Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-08-01
RATE. RULING
Commerce Commission Enpnciates a
New Principle in Decision.
TAKES JURISDICTION IN MATTER
Proposed Raise I'm New York Reason
able, Except ON Pennsylvania
ROad-BuIing. Affects All
other Large Cities.

WASHINGTON, July J.-Proposed in
creases in Communication passenger fares by
the leading railways operating in and out
of New York City today were held by the
Interstate Commerce commission to be
reasonable, generally, except in the case
of the PENNSYLVANIA railroad, whose COM
mutation rates are declared excessive and
are ordered reduced.
Against the PENNSYLVANIA railroad a spe7
cifie order is made by the commission re-
curing 1t to desist from exacting its pres
ent Communication fares to and from New
York City. by September 1, and for not
less than two years thereafter For a
monthly sixty ride ticket, between New
York and New Brunswick, N. j., the COM
mutation fare is fixed at not to exceed
SO lit is now S12) and the road is ordered
to readtust its Communication. rates to and
from other points in conformity with, that
fare.
In particular instates on, the Erie the
Iackawanna and the West Shore lines,
the commission finds that the commuta-
zion. fares are excessive, in that they ex-
coed materially the charges of other roads
for substantially the same service, No or
der Is made in respect to these isolated
cases.
The opinion of the commission was pre-
nared bv Commissioner Harland and is the
unanimous expression Of the body. The
case-popularly known as the Commute
tion rate case"-has been before. the COM
mission for more than a year.
Nexy Principle EnuEcintcd.
Asine from affecting directly nearly oO-
600 commutaters in and near New YORK
the principles enuneiated through the opln-
ion are of far reaching importance as they
immediately concern railroads and COM
muters in every center of population III
the country. While the decisions deals
positively only with the communication stu
alton in and ebput New York, interentlallS
Communication fares from and TO Chieag9
are used by the commission Tor other pur
poses, the advantage Of the. comparison
being in favor Of the Chicago INES
What is believed as the most important
holding of the commission In the view
point of the railways is that II taxes iuil
| jurisdiction over oh commutation rates and
assumes under existing law the power &c
| regulate those rates precisely as It regu-
| iates straight passenger fares and freight
! rates The respondent railroads ia this
! case denies the commissions authority &c
/ assume such power, maintaining as com
! mutation fares were far lower than straight
passenger fares. which are conceded to be
reasonable and that, as all commuters were
! treated With absolute equality the rail
1 roads right TO adjust Communication rates
/ without interference could not be ques
| toned.
with this view the commission Is not II
accord The commission believes 1t is prob
able that a corporation cannot be. com
PEELED TO put a Communication service. am
Communication rate into operation. but Com
missioner Harlan. says. Having under
taken q definite and negulaF Communication
service. such as Is shown Of record on tn
part OF the defendants in this proceedin
the power as well as the duty Of the com