The Washington herald., 1914-06-03
CAPITAL Wins in
RATE DECISION
!. c. c. Opinion, Handed
Down Yesterday, Victory
for Washington.
NO INCREASES. NEEDED
Discrimination Against District Pre-
vented by Commissions
Declaration.
mo INCREASES NEEDED

In important freight rate decisions
directly affecting Baltimore and Wash
ington the Interstate Commerce Com
mission yesterday decided:
1. That store-door delivery OF certain
classes Of freight by the railroads should
not be restored because 1t constituted a
discrimination IN favor Of Baltimore and
Washington and against competitive
cities where store-door deliveries never
were made by the railroads: that while
the elimination of this service was
tantamount to an increase In the freight
rate. the increase eliminated dis
criminatory hump" in the established
freight tariffs.
2. That the railroads are not justified
m charging the same rates on certain
classes Of freight between Richmond and
New York as between Washington and
New York. because the haul between
Richmond and New York is Il6 miles
longer
3. That through freight rates between
Washington and the Carolinas should be
no greater than the aggregate OF rates
for intermediate points.
Victories for Capital. .a
The decisions handed down yesterday
represent substantial victories for Wash
ington in the last two listed instances.
The Southern recently filed new tariffs
with the commission and the two freight
rate cases were held up pending actioh
by the commission on these tariffs. II
the new rates eliminate the discrimina-
tions found by the commission. no fur
ther action will be necessary.
The opinion on the Baltimore store
door delivery case, written by Commits
sioner Daniels. uphoids the contention
that the elimination OF this service is
tantamount to an increase In the rate.
The opinion says in part:
The chief ground of the present COM
plant as to the rates for the first three
classes Is based on the eliminat alton OF
store-door delivery. II is alleged that
the withdrawal amounted substantially
TO an increase In. the rates, and that
the burden is upon respondents to JUS
tify such increase. The rates in the
tariffs have not been changed, but, as
was observed in the Washington case
the amount Of service given is less: and
II Is as much an increase of rate to
give less service for the same amount as
to charge greater amount for the same
service. Following the principle OF that
case We hold that to the extent Of the
reasonable cost of store-door delivery,
the burden is upon respondents to justify
the withdrawal of the service and the
consequent increase of cost to the ship
to the articles excepted from the first
three classes, the burden Of proof is upon
Not Now JustiaabIe.
Discussing the Washington case, how
ever, the opinion points out that the \
store-door delivery Service withheld
from cities in competition with Balti- 4
more and Washington. constituted a dis
which the commission has no
reason to believe is justifiable at pres
ent Therefore, the elimination Of this
is upheld. The opinion
says, In part:
In the Washington case we observed
that the store-door service at both Bal
timore and Washington presented fea-
lures which IN the absence of further
explanation appeared to be grossly dis
The present record leaves
no doubt on this subject The service |
was accorded only within restricted
limits In each city, and was never ac-
corded to any other city by the respon- |
dent carriers. nor to freight from points |
other than those in the restricted terri |
tory hereinbefore referred to-
A reduction OF the rate for the first !
three classes, as here contended for.
would tend to re-establish the same dis |
elimination We condemned in the Wash |
ngton case. The situation eliminated by |
he cessation of store-door delivery well |
the self-perpetuating power of |
whether originally there was a hump |
n the rate structure on the first three |
'lasses of freight which made clear the |
'eason for this exceptional practice need |
lot here concern U.s.
To remedy a situation like this in
'vitably causes some hardships; but to |
efuse TO remedy 1t would be to perpetu-
lie unjust discriminat ton"