New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-08-02
Interstate Commission in Divided OPINION
Refuses Any Relief to Systems Last
of Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
FULL ADVANCE GIVEN LINES WEST
Commodity Well as Class Tariffs lnc'uoeo' O0''
and Other Articles Excepted-Dcclslon Expected 10
Add ~ Per Cent to Income OF Lines

g.. orentcd will prove insufficient 10
sFord = fair and reasonable return 10
the carriers for the services which they
perform.
Daniels Protests.
Mr.. Daniels further protests tnS' .ne
decision has been confused ana w
necessarily delayed by merging WIN
the issue Of freight rates AN lrIeiy-
want inquiry into methods by Whlcn
carriers may conserve their revenues
without advancing their rates.
The majority. headed by Chairman
Harlan. held as to rates west OF fl'ls-
burob that thew we're the lowest III
the country and warranted an increase:
While il was held that the income OF
tho Eastern railroads was smaller IMAM
demanded in the public interest no
showing had been made warrantlng II
! General increase. The real belief, inc
Commission held. for the New England
roads and those in Central Freight AS
ISOLATION territory WAS financial reor-
raniZation upon a sound basis.
The crisis" which railroad man
ayers protested was confronting them
was pronounced TO have little founaS-
tion The commission denounced wnst
/ II characterized as q propaganda 70 IN
! fuence its decision, and sdded there
was no doubt it had seriously aggra-
waited the present commercial depres-
sion" III o
expected to increase the income OF the
railroads about y per cent ouyn
principal East and West roads as tne
New York Central, Pennsylvania, Ere
and Baltimore e. Ohio VIII oenent py
| the advances TO the extent that they
have lines running from the East oygi
| into the territory IN when the Su
vsnces apply. MARE
than one-half the total trafhc OF the
railroads, will have no advance.
"The contention of the railroads tnat
their revenues under the present scare
of rates are Inadequate, says the Ila-
iority opinion, "is sustained inc com
mission saying that the operating IN
come of the railroads IN oihclai ciasSi-
6cation territory, taken as whole IS
est Of both the general public and the
railroads" ,n.,.;. &c
the railroads are recognized by 'nf
commission as a problem not only OF
the railroads put " 'hN PN. -
Il is the duty of the commission 10
help to solve. .. ,,.
On this point the commission says
sneaking Of the need Of the carriers
for additional revenues, that 1T is our
dutv and purpose to aid. as par as we
legally NAV. in the solution oil the
nrob1em as TO the course carriers may
pursue 10 meet the situation.
Three Rate Territories.
The commission points out that the
official classification territory embraces
three rate territories, known as Vne
New England territory, lying east OF
the Hudson River; the trunk line terrl
tory. living between the New bhglah3
territory and the Buffalo. Plttspureh
line and the Central Freight Associs-
tion territory, lying between the But
falo- Pittsburgh line and the MISSES,
sippi River, and that the nnanclsI ana
traffic conditions of the raiiroaos OPP
4, Grating in these three rate territories
differ widely. A.. ro4os
The commission finds that the rates
in Central Freight Association ierrl-
/ tory, as a whole, are not oIly
/ than the rates in either trnk me VI
| New England territory, but thaC ny
/ are lower than the rates IN any o'nei
4 mart Of the United States. If the aV-
arage freight rate had been as hlgn
| an Tho Central Freight Association ter
r;torv lines as on the roads IN trunA
/ Iiro territory the former would nave
osrned in 1913 s56.000.000 moro than
/ tbev actually did. and that the twenty,
1 o;ob+ commemorative roads in Central
Frcicht Association territory, when are
=: nood would have earned S29,-
900 900 more. -
The three great trunk lines nave
each large mileage in Central frelgn'
/ Association territory, so that their rev
/ onues will be augmented by rate IN
creases in that territory. Thus, OF cne
( New York Central systems ll'o9o
r,iIes If line. 1888, or more than two
tbirds. are i'm Central Freight Associa-
/ ton territory. Nearly one-halt OF tne
r,;iaage of the Pennsylvania system Is
/ Lee in that territory and more imam
onc.half of the Baltimore d ONO
Criticism for Officials.
The Erie. the Chesapeake & Ohio ano
/ The Norfolk G. Western also have I'M
nortant mileage in Central Freight As
/ sociation territory. The systems IN trunt
| limo territory. which have no mileage II
Central Freight Association territory
are in large part roads with large an
thracite coal traffic, and they are very
The commission finds that the class
rates effective in Central Freight AS
ISOLATION territory are so low that an
increase Of per cent would clearly
not be unreasonable, but points out
that the class rate structure in that
territory is honeycombed with incon-
sistencies, and says:
"The attitude of the officials of the