Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-06-29

remarkable one in the intermountain
territory. This Is notably true OF the
rates to ana from Spokane, Wash, and
Reno. New. The Spokane rate case
mad been before the commission IN
one form or another for several years.
The shippers Of that city complained
insistently OF the rates they We're
charged on freight classes ana com
nlodities from eastern points Of orig
i'm because they were required to pay
the Pacific coast terminal rates, plus
tho local rates. back To spokane from
those terminals, although the freight
was discharged at Spokane by the rail-
roads on the western trip.
RENO RATES.
Substantially the same state of ar
fairs existed at Reno and other points
which had to paw the rates TO san
Francisco and back--haul local rates
from san Francisco or sacramento 20
the point of ultimate destination.
These local rates IN most instances
amounted TO two-flfths or more of the
entire rate from eastern points OF or
igin to Pacific coast terminals.
As noted above, the decisions OF the
commission In these cases affect all
class and commodity rates between
eastern points and the far west.
No complaint was made in any of
the cases OF the rates OF the eastern
lines between Atlantic points and MS
sisslppi river transfers and all OF the
reductions ordered by the commission
affected the rates from Mississippi
river transfers and all Of the reduC-
tions ordered by the commission AZ
fectcd the rates from Mississippi river
and Missouri river transfer points 10
Pacific coast terminals and inter-
mountain territory points.
SPOKANE CASE
The decision fthe commission In
the city Of Spokane against the North
ern Pacific ana Great Northern COM
panies and other carriers was pre-
pared by Commissioner Prouty. IT was
held that the earnings Of the Northern
Pacific and the Great Northern for the
10 wears preceding 1905 might fairly.
be- termed excessive and that reduc-
ton in revenues might therefore be
made without violating the ConStltu-
tional rights OF those companies The
report continued
Having determined that question,
we did not make reductions In rates TO
Spokane for The reason that these rev
enues The rates TO Spokane were held
10 be unreasonable and other rates
we're established as Reasonable on an
entirely different consideration.
"The scheme Of rates proposed by
the Great Northern and Northern Pa
cihc for the transportation Of traffic
from 81 Paul and Chicago TO spokane
made by taking - per cent from the
terminal rates L. founded upon facts
which do not exist and Is constructed
on a theory which cannot he approved
by the commission
The rates established for the future
are materially approximately
20 per cent ON both classes and commo-
ditics--hut they will not be effective
Immediately.
The defendant lines maintained that
# material reductions were made Tho
result would be disastrous IN view NJ
tho reductions that necessarily would
have 20 be made else where
In addition. the Northern Pacific
showed that since tho nrst decision In
the Snokane case in-the spring OF 1907,
u had expended approximately 1913 0o0.-
600 and the Great Northern showed
II had expended S5.o0O.oo In better
ments
The commission saws These sums
would in each case equal approximate
IN e5 per cent Of the entire cost of re-
production as found by the commits
sion. and would II not accompanied
bv increase earnings perhaps Justify
the claim 90 a greater return. An eN-
animation 81 the nature Of these ex-
pendltures does not however. lead to
tho conclusion that they can have any
legitimate bearing