New-York tribune., 1910-06-03
RkH ROADS HASTEN
TO RAISE RATES
Interstate Commerce ComTnIS-
sion's Offices DeIuged with
New Tariffs.
IN EAST AND MIDDLE WEST
Attorney General Wickersham
Undecided as to Further
Suits-Increases from
8 to 81 Per Cent.

8 to 81 Per Gent.
washington. June 2.-Undaunted by
the governments proceeding under the
sherman antitrust law. By which part
of the proposed increase Of freight rates
IN the territory west of the MISSISSIPPI
River was suspended by injunction. rail-
roads in the East and the Middle West
TO-DAY filed tariffs embodying Increased
rates with the Interstate Commerce COM
mission
ATTORNEY General WickeTsham decllheu
70 indicate what course he lntenos 10
pursue in behalf Of the government ana
the Senate. just on the verge of passing
fbe administration interstate commerce
bin. hesitated. and finally postponed ac-
tion until another day.
Tonight practically every railroad sys-
TEN in the North. from the Auanuc 10
the Pacific. had filed the legal notice o.
increases in commodity rates. These IN
,reases range from TO 81 per cent
The first roads TO file schedules OF in
craases were the New York Central. the
West Shore and the Delaware. Lacka-
wanna & Western. Then the official no
from Chicago and Milwaukee to indian
apolis and Ohio River points. twenty
three iY all. was brought to the comnlls-
sion. In the afternoon increased tafliIs
from the Atlantic seaboard to Chicago
81 Paul and intermediate points were
fled These included those from the
Tennszlvania the Baltimore & Ohio. the
New York. New Haven & Hartford, the
Boston & Maine. the Erie, the Delaware
E Hudson. the Lehigh Valley the Cen
,ra1 Of New Jersey. the New York, on
tario & Western and the Philadelphia q
Beading The Baltimore & Ohio also
fled with the commission q revised tarlI
Of commodity rates from Chicago to the
Eastern seaboard-
like the revised schedules filed by the
roads west Of the Mississippi the IN
creased tariffs from Central Freight AS
sociation territory were filed in concert
G f Fulton. of Chicago, representing
the railroads traVersing the field from
the Ohio River to Chicago and MilWau-
lee filed all the tariffs The Eastern
railroaas fled their revised tariffs indi-
vidually.
Increases in Effect July I and D
The increases proposed by the roads in
tbe Middle West range from to 81 per
cent Those from the seaboard TO the
West vary from to 20 per cent 'tfs
Baltimore &. Ohio's increases on rates
from, Chicago TO the seaboard average
about 10 per cent. These increases We're
figured approximately. the employees OF
the commission being deluged With tar
iffs and unable 10 make definite conparl-
IONS Tic. time set for the increases to
% into effect on the Eastern roads was
generally July ;. On the roads in the
Middle West July was the date fixed
Before the revised tariffs began to
rollr into the Offices Of the commission
Attorney General Wickersham was re-
Giving telecrams from Western snip
r,crs asking him TO take action 70 have
the Injunction issued by the federal
court IN Missouri extended to other COM
nodities. especially wool He replied
that il was too late. It was explained
that the government included IN the bill
such rates as had been called 10 Its at
tention. and that the failure of other
rates 70 he included must be laid at the
Goor Of the shippers
Mir. Wiokersham NonCommittal.
As 20 the course Of the government in
regard t. the railroads in the East and
Middle West the Attorney General was
not ready to talk. Immediate action IS
not necessary. as the rates are not to go
into effect for about a month
4
plaints had Yet been received by him
from shippers IN the East and Middle
West. Furthermore. he pointed out that
conditions under which the roads in that
territory had filed their rates might he
entirely different from those governing
TIE action Of the Western Traffic AS
ISOLATION.
There was a feeling among officials Of
the commission that more tariffs would
he fled within the next few days. max
ing the increase general throughout the
c-.lntry on shipments both ways. The
Attorney General may wait for these
developments before determining his
course Of action.
II is believed that the railroads viii
lose no time in fling other tariffs on &C
count of the expected early passage of
the administration railroad bin. For a
time to-day it looked as through the
Senate would pass the bill before night.
but al the last moment th,. Democrats
desired to confer on the bin, and the Re
pubIicans consented TO postpone the final
vote
The lill in its present form gives the
Interstate Commerce Commission power
70 investigate the reasSnableness OF pro-
posed Increases in rates, and To suspend
sheir going into operation as long as ten
months Unless the railroads put their
new rates into operation by the time the
bin becomes law. the Interstate Com
meroe Commission might suspend their
operation for purposes of investigation.
in this way the same result might be
accomplished Is vas sought in tie legal
pr5e,rdnss 10y the Department of JUS
tee against the roads west of the Mis-
sissiDli.