in reality eager to submit all
the relevant information wanted. He con-
tinued:
TT is my opinion that the railroad men
are as fair as they could possibly be. They
now know better than 10 eyade or avoid any
thing in these Investigations, and it will be
found that they have been willing to &C
Cede to any reasonable request. Nor do
believe they are trying to hide anything.
The fact is that there are few counsel out
side of those of the railroads who are ex-
perts In matters of this kind. and a re-
suit the counsel for the common carriers
get little impatient from time to time at
the irrelevant demands made and questions
asked. Il will be found that if Louis Bran
deis, of Boston, asks for information for
the shippers he generally gets what he
wants; also Frank Lyon, the special coun-
sci for the commission. They know the
situation
The Information wanted by the counsel
for the shippers is OF such a character that
to supply 1t al all will mean much expense.
much work, and will take a. good deal of
time. When adjournment was taken on Sat
urday nearly all the roads had submitted
their prma facie case. A few more are to
be heard from. but il said that these
would follow the plan and scope of the
roads that have already submitted their
data
There has been much speculation regard
ing the view the commission may take %
the evidence submitted far 1t was said
by those familiar with the case that the
railroads had made a fair showing. one
that seemed to justify the raise in rates.
but whether the additional figures that
may be submitted would help or harm could
not. of course. be told. There was an i'm
preston that the commission would take
as much cognizance of the methods of
levying the increase as of the increase
itself
In the classification of freight the rail-
roads have broadly six classes, and these
in turn are divided into numerous collateral
branches. They are all Independent of the
so-caIled commodity rates-that is, the
charges on sugar. coffee or steel rails. The
increase of freight was placed the six
classes unfortunately, leaving the com
modify list untouched. The commission, it
was said would be likely TO ask whether
the raise had been predicated on the right
articles and may as the result of further
inquiry order that some of the commodity
class share the increase, that there may
be an equalization.
There was a general impression that the
permission TO raise the rates would be
granted to some extent with the foregoing
provision unless the commission switched
around and decided with its knowledge of
the actual freight situation to order that
the import traffic shall bear the increase.
This traffic according to the shippers as
sociations has so many advantages now
that it should not have that the tariff is
often all but neutralized. It was also said
that the commission In its wisdom may
have the common carriers Intercepted re-
garSng the terminal charges, the charges
for carting. and other incidental expenses
which the shipper is now compelled to bear,
but into which there never has been
drastic inquiry.