The San Francisco call., 1910-06-03
RAILWAYS TRY
TO BALK Plan
OF PRESIDENT
Practically Every Road From
Atlantic TO Pacific Proposes
TO Increase Rates
New Tariff Filed to Be Effective
Before Administration Bill
Becomes Law
Charges for Freight Between
Coasts Are Raised From
3 TO 81 Per Cent

. 10 0l F6E SSnl
Nv 7 AsHINGrON, June I'm
W dsunted by the governments
proceedings under the Sherman
anti trust act, by which a part Of the
proposed increase OF freight rates in
the territory west OF the Mississippi
river was suspended by Injunction,
railroads in the east and middle west
today fled with the interstate COM
rnerce commission tariffs of increased
rates.
Attorney General Wickersham de-
olined to indicate what course he would
pursue in behalf Of the government and
the senate. Just on the verge today Of
passing the administration rate bill,
hesitated and finally postponed action
until tomorrow.
Action by Northern Roads
Practically every railroad system in
the north from the Atlantic TO the Pa
cihc tonight has filed with the inter-
state commerce commission the legal
notification of proposed increases in
commodity rates.
The day started with the fling of
schedules Of increases by the New
York Central. the West Shore and the
Delaware. Lackawanna and Western.
Then the official proposal from the
roads traversing the territory from
Chicago and Milwaukee TO Indianapolis
and Ohio river poiuSs-2s in all-was
brought in During the afternoon in
creased tariffs from the Atlantic sea-
board to Chicago, St. Paul and inter
mediate points were fled.
Like the revised schedules fled by
the roads west of the Mississippi. the
increased tariffs from the Central
Freight association territory were filed
in concert. On the other hand, the
eastern roads hled their revised tariffs
indvidually.
Variations in Increase
The. increases proposed by the roads
in the middle west range from to 81
per cent. Those from the seaboard TO
the west vary from 8 10 20 per cent
The Baltimore and Ohio's increase on
AdAcS II AAAA t-A4A~d - ~ AL4S SSAODoA0
average about 10 per cent
The time set for the increases to go
snto effect on the eastern roads was
generally July 5. On the roads in the
middle west July was the date fixed
Before the revised tariffs began 10
pour into the offices Of the commission
ATTORNEY General Wickersham was re-
ceiving telegrams from western ship
pers. asking him to take action to have
the injunction issued by the federal
court IN Missouri extended to other
commodities especially wool
Shippers Lose Opportunity
Reply was made that it now was too
sete. II was explained that the gov
eminent included in the bin such rates
as had been called 10 its attention and
that the failure Of other rates TO be
included must be laid at the door of
the shippers.
As 10 the course Of the government
in regard to the railroads in the east
and middle west, the attorney general
was not ready to talk Immediate ac-
tion IS not necessary, inasmuch as the
rates are not TO so into effect for a
month
wiclersham said that no complaints
lad as yet been received by him from
shippers in the east or middle west
Furthermore. he pointed out that con-
ditions under which the roads in the
east and middle west had. fled their
cases might be entirely different from
those governing the action of the West
ern traffic association.
Plan to Avoid New Law
There was a feeling among members
OF the commission that more tariffs
VIII be fled within the next few days,
making the increase general through
out the country on shipments both
ways.
It is believed that because Of the
probable early passage of the admin
istration railroad bill. the roads viii
lose no time in filing other advanced
tariffs.
The bill in its p-~sent form gives the
interstate commerce commission the
power to investigate the reasonable
ness Of proposed increases IN rates and
10 suspend them as long as 10 months.
Unless the railroads had put their new
rates into operation by the time the
bill becomes a law the interstate COM
merce commission might suspend their
operation.
Roads TO Appeal to Taft
CHICAGO, June PRESIDENTS. traf-
nc managers and lawyers representing
eight big railroad systems centering in
Chicago found themselves considerably
sea as TO the real pontico-rate sit
uESion when they met today in the Of