The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1911-03-10
SUSPEND.
RAIL RATES
INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMITS
-. INSISTS ON COMPLETE
AMENDMENT.
al of Roads to Postpone In
=. # Abandoning Scheduled In
s.e Meets With Little Favor
pads Expected to Obey Order
without Further Delay.

u,osbington, March 7.-Denial Of
roouest of the railways of official
'n D.sifcation territory that they be
''a Sn,itted voluntarily to suspend pro-
pea "a advances in class freight rates
pO. m March IS until November l next,
wv Oa made by the interstate commerce
mission. In the decisions an
onncod in the great rate cases ten
nO ooo the commission directed that
10. 10, nroposed tariffs advancing rates
y. onnulled on or before March 10.
=, ,hic direction were not followed
49, commission announced that on
.hot date it would issue an order re-
aa1,ing the rates and putting into eff
toct for at least two years the exist
no rates. After a conference in New
Work last Friday an arrangement was
r,ode for a conference in this city
hotveen Eastern railroad officials and
tho members of the commission.
Those in Conference.
Participating in the conference were
President w. C. Brown and General
solicitor Clyde Brown of the New
York Central; President James Nc
crae and General Counsel F. l. Gowen,
Of the Pennsylvania; President Daniel
Willard and General Counsel Hugh G..
Bond, of the Baltimore & Ohio; Presi-
dent Frederick Underwood and Cen
eral Counsel George Brownell, of the
Erie, and Walker D. Hines, represent
ing the Delaware & Hudson.
1t was suggested to the commission
that the carriers in official classified
ton territory be permitted to suspend
voluntarily the tariffs proposing ad-
vances from March Is until November
next, in order that they might have
opportunity to ascertain the general
result of this fiscal years business.
New Advance Contemplated.
Their contention was that this years
business might show a falling off of
the revenues of 1910, which would af-
ford them an opportunity again to ask
the commission to consider an advance
in rates, perhaps some time late next
autumn, when they would be enabled
to make better showing in support
of the request than they made in the
recent cases.
They desired also to ascertain
whether the record made in the re-
cent cases would be available in any
future proceedings they might insti-
tute
Denial of the request was made in
a letter to President Brown, of the
New York Central, written by Com
missioner PrOuty on behalf of the COM
mission. The letter says:
Unanimous for Denial.
The committee of which you are
chairman requests that defendant car
rlers in the Eastern rate advance
case, No. 34OO, be allowed to postpone
their tariffs of advanced rates until
November next, instead of cancel
ling the same, as now required by the
commission.
After considering the reasons ad-
duced IN support of this request, those
members of the commission who are
IN Washington are unanimously of the
opinion that it must be denied, and
mat we must adhere to the report,
which clearly states the attitude OF
THIS body toward the future.
With respect to the suggestion
mat In any future proceedings the
present record will not be available
II these tariffs are cancelled, it is
proper to observe that this proceed
ing was Instituted by the commission
itself, and that the record is entirely
SUBJECT to its control, either with re
spect to further proceedings on the
same record or with respect to new
proceedings involving the same ISSUE
Cancellation Is Expected.
Today, at the New York Contra
olnces in New York City a genera
meeting of Eastern railroad officials
VIII be held, at which the participants
IN yesterdays conference will make
'neir report. 1t is probable that de
cislon will be reached to cancel thu
proposed advance in accordance will
Tue direction of the commission, ant
Al the light of developments let tn,
future take care of itself.