The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-02-24
Proposed Advances in Freight
Rates Stopped
BY COMMERCE COMMISSION
Decision Also in Classification Case
Against Roads - Decision Affects
East and West Alike-Must
Cancel Advanced Tariffs.

Washington, Feb, "a, interstate
commerce commission has decided
against the railroads in both rate and
classification cases. The decision eager
ly awaited by roads and shippers alike
was handed down late yesterday after
noon.
Proposed advances in class freight
rates in official classification territory
aggregating among all the railways in
the territory approximately 27,000,00O
year, were disapproyed by the commits
sion.
In the case involving the increases
by the railroads in western trunk ter
ritory commission WAS declined to APP
prove the proposed advances in com
modify rates.
The carriers in both cases are required
to cancel on or before March 10 their
4 advanced tariffs and restore their for
inner rates. which are the rates now in
effect If this requirement is not COM
piled with, the commission will issue
a formal order suspending the proposed
advances and putting into effect the ex-
isting rates for at least two years.
In the case of the railroad commits
sion Of Texas against the Atchison, To
peka & Santa Fe railway and other
carriers, known popularity as the south
western rate case. the commission de.
clined to disturb the commodity rates
or the first class rates complained Of
\ The defendants are ordered however, to
/ reduce to Sl.25 the second class rates,
which were increased from Sl2l to Si.29
I On the remaining classes the defendants
are required to restore the rates in ef-
| feet before the increased rates were pub
lished.
I In brief, this is the disposition made
! by the interstate commerce commission
Of the most important cases ever brought
to its attention. In a sense, the de-
cisions were 10 the nature OF a surprise
70 the railroad officials and other eX-
perts who had followed closely the pro-
ceedings, majority of whom believed
the commission would grant some i'm
creases to the western lines if not to
the eastern.
After considering eXhaustively the
whole subject from every viewpoint,
however, the commission could not see
its way clear to grant any advance in
rates, although it comedies that, 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 OF the lines III the territory were
paying good dividends upon existing
rates. while other carriers in the same
territory We're barely able to make both
ends meet-a few of them scarcely that.
In the western case the carriers en-
tered powerful plea for increased
revenue in order that they might have
additional money to put into improve
ments and betterments which would
enable them to handle with the greater
facility the constantly ereasing traf
fe Of the country. The same argument
was advanced in support OF the proposed
advances III official classification ter
ritory: but commissioner Prouty, who
wrote the opinion in the eastern case,
says:
This argument does not appeal to
us. We doubt the practical difficulty
suggested that of obtaining by loan
sufficient money to finance the roads
and We're it true, il il not apparent that
the general public should stand respon-
sible for mistakes which have been made
in financing these railroad systems
Both the eastern and western cases
were brought to the public attention in
the spring of 1910.
In Withholding approval Of the pro-