The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-11-24
RAILROADS URGE NEED OF RAISE IN FREIGHT RATE High Cost of Living Has Affect ed Even Big Cor porationS. NORTHEASTERN LINES
 PLEAD THEIR CAUSE Expenses Said To Re Heavily Increased by I. C.. c.
 Orders.

washington, Nov. 24-Daniel Will lard. president of the Baltimore ~ Ohio, Frederic A. Delano. president or 4r,e wabash, and George Stewart Pat 4erzon. general solicitor of the Penn s-vlvania. appeared before the inter r+ata commerce commission today to sr~ua for authority to increase rates m all classes of freight traffic ap- Droximetely 5 per cent. east of the 1Tf-uf~=inni and north of the Ohio and Potomac rivers.
 Though the proposed increased rates are asked by the railroads m the territory east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio and Potomac ,+ver~ tI7a hearing is of the utmost irnportance to all the railroads of the limited States for, should the commits ziou grant the authority for the in crease 1t might extend the authority to the other railroads of the country
 The commission will inquire wheth- CT present rates yield adequate reve- ,,,,ez to the common carriers and much testimony will be taken. when the hearing began it was expected only the opening arguments by the representatives of the railroads would be heard today.
 have felt the burden of the increased cost of living like all other enterprises or individuals "but unlike all others have not been permitted so far to raise their prices or adjust their charges in recognition of that bur 5ey, was the declaration of. Daniel Willard. president of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.
 Referrfns to the refusal of the com mission in 1901 to grant a 10 per cent. increase and the premise to invest1- gate 4he rate question in the future T7f r. lard asserted that operation of the railroads during the last three years was not such as to inspire confidence e. of private capital or encourage the support of private enterprise
 ssIt is a mistake to think that the Sproblen is merely a question of divt- ,- -dends to railroad stockholders al though that feature is, of course, in <. volved The problem in 8 broad and true sense affects all Interests and the outcome of this particular caseZ srrvFlictever way 1t is decided-wi11 feet, very largely determine whether sze shall as in the past continue to E1oolk to private capital and private en- terprise for our transportation re- cuirexnents or be compelled finally to accept the only alternative possible"
 In presenting the facts upon which the railroads rely to prove the neces- sfty for an increase in rates, MT. Will lard asserted that during the past three years the railroads in the terri- tory affected had spent in property in vestnent some $6o0,0O0,oo0 or at the rate of 2oo.0OO,OOo per year. Never 4heless, he added, because of the fact that operating expenses had increased faster than operating revenues, these railroads earned in the year ending June 30, 1918, less by $16.311, 321 than for the year ending June 30, 1910.
 MT. Willard also called attention to increases in wages, taxes, burdens imposed by legislative enactnents,' ' such as employers liability and com pensation acts and other conditions
 He called attention to the fact that since 1901 wage pawn ents by the rail- roads affected had greatly increased largely as a result of mediation and arbitration proceedings that the award just announced by the arbitra- tors would give the conductors and trainmen SC, 6,O0O.O per annum addi- 4ionR1.
 The effect of the soca11ed full crew laws alone, he said, had been to i'm crease the expenses of these carriers more than $4.O0O,Ooo per annum.
 The railroads affected paid $54, 394,- I'll in the shape of taxes for 1913, this being $11,579,1S7 more than in 1910, he asserted. The three larger railroad systems paid in taxes $31,- z1s,ooO in 1913, this being $7.854,OOO F1y-