Arizona republican., 1911-07-29
PHOENIX. ARIZONA, JULY 29. 1911.
A New Era Created by the Decision.

Discussing the recent decision of the interstate commerce commission, MT. J. c. stubbs, traffic director of the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific systems, is reported as saying:
 The commission has finally ar
 rived at a conclusion, which. as
 every railroad man knows, will
 work toward a depletion in the
 earnings of all roads over which 1t
 will have effect.
 believe 1t will work to the
 detriment of cities on the Atlantic
 coast as well as the Pacific. Chi
 cago manufacturers will undoubt-
 edly find it to their advantage.
 The commercial situation will be
 changed; business will flourish in
 some sections while it will de-
 crease very perceptibly in others,
 but as to the time it will take
 for the country, as well as the
 railroads to adjust themselves to
 the changes that will result, 1t
 will at least require two or three
 years, if no more"
 MT. Stubbs did not specify, nor was it necessary for him to specify, the sections in which business will flour ish" as a result of this exceedingly important decision. Interior distribut- ing centers, such as Chicago, Kansas City, will be helped materially, but the greatest benefit will be enjoyed aF ba int r-r1nnnfaln country-including Phoenix.
 The abolition of the back haur' charge from the Pacific coast termin- a!s. and the placing of the interior cities on a practical parity with the coast cities in the matter of freight rates from the eastern section of the country, will inevitably develop Phoe- nix and all other cities similarly sit uated into important wholesale cen ters, while the wholesale houses of the coast will lose approximately And of course the benefits of this read justment will not be enjoyed by wholesale houses alone. Every ship per in the inter mountain country will profit from the new situation.
 As a matter of fact, the decision of which MT. Stubbs complains only anticipates by a very few years voluntary readjustment of westbound rates by the carriers themselves. ne ha m canal, ocean competition will become a reality for the transcontinental lines instead of the more or less shadowy proposition which it is at present. Thereafter it will not be to the in terest of the railroads to build up the coast cities at the expense of the interior. It will be to the advantage of the carriers, on the contrary, to develop and foster the growth of in terior cities, shipments to which will not be in competition with ocean com merce.
 So the decision of the commission will only bring about a little sooner the improved conditions for interior shippers which the canal was bound to force in any event. And in view of these facts it would seem wise for the traffic managers of the railways to accept the situation with the best grace possible and cease their grumb- ling. Hereafter the transcontinental lines and the interior cities of the coast country will find it to their advantage to work in harmony for the upbuilding of the interior coun- try. Before long, therefore, we may expect to see a disappearance of all feelings of hostility on either side and see in its stead the steady growth of a spirit of good will and co-opera- tion between the railroads and the people of the inter mountain country.