The Daily Missoulian., 1910-01-28
| IN THE RAILWAY WORLD,
RAILROADS DEFEAT
JObBERS
COMMITTEE rs SAID TO HAVE
RENDERED uNFAvoaAsLE
JUDGMENT.

San Antonio. Texas. Jan. 4T.-tSpe-
cial.D-Although the final decisions of
the western classification committee
which has now ended its sessions will
not be made public for some time,
enough Is known to justify the state
ment that few, ii any. of the many
protests made have received favor
able action. On some Of the most i'm
portant questions the committee has
ruled adversely to the petitioner and
i'm favor Of the carriers. Perhaps tho
weightiest decision made il the one
governing return freight Acting in
compliance with a recent ruling of
the interstate commerce commission
the committee decided that return
shipments should be made under the
same rating as the original shipment
Heretofore the railroads have allowed
reduced classification on such
freight but inasmuch as the weight
and value of returned articles is
claimed to be the same. involving the
same risk and responsibility on the
part of the carrier. it was decided to
eliminate this privilege. A stand TAX
en- by the committee in relation to
this was that shipments dana ged in
transit and for this reason rejected
by the conslgnec some within the
carriers purview and can be disposed
of as the carrier sees fit. A ship
ment of this kind. for this reason
does not come within the proscrip-
tinns of the interstate commerce COM
mission, il was argued.
The committee has. decided To al
low the continuance of the old rating
on return empties in all cases where
these are recognized carriers. 1t was
also, decided that number OF articles
which in the past have enjoyed return
classification will in future pay orig
ina, rates.
The attitude of the committee on
this point was that between the orig
inal and the return shipment there
was interposed period of usefulness
of the article that removed it effec-
lively from the status of the orii-
nary return shipment Some of the
articles effected by this ruling are:
Agricultural implements and compo-
nent parts. photo negatives. cash reg
listers. armature cores. electric bulbs.
spoiled beer. iron mill rollers. dam
aged papers, electrotypes. stereotype
plates. printers roller cores, billiard
tables. empty metallic and paper car
fridge shells. talking machine records.
tyre. tyncwriters. vehicles. windmills.
and n host of others The nature of
the articles effected by this decision
is such that return shipments are al
most invariably for repair or ex-
change. and the argument of the COM
mittee was that the railroad in these
cases was not responsible for what
ever deterioration there might b.
cited as the ground for a lower rat
ing.
An important ruling of the COM
mittee was the granting of lower
rates on structural iron of all kind,
TO territories needing this aid for the
purposes OF development. 4 rate for
mixed shipments i'm carload lots or
less will be provided. On less thar
carload shipments a fourth class rat
ing was accepted: this is to be re-
duced to fifth-class rate in carload
shipment with a minimum of $4,000
pounds. Practically every kini Of
structural steel, iron, bronze tin. AMI
other metals, worked or partly worked
are included in this new rating.
The proposition to require the rail-
roads to notify the eonsignnr nf the
eonsisnee's refusal to accept ship
ment was not accepted by the conn
mittee for the reason that 1t would
impose upon the carrier additional re-
sponsibility. 1t was argued that
while good many railroads hereto
fore had done this as an aeeommo-
dation to shippers they were not
Obliged to continue this policy or
anxious to do so. New clasifications
We're made on aluminium ware. the
Increase in shipments of articles made
from this metal making this neees-
sary.
Owing tn the unsettled state of af-
fairs on the Mexican railroads the
committee and those attending the ses-
sion as representatives of shipping in
terests We're obliged to abandon the
planned excursion to Mexico. 1t was
feared that strike might tie up the
Mexican lines and that "A great deal
Of time would be lost through being
marooned somewhere in the republic.
The next session of the committee
will be held at Glenwood Springs,
Col. in July.