The Cairo bulletin., 1911-02-24
RAILROADS lose
N RATE CASE
INTERSTATE COMMERCE CON-
MISSION HANpEnl DOWN DE-
cisloN YESTERDAY.
MUST RESTORE OLD RATE
Foods in Eoth East and West Given
Till March 10 to Des:roy Al
vance Tariffs-Decisicn
Surprise to Experts.

s Washington, Feb. 23-The inter-
state commerce commission has de-
cided against the railroads In both
the eastern and western cases. The
decision was handed down late this
afternoon.
Proposed advances Ia class freigat
rates In official classification terri
tory aggregating among ail tile rail-
roads in the territory approximately
$z7, 100000 a year, were disapprovca
by the communication.
In the case involving increases by
the railroads in the Western Trunk
Line Association territory the com
mission also declined to approve tae
proposed advance In the commodity
rates
Must Restore Old Tariffs.
The carriers in both eases are re-
quired to destroy on or berorc Marel
~ their advance tariffs and restore
their former rates. which are now the
rates in effect II this requirement be
not compiled with the commission
viii Issue formal order suspending
the proposed advances and putting
into effect the existing rates for at
lesst two years.
In the. case OF the railroad commits
Ion of Texas against the Atcttson,
Topeka AMI Santa Fe railway anu
other carriers, known popularly as
the Southwestern Rate Case, the com
mission declined to disturb the cor.
modify rates or the first c'ass ra,es
complained Of
The defendants are ordered, dow
ever, to reduce the second class rates.
watch were increased from s1.2i 70
1929. On the remaining c'asses Tn
defendants are requested to re torc
the rates in effect before the in
creased rates were published
Nest important Cases.
In brief this is the disposition made
by the interstate commerce comm s.
sion of one of tie most ,maor ant
cases ever brought to It's ai;ca;.oE.
In sense the decisions We're in
+ha ,,at,,rn nf eyrurten. ~ tbo ,.atsraa4,
officials and other experts VITO had
followed closely the proceedings, III.
majority of whom believed the co::-
mission would grant some increa C..
to the we. tern lines il no: TO the
eastern.
After considering the whole sub
1ect, however, from every viewpoint.
the commission could not see ITS way
clear to grant any rate increases, IL.
though it comedies taat, In the case
Of some of the roads, an Increased
revenue is needed
In what is known as the eastern
case the commission was embarrassed
by the admitted fact that several oil
the lines in the territory were paying
good dividends on existing rates, ana
other carriers in the same territory
were barely able to make both ends
meet, and few of them scarcely that.
Plead improvements Needed.
In the western case the carriers Ell.
tered a powerful plea for increased
revenue in order that they might have
additional money TO put INTO Improve
ments ana betterment. which would
enable them to handle WITH greater
facility the constantly increasing trat-
fic of the country.
Rotl the eastern and we tern cases
were brought to the public attention
in the spring of 1910. Just prior 10
the enactment of the existing Inter-
state commerce law, which in part be
came effective on June Is, 1910. the
railroads of the official classified I'm
territory, Al in all, and those in the
Western Trunk Line Association ter
rltory. filed with the Interstate con-
merce commission tariffs making gem
eral increases in their freight rates.