The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-06-01

WASHINGTON. May 31.--The In
terstate commerce commission 10
hooded, swamped, buried. smothered. =
overwhelmed by an avalanche or mil 2
lions Of freight rate changes TALL go
ing up'), which the railroads OF the
country are filing now to get them in
to effect before a railroad bill can be
passed by congress. The railroads, ,
fearing the insurgents may at the last J
moment stick something damaging in
TO the bin, have played safe. 40
On June / the public's hide ID. to-
come OF In one piece, so to speak. All
Of the clerks at the commissions off,
fees are working overtime simply III
ing the rate changes In their proper
pigeonholes. and the whole force can't
keep up with the deluge. During the 1.
last few days OF May freight changes
poured in at the rate Of quarter mil
lion per day. :
The law says the railroads must ole
rate changes with the commission 80 .
days before they propose putting them
into effect. ~
The railroads really do not like d
to skin the public all in one whole l
sale fiaying like this. They prefer
the gentler, sense-deadening, gradual !
method that has been going on since
1899. too small an increase to be-
noted at any one time, but enough IN :
the aggregate to cost this country, In Z
1908. $66.000.O00 more 10 ship its
freight than 1t would have cost under
the 1899 schedules, which ~ them
selves were scandalously high
Seeing that the rates on all somA !.
articles are being boosted from OSN&
90 per cent. the cost of living VIII 30
up In response about Aug. !, and then
the public will halloo, but not for Joy.
As soon as the railroads realized
that congress might pass some rail-
road legislation they began boosting
the rates, taking no chances with the
insurgents, even though the Taft bill
was drawn by their own Mr.. Wickerss
sham.
On Jan. the tide OF changes up
ward began to swell. On and after 80
days from that day II cost any farmer v
living between st. Louis and Duluth
II per cent more to ship wool to New
York than 1t had the day before.
Rates on western grain to New York
via st. Louis were boosted Is per |
cent; via Chicago 80 per cent. 1t
cost 16 per cent more to ship meats
iiOH pOIuNS W ShANobOt
and that meant everyone east OF Chi Z
cago paid the tax when he bought q !
cut OF western beef.
On May 16 many rates for points
outside Chicago were given boosts
| ranging from SO to 81 per cent. On
May Is general through tariffs on iron
and steel products from Pennsylvania
to western points were raised from
| 10 to SIS per cent. And each day since
has added TO the total.
Here are some westbound rate
boosts via Chicago, effective June /:
| Minnesota and Dakota farmers Will
pay an excess tax of IL per cent on
agricultural implements, brick IL per
cent cement 25 per cent, hides "a per
cent, paints Is per cent. wagons IA
| per cent, wool 10 per cent. meats ~
per cent, sugar SO per cent.
These examples are for specine&
routes between certain points, and are ~
but few chosen from hundreds OF J
thousands. ~
Really, though, the railroads hayy
little to fear from the railrot ~
after all. Senator Aldrich ist q |
job. 49, ~
But even II the railroad bill fails or
is harmless the new robber-rates will
stick US all.