Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1913-04-19
TEXT Of JUDGE HARLANS
OPINION IN THE RECENT RATE
FIGHT WON FOR AMARILLO

all citizens NJ NwarIl.1 1te News
hereUith reproduce fhs fuil feu Of
the decision bj Judge Harlan OF the
Interstate Commerce Commission ln
the recent common point rafe hear
Ing. which resulted r Substantial
victory for Amarillo
In view OF ths aForouH pr6tesfs
made b. commercial ormn.zhfl0ns
representing fhe fnHus affected
] the Commission by fs order OF june
!. 1912. suspended certain com
modify tariffs fIed bf mo sopfhWes
tern lines tHe respondents herein.
for tho agoNed purpose of restrict.
/ INK the ares of what BE- kn0Hn as
the common point TERRITORY ~ Tea
a. The necessary consequence o'
tho tariffs NJ aIloWed fD become 81.
fective. fill BOO 20 put outside that
territory aud INTO me s0.ralled az
iereutllI territory number OF
towns that Tor years have enjoyed
common point rates
Tho rate adjustment 20 Texas
points haa often been referred 20 as
unusual and peculiar as a matter
Of fact f 10 unusual ouJ In me
estraordiuarl extent Of the territory
affected Dos mo adjustment o. Is
really nothing more on less than q
yery br0ad atr group. not dupllcat-
cd elsewhere .n the country except
lbs me rsau larger rate eroup esiaD-
! lshed under fhe tariffs ~ the trans.
continental Iurs The competitive
conditions our OF which the com.
mon point rates FroN have hoeu or
planned boo Dallas Frnlhl Bureau ~
IN. Is 4 T. Nf ga. o. ] G. c.
f21. and need no' boz repeated mere
/ u vlll Doc Sufficient 90 sa} that The
common point TERRITORY a9 nos con-
atltuted under thD Tariffs OF inter.
state carriers comprises uIl Tint
part of Teaa lt|ug east of l.nn
commonr.rg lt Qulrah nu the north
aud running thence in FDuthernly
direction through fiig Springs and
San Angelo to Corpus Christi on
I the Gulf of Mexico This western
I BOUNDARY ID Indicated on the hcom-
pnnying map hy The dotted line In
general. all points loo this very large
territory 500 miles in extent from
north Ia south and $50 miles from
east 20 west take the sam" com
modify rates from auy pOinei Va the
United States on or east OF the Mis-
souri, or Mississippi rivers IN the
northern pnri Of the territory is an
area commonly known as the burnt
district. 20 which lower rates are ln
effect from Kansas city aud inter-
venlng territory The territory lyinR
west and scnth OF the common point
TERRITORY is SQowu az itfereniial
territory. ana 10 all points within
II rates are sade by adding differ
entlnls 10 the common point rates.
There Is also territory in the Wei.
nifty of Galveston and Houston 10
which rates lower than the common
point rates are applied bur with
these rates we are not concerned
here The average distance from
St Louis 10 Texas common points
IL 500 miles. this was our finding
/ in the Southwestern Rate Advance
case. 20. { C. G. iG3. and u IL ad-
mltted here 10 be- approximately cor
rect At this tim"
The common point rate adjust.
ment ln Texas has been "a matter OF
comparatively slow development II
/ originated out of the fact that IN
terror Teyus is accessible through va
many gateways traffic flows into
all parts OF the state not only by
way of the OCEAN and gulf and on
the Red River. hut over the rail
I lines entering the state through its
eastern aud northern boundaries
/ The competition ot the carriers
reaching the state from these differ
ent directions resulted in putting
n large part OF the state on the same
rate level and WAS largely r not
laltoge'hpt. responsible FOR the sue
/ ces-ye extensions OF the common
point territory toward the west
I Possibly the orders Of the state
commission respecting state traffic
may have contributed Co tho eXten.
sion OF the common point territory
I FOR Interstate traffic. bat an expert
encad railroad witness said on the
I hearing that this was not the case.
7 II Is not altogether clear. however.
/ that this Is au accurate view of the
situation Nevertheless. II Is true
/ that the successive extension OF the
territory. So nr Hs Interstate traffic
is concerned has voluntarily been
made by tbo carrier. boo The sense
I that they have not been required
under ans order of this Commission
Z In number OF cases before us com.
munlties Boa differeutIai territory
order So Gar as Interstate traffic
In none OF them dId We find the re.
Is concerned % appears therefore
that the carriers have been forced lF
competition among themselves and
BY other conditions 10 enlarge the
common point territory The last
extension was made on September
ls.7s04. AZ which tine 4he present
western boundary line vas estab-
lished
That extension took out OF differ
entail territory and pa, into COM
mon point territory certain towns.
among which the most important
were sweetVater. Big Springs San
Angelo. Brady and Ballinger These
communities have therefore en- loved