Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-09-19
REVIEW OF RATE
CASE IS ORDERED
BY COMMISSION
New Hearings on Railroad APP
peal Are Slated to Begin
October 1o.
DECISION FOLLOWS
PLEA TO PRESIDENT
Roads Will Now Push Five Per
Cent. Increase for East
ern Territory.

WASHINGTON. Sept. 19.-The In
decided to reopen the eastern advance
rate case and will begin hearings here
on October 10. formal order to that
effect was prepared.
The decision of the commission
comes upon the recent application of
the railroads, which was made after
President Wilson had received a rep.
resentatiye committee of railway
presidents at the White House. How
far that conference may have gone
toward preparing the way for q re-
opening of the case is not known. 1t
was said at the time that the railway
men asked the President to appeal to
the country to treat the railroads in
spirit of cooperation, and the Presi-
dent responded by sending a sympa-
thetic letter to Chairman Frank
Trumbull, of the Chesapeake and
Ohio.
The railroads also asked the COM
mission TO modify its recent decision
which granted increases west of
Pittsburgh and denied all increases
between the Great Lakes and the At
lantic seaboard. Under the law, the
commission cannot modify that order
without hearings; the decision to re-
open the case brings the whole ques-
ton up again for review, in which the
railroads will press for the per cent.
increases throughout the territory
east of the Mississippi and north OF
the Ohio and Potomac rivers.
Name War as Drawback.
The railroads asked for reopen
Ing. not upon the showing they made
at the hearings prior to the decision,
but upon conditions, which the man
ayers say have become apparent
since. The showing of the roads for
June, which was not available when
the case was before the commission
last time, and the exigencies which
have been thrust upon them by the
European war with the attendant
difficulties of getting new capital and
the falling off in export traffic, were
cited as the principal reasons why
the case should be reopened.
Shippers organizations which
fought the increases previously have
given notice that they will oppose
further advances on the rehearing.
They will be represented by counsel
and will have opportunity to oppose
new increases as they did before.
The increases the railroads ask are
Identical with those which were de-
MED. Although described as per
cent. advances, the commissions re-
cent decision declared some of them
ranged as high as SO per cent. Fhe
principal heavy commodities west of
Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Charleston,
such as coal and coke, which consti-
tute more than half of the total traf-
fic of the railroads, will be affected.
All class and commodity rates east
for which the commission denied In
creases entirely, will be affected by
the new case.
fWestern railroads already are pre-
pairing applications for increases in
freight rates, SO that when the COM
mission begins the rehearing it Will
have substantially before it applica-
ticns for increased freight rates from
the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Formal Order of Commission.
The formal order of the commits
sion follows: Upon consideration of
a petition by respondents for modi-
tication of orders heretofore entered
In the above-entitled cases, and good
cause appearing therefore:
'.It is ordered that further hearings
In said cases be, and are hereby
granted said hearings to be limited
to the presentation of facts disclosed
and occurrences originating subse-
ouently to the date upon which the
records previously made in these
cases were closed.
ut is further ordered, that pend
ing such rehearing and further or
der of the commission in the above
entitled cases the commissions re-
port, findings and orders heretofore
entered therein shall remain in full
force and effect.
1T is further ordered, that this
proceeding be assigned for hearing at
the office of the commission in Wash
ington, ID. c., on the 18th of October,
1914 at 10 O'Clock a. m.
TT is further ordered, that a copy
of this order be served upon each of
the parties to the aboveentitled
cases"