White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1912-08-18
THE REVISED
FREIGHT RATES
SOUTHERN PACIFIC OFFICIAL
EXPLAINS TARIFF CHANGES,
AND DENIES THAT RAILROADS
HAVE GENERALLY INCREASED
FREIGHT RATES.

tomorrow and the w%estbound tariff
will go into effect on the second day
of September. The fact that all COM
modities that move to a very limited
extent in less than carload lots, and
such commodities as do not move at
all have been removed from the COM
modify tariff, has been seized upon
to make it appear that the railroads
have increased their rates. Nothing
could be further from the truth, says
F. G. Athearn, manager of the Blu
reau of Economics of the Southern
Pacific company.
In brief, all western tariffs have
been revised; the dead wood has
been thrown out and the tariffs con-
structed on as nearly a scientific
basis as possible, consistent with the
amended Interstate Commerce Act
and the rules of the commission.
Much has been said to the effect
that the railroads, in order to pre-
serve their revenues, have deliberate
ly raised rates OIL eastbound Cali
fornia produts to such extent that
Pacific coast jobbers will have to go
out of business. Such statements are
the result of lack of proper know
ledge of the tariff itself and are
furthermore founded on the extreme
ly fallacious assumption that the
proper and expedient way for a rail-
road to preserve its revenues is to
hamper the activities of the shipping
public.
The truth is that in no instance
have the carload rates been raised on
California commodities. Further
more, In order to simplify the tariffs
and do away with the n~ever-ending
source of irritation resulting from
over burdened commodity tariffs, all
commodities that move to a very
limited extent in less than carload
lots. and such commodities as do not
move at all. have been removed from
the commodity tariffs and placed n
der the general class tariffs, where
they properly belong.
In fact, on a number of commodi-
ties, such as. beeswax, bags and bag
ging, green hides, nitrate of soda,
and tallow, interior points have been
given the same rate eastbound as
from Pacific coast terminals.
In the former %westbound tariffs
there were a large number of COM
modify rates on ~non-sea-going artic-
les that were lower to Pacific coast
terminals than to intermediate or in
terror points. These were readjusted
by advancing the terminal rates to a
figure that was reasonable for the
service performed. This did not in
crease the rates on these commodities
at interior points, but in most cases
lowered them.
Rates that are lower to terminal
points than to interior points have
been forced by sea competition. But
rates on such articles as do not move
by sea, such. as buggies. agricultural
implements, furniture, tin cans etc,
that under the former tariff we're
lower to terminal than to interior
points, were not defensible as sea-
forced rates. Hence, the carriers
these commodities that would be no
lower to terminal points than to in
terror points.
Ii is not intended to imply that
these articles cannot be shipped by
sea but that generally speaking they
are not. when rail transportation is
at hand. To pack or prepare them
for sea shipment is very expensive,
besides, the rate by sea on such
bulky and light freight is high as
compared with freight of greater
density.
A large number of carload and less
than carload commodities were ELI
minated because of their non-use,
hence such action did not increase
the rate or change. Some few COM
modify rates were advanced because
the general readjustment of rates in
the intermountain and western ter
ritory made 1t necessary.
After going thoroughly owe the
tariffs applying to and from inter
Tor points and also to and from ter
minal points-both class and COM
modify rates-I consider that the re-
adjustment is the best that could be
arrived at for both the shipper and
the carrier, taking into consideration
the law which largely controls ad-