Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-08-07
FIVE PER CENT INCREASE CASE
NOT WHAT IT APPEARED
TO be.
SOME PRoPosEp INCREASE
As MUCH As 50 PER CENT
Full Text Of Commerce Commissions
Ruling Shows Roads Proposed Radi.
cal Rsadjustmsnt Of Freight Charge
-commission's Ruling Interesting to
shippsrs.
special to .rimes-Rspublican.

special to Times-Rspublican.
Des Moines. Aug. COPIES of tho
official order and decision by the :u-
ierstate commerce commission In the
advance rate case, or "the per cent
ease" az the commission calls 1t, have
been received At the state house; and
OFFICIALS interested have perused the
same with great interest, as it con-
tains . vast amount Of information not
touched in the meager dispatches which
got thru the chinks between war news.
The order In the case, it is pointed
out IL decidedly interesting, for it di-
reefs the liz railroads joining in the
petition for the per cent raise, shall
cancel all their advanced rate sched-
ules prior to Sept. IL, except a few
that were not involved. This clears
the decks for supplemental orders per-
hitting the raise in rates on few of
the class rates in G. +. A. territory
only. But the general order, so it is
found to be, is for the cancellation Of
all the more than 10000 new schedules
filed.
The commission, in Its decision, re-
fers to the proposed rates as the so
called 5 per cent increase" and points
out that as matter of fact when the
carriers got down to the bottom they
were not asking for fiat increase of
5 per cent but for various and sundry
increases averaging more than per
cent. On this, what the commission
says is interesting:
The rates now proposed by the car
riers are commonly spoken of as pro-
yiding per cent increase in freight
charges. AS a matter Of fact the In
creases range from less than per cent
on some traffic to as high as so per
cent on certain short-haul traffic. One
witness testified that they averaged
slightly less than 5 per cent: but this
is doubtful. The tariffs provides
minimum increase of 5 cents in all
rates named in cents per ton when less
than 81. Altho little reference to this
minimum advance is made Of record,
its importance becomes obvious in
view of the fact that far more than
one half Of all the tonnage in the ter
ritory moves under the ton rates. The
result OF applying the cent minimum
is not a per cent increase. but when
the ton rate Is less than 81, as many
OF them are. the increase is more than
5 per cent. For example. a present
rate on sand of Is cents per ton would
be raised to 20 cents under the sus
pended tariffs, an advance Of 80 Is per
cent. Non-increases are proposed in
the rates on anthracite coal moving TO
the Atlantic ports those, rates. being
n Av~ -
ceeding. No increased rates are pro-
posed on interstate traffic moving be-
tween points in New England, except
in certain minor particulars where
higher rates were deemed necessary to
maintain long established relationships
with rates from trunk line territory.
a few Individual rates are found else
where in which no increases are pro-
posed, such as rates between certain
points on sugar. iron and zinc ore and
ton has been given for making these
exceptions. which would undoubtedly
be valuable to the shippers who could
use these rates. Increased rates on
the same so-called per cent basis
were proposed purely state traffic; but
they were voluntarily suspended by the
event this commission authorized any
Increase in the interstate rates, the
carriers would then seek authority
from the several state commissions. to
increase the rates on state traffic in
the same proportion. Pending the
outcome Of these efforts with the state
commissions. the higher rates, II per-
mitted to become effective, would ap-
ply therefore only upon interstate
shipments"
And 30, while denying the So called
per cent advance. the commission. in
effect, advise the carriers to under
take the readjustment which they as
sert Is necessary Gin Central Freight
Association territory and which was not
in dispute at any time. This readjust-
ment was foreshadowed by the whole
proceeding and It will affect prices in
the western territory.