The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-02-10
70 Barre Town Shippers Also
Ask for Billing Stations
ON TWO LOCAL RAILROADS
Public Service Commission Gave q Pre-
hminary Hearing To-day and Granted
Continuance So That Specific
Complaints Might Be Made.

A preliminary hearing on the petition
brought by seventy business men OF
Barre Town against the Barre Railroad
company, the East Barre & Chelsea
Railroad company and the Montpelier
& Wells River Railroad company WIS
held this morning before the members
of the public service commission in the
Office of Richard A. Hoar. The petition
is an appeal for better freight rates,
passenger service and the establishing Of
| billing stations at East Barre, Web
steryille and Graniteyille. f. w. StaI-
yam and H. G. Shurtleif appeared at the
hearing for the Montpelier & Wells
River road and A. A. Stebbins for the
Barre railroad. Mr.. Hoar represented the
petitioners, large number of whom
We're also present.
The defendant companies demurred to
the petition, claiming that they should
have been furnished the names of the
particular commodities ON which the
rates are claimed to be unreasonable
by the petitioners, and it was then
agreed by the interested parties that
the case be held open to give the petit
tioners an opportunity to thoroughly
investigate the various rates and spe.
citieally state the rates they claim to
be excessive and to give the defendants
time to prepare an answer to the petit
TONERS. 1t is claimed by the petitioners
that the Barre railroad should have
through freight rates between all points
within the state, which accommodation
it did not have now.
The commission, through Chairman
John Redmond, indicated that if ineon.
yenience resulted to shippers and con-
signees by lack of through rates that
the road ought TO establish such rates
with other roads. In this connection,
it was agreed that the other railroads
in the state should be represented at the
next meeting to answer to the question
OF through rates The time for the next
hearing was left to be decided upon by
the petitioners and the railroads.
1t is understood that freight rates over
the Barre railroad between East Barr.
Websterville and Graniteville on granite
and other commodities will be ques-
toned and also evidence presented show
ing the necessity of the establishing OF
through rates on all intrastate traffic.
The question of suitable passenger sery-
ice between this city and the "hill" will
also be raised The commission to-day
asked the petitioners and the railroads
to present at the next meeting all the
evidence possible on these matters so
that justice might be done, especially
regarding granite shipments, as granite
is the most important commodity, both
to the petitioners and the railroads.
The Gist Of the Complaint.
The following is in substance the pur-
port of the articles in the petition which
has been filed with the public service
commission and on which the petition
ers complaint; that the owners and those
in control OF the East Barre & Chelsea
railroad and the Barre railroad and the
NJ. & W. railroad, refused, and still con-
tinue to refuse, to maintain q shipping
point or billing station in East Barre,
Websteryille and Graniteville. compelling
people Of these places, who wish to ship
their goods over said railroads to divers
points. to pay an extra charge for ship
ping their goods to Barre City, and then
have the consignor or shippers consign,
or bill, their goods to their destination.
Moreover. that the same is true with
goods coming to the three above-named
places, an extra charge having to be
paid from Barre City, and SO the petit
tioners say that the people OF these To-
calities. in the manufacture and selling
of goods, cannot compete successfully
with people in the city of Barre and
for they have to pay an ad-
ditional carriage OF fifty cents a ton ON
granite and heavier rate on other arti-
cles; that the freight rates over said
railroad to the city Of Barre and other
points within the state are excessive and
exorbitant and that the same should
be reduced by the honorable commits
SION" "that the passenger service is
improper and insufficient, and worse
than nothing '-that the petitioners
further inform the commission that the
reports of the earnings of the respective
railroads show that a reasonable cub
may be made without materially al
fecting the operation of said roads and
paying a reasonable return on the money
invested by said railroad companies;"
that shipping points be established at
East Barre, Websterville and Granite
Vile"
The petition is signed by seventy mer-
chants, quarry owners and granite man
ufacturers in the town OF Barre.