The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-07-20
In Higher Rates-Petition
for Right to Increase
Partly Granted
BY INTERSTATE COM
MERGE COMMISSION
Economies Amounting to
S25,0OO,000 a Year to East
ern Roads Are Ordered

Washington, July 20.-The interstate
commerce commissions decision IN tue
application of the eastern railroads Tor
permission to make 8 per cent. hort
2ontaI advance in their freight rates mas
been finally approved and printed and it
il expected that it will be handed down
bv the commission this week. The de-
cision will be both favorable and unlav-
orable from the railroad point oil view.
The commission will hold that the SIT
uation does not Justify fiat per cent.
increase on class rates or commodities,
but there will be sufficient advances ON
class rates to bring the railroads add
tional revenue amounting in the aggre-
gate to about SI6O00000 annually.
1t is said that the railroad men who
have been apprised of the probaol;
Forthcoming decision of the commission
have given it degree OF approval Tor
they see in it the desire of the commits
sion to stabilize rates in the eastern ter
ritory The commissioners are said to
be of opinion that from the standpoint
Of rate rehabilitation the new arrange
ment on the whole will be an advantage
to the railroads.
On the theory that the railroads them
selves are responsible for their present
predicament, and that the conditions
NAV be corrected through the eiimina-
ton of self acquired evils, including ex.
travagance and waste in the purchase OF
supplies, lack OF efficiency and general
mismanagement, in many cases, the com
mission will base its refusal to grant all
that the carriers asked.
The report is to be a voluminous docu-
ment. 1t will be severe arraignment
of the railroads and among other things
will call the attention of the public to
the condition which the commission hold
TO be fact--that the new rates to be
prescribed by the commission will not
afford a just reason for any wholesale
or retailer to increase the price of a
ngiecomm oditsmissi omissiong
single commodity so far as the CONSUME
er il concerned Further, rebuke will
be given to the various common carrier
lines for what the commission believed
to have been an organized endeavor on
their part to create sentiment through
out the country favorable to the pro-
posed per cent increase.
The commission viii insist upon econ
omes which viii save the eastern lines,
it is estimated, S25,o00,000 a year Ii
will go deep into the question OF waste
and extra vagance, and this, coupled with
alleged financial Encouragement Of
many Of the railroads, viii be cited as
reason that efficiency and economy
must take the place of the expected
added revenue from rates.
1t was expected that the decision OF
the commission would be made public
yesterday, but a pressure was brought
for certain eleventh hour notifications,
said to be less unfavorable to the rail-
roads, and it was sEyeed that these
would be disposed of If possible to-day.
During the day Secretary of the In.
terror Lane, himself former member OF
the commission, went to the office of
the commission. presumably bearing
message from the president that further
delay in the handing down Of the de-
cision meant further uneasiness through
out the country.
Specifically, in the report which is to
be submitted within the week probably
on Tuesday or Wednesday, all increases
to the railroads on what are known as
commodities" are denied. These in
elude coal, coke, ore, limestone, sand,
gravel, cement, plaster stone, lumber,
other forest products, tiles, brick, clay.
paper and pulp, ice, -four, grain and
petroleum.
No increases, it is said, will be granted
on lake and rail rates, this applying to
shipments partly on the Great Lakes
and partly by rail. Such shipments con-
sist mainly of ore, coal and grain, al
though there are many other commodi-
ties that move by that route.