The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-07

Z
places an inadequate penalty on
railroad quoting wrong rate 10
shipper. The insurgents Claims
I however, that this talk Of the demo-
kcrats IL campaigning and that when
/ IL comes to a pinch they will vote for
the bill.
The situation was far more complex
than yesterday when It was impossi-
BILE to form any clear idea OK the
possible final decision.
Eject OF Agreement.
! The general effect OF the railroad
I agreement rea ched at he White House
! yesterday will be that all increases in
freight rates that have been filed since
May and that have been contem-
I plated By the railroads OF the coun-
4 try within the next few months VIII be
guspende In their operation for ut least
a year. This euspensicn Will he FAR
reaching in its trect on many rail-
reads that have been counting on the
increased revenue from the advances.
4 But In the opinion Of railroad men
here this disturba nee will be trivial
! compared with what would have re-
suited through the uncertainty arising
! out of an attempt on the part OF the
admintstra ton 20 enforce the Sher-
man antitrust law against the pres
ent method of rate making.
I AZ soon az the bill becomes a Law.
all OF the railroads Will refile the
rates they have Withdrawn and also
the rates the fling or which has been
held In allegiance through yestsrda""
agreement Under the terms OF she
new railroad Law, as II is expected
to appear on the statute DOCKS, the
1 commission is authorized. upon Its
own initiative, TO NhJcrtake an inves-
! tiKaticn into the .asonabieness Of all
incresses in ratea The commission
will be empowered to suspend the
/ rates for l20-da pending THEM
vestigation into their reasonableness.
IT, at tho end of that period the COM
mission has not arrived at any con-
clusion, 1t will have the power, under
the law, to suspend the operation OF
the rates for an additional six months.
/ Counting the 80 days In which the
rates will have TO be on file before
they could become effective. the COM
mission will thus have eleven r1oAths
In which TO examine into the reason
abIeness OF the tariffs. Under the
terms of the pending railroad bill. all
rates suspended by the commission
are to become operative at he end OF
the eleven months, II the commits
sion has not then reached a con-
clusion in regard to them. Thus.
counting full eleven months for the
commissions consideration of the
thousands and thousands OF rates In
volved tn the present understanding.
1t probably will be at least June l next
year before before all the rates can
possibly be In effect.
Members OF the commission would
not venture an opinion last night as
TO how long 1t will take them to pass
on the increased rates that the rail-
roads Will file
| 1T 10 a stupendous undertaking. and
we are all at sea- was the way one
| mem Der Of the commission put IL.
! at Is the biggest rate adjustment
| and one OF the most important sftua-
lions that we have ever had to deal
with" said another
| Both members Of the commission
agreed that 1t would take the COM
mission certainly full eleven months to
pass on the increases and they were
OF the opinion that they would have
done a mighty good years work II
they got through even in that time.
| Railroad representatives here. how
ever, were of the opinion that the
commissions work could be consider
ably facilitated, and that 1t would be
possible for the commission to group
hundreds of the rates Of each road and
pass upon them collectively. Railroad
men admitted, however. that it would
not be possible for the commission to
apply the facts and standards estab-
lished in consideration OF one roads
rates to those OF another. What the
! commission vii have to do Is to give a
separate hearing to each road involv-
cd. and there will be more than a
hundred OF them.
The news OF the agreement on the
part OF the railroads TO suspend rates
was received with favor by the In.
surgents in congress. and the genera
impression among them was thai
President Taft would be commended
in accepting this concession from tho
railroads and Withholding prosecution
under the Sherman antitrust Law or
this doubtful question. The insurgent:
were inclined to believe that the i'm
mediate relief from the increased
rats was what the people of the mid
die West were most concerned about
and now that they have got that the.
will, so the iusurgent leaders say
generally commend the president
course and give him their support
In fact, 1t was the opinion among lead
ing insurgents that the action of tbs
president would go far toward re
maintaining MN IN the west, anf
also would be of great help in for
warding his legislative program IL
congress.
1t WAS learned late last night tina
thu railroad presidents who attended
yesterdays conference received abso
. lutely no out-and-out assurance from
the administration that the Sherman
antitrust law would NOT in the future
be enforced against the railroads.