Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1912-08-10
THE NEW FREIGHT TARIFFS.
Has the Appearance of Raising the
Rates ON Some Commodities.

he new tranScOntnental fre1ghf
tariffs have been completed The
astbound rates will become effective
August 10Th and the west-bound tariff
will go into effect on the second day
of September The fact that all COIN
modities that move to a very limited
extent in less than carload lots. and
such commodities as do not move ar
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 tic truth.
In brief. all western tariffs have
/ been revised; the dead wood has been
/ thrown out and the tariffs constructed
on as nearly scientific basis as is
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 preserve
their revenues. have deliberately
raised rates on east-b bound California
products to such an extent that Pa
cihc Coast jobbers will have to go OUT
| of business Such statements are the
result of lack of proper knowledge
of the tariff itself and are furthermore
! founded on the extremely fallacious
assumption that the proper and ex-
pedient way for a railroad to preserve
its revenues is to hamper the activi-
ties OF the shipping public.
The truth is that in no instance have
the carload rates been raised on Cali
fornia commodities. Furthermore, in
order to simplify the tariffs and do
away with the never-e ending source of
irritation resulting from over burd-
ened commodity tariffs, all commodi
ties that move to very limited ex-
tent in less than carload lots. and
such commodities as do not move at
all, have been removed from the com
modify tariffs and placed under the
general class tariffs, where they prop
erly belong.
In fact. on number of commodities
]
green hides. nitrate of soda and tallow,
interior points have been given the
same rate east bound as from the Pa
! ciic Coast terminals.
In the former west-bound tariffs
there were large number of com
modify rates on non-sea going articles
that were lower to the Pacific Coast
terminals than to intermediate or in
terror points. These were readJusted
by advancing the terminal rates to
figure that was reasonable for the ser
vice performed This did not increase
| the rates on these commodities at in,
terror points, but in most cases low
cred 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 were low
er to terminal than interior points,
were not defensible as sea forced rates
Hence. the carriers were compelled
to make rates on these commodities
that would be no lower to terminal
points than to interior points.
1t 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 ship
ment is very expensive. besides. the
rate by sea on such bulky and light
freight as compared with freight of
greater density.
A large number OF carload and less
than carload commodities were elimi-
mated because of their non-use. hence
such action did not increase the rate
OF charge. Some few commodity
rates were advanced because the gen
cral readjustment of rates in the inter
mountain and western territory made
it necessary
After going thoroughly over the
tariffs applying to and from interior
points and also to and from terminal
points-both class and commodity
rates--it is believed that the read
justmeut is the best that could be ar
rived at for both the shipper and the
carrier, taking into consideration the
law which largely controls adjust
ment of rates as well as the rates
themselves
The commodity rates on less than
carloads that have been eliminated in
both east and west bound tariffs have
been relocated to the classification
and class rates, but If such articles are