Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-10-01
HEAD OF IOWA RATE DEPART.
MENT HOME FROM MEETINGS
IN EAST.
METHODS OF MAKING RATES
NOT KNOWN TO PUBLIC
Meetings Of Classification Committees
Closed TO Publie-ssventssn States,
Including Iowa, Represented at Re-
cent Msetinss-iowa Always Sends
Delegate.
Special to Times-Republ!can.

DeS MONIES, OCT. How little OOeS
the man who pays the freight know of
the manner Of the making Ut rates. nor
as to when and why changes are made,
nor even as to how these changes af-
feet him! The process of making
changes affecting consumers Of thou
sands Of articles Of everyday use has
| beein going on the past week unher-
aided and almost unknown.
| The head of the rate department for
the Iowa railroad commission, Mr.. A.
D. Beals, returned yesterday from at
| tendance at meetings in Chicago and
New York where this very matter was
| under way. These were the meetings
Of the Official classification commit
| tee," consisting Of representatives Of all
eastern railroads. Unlike the western
classification committee meetings
this was closed to the public, but there
is provision, by order Of the interstate
! commerce commission, for verba tim re-
ports that may be used in appeals.
Each complainant or shipper appears
separately before the commission. The
docket before the committee proposed
changes in classification Of freight.
which, II adopted. would effect changes
as follows:
In regard to carloads, 25 advances.
IS reductions.
Less than carloads, 80 advances, 157
reductions.
Minimum weight less than carload,
20 advances.
Minimum weight car loads. 4s adj
vances. 81 reductions.
Mixtures, 10 advances, 25 reductions.
Package requirement. 13 advances, 20
PRODUCTIONS.
Many Complaints Heard.
In all there were 145 subjects dis
cussed before the committee in the two
meetings. and 1913 persons appeared
representing 131 firms. Not all, but
most Of the individuals who appeared
had something to say. The states rep
resented by individuals were Iowa,
Michigan, Illinois. Pennsylvania, Ohio,
ginia, Massachusetts. Connecticut, Mis-
souri,, New Jersey. West Virginia.
North Carolina, Maryland and the Dis
trict Of Columbia.
While there were thus seventeen
states represented by petitioners the
only representatives Of Iowa firms were
r. B. Lowden, Jr., for the Lowden
Machinery Company, Fairfield, and
Ralph D. Baynard for Morrison Bros,
Dubuque. The Lowden people asked
for q reduction In the !. c. !. rate on
hay rack clamps from third to fourth
class, same as in the western and Iowa
| classification. Chairman Collyer. Of the
committee, objected because 1t would
mean rate on the completed article
the same as on the raw product, but
Mr.. Lowden insisted there was not
much difference between tho two. This
was a sample Of the differences be-
tween the compliments and the COM
mittee.
lowa's Lone Policy.
The Official classification commit
tee meets twice each year. but last
June held a special meeting to consider
the report Of the uniform classification
committee to attempt securing uni
formity in classification everywhere. At
each meeting very many changes are
made, which will be announced later,
in the classifications and these affect
the rates in all territory east Of Chi
cago, large part Of the stun coming
on to the west or going east from the
west.
The Iowa commission is the only one
that has adopted the general plan OF
having representative at. each and
every one Of the classification commit
tee meetings to look after the interests
Of the shippers and consumers OF the
state. There is or has been some talk
of having the entire classification mat
ter turned over to the interstate COM
merce commission and this may be
done some time. For tbs present the
classification on all interstate business
is made by the railroads or their rep
resentatives. after hearing given the
| shippers. but wholly without any out
slider having voice in the matter of de-
cisiOn.