Evening star., 1915-05-14
Right of Appeal Challenged.

:
rates to Washington.
Right of Appeal Challenged.
Before the taking Of testimony he
gan there was = controversy hctwcen
counsel for the local commercial or
sauizattous aud merchants aud Exam
iner Fugt rs TO tho contentious IN tho
complaint
Examiner T'uSh was reading INTO the
record his understanding of the CON
teutions contained ia the complaint.
expressing the belief that the class
rates were attacked He challenged
the right of thc couriainauts 10 again
come before the commission within Nv"
years and again have q hearing on
case decided against them.
Chaplin Brown. general counsel for
the Chamber of Commerce. declared
that in the so-ealled Baltimore ease
involving the withdrawal of tho free
store-door delivery practice and tn"
rates TO points south. the commission
took no affirmative stand but declared
that il found nothing "of record"
They dill not approve the rates attached
q that time. he said but found moth
ing in the record to warrant them 10
order a reduction.
II think we have a perfect right to
ME a new case, Sdlf Nlr. BfOWU.
The commission. under the rules of
pleading, surely hasn't the right to cut
us off. / can't imagine that the com
mission would refuse to hear We
have another case. The testimony to
be adduced in this case Will have an
important bearing on the facts. The
railroads have. by subterfuge, avoided
the commissions orders No commits
sion appointed to administer the law
will so sanction such a procedure.
Raising of Rates Cited.
The subterfuge about which Mr.
Brown spoke referred to the act of the
railroads in raising rates from the
north to Richmond to equal the Wash
tngton rates when the commission ruled
that the maintenance of lower rates TO
Richmond than to Washington was a
discrimination.
Maurice D. Rosenberg, counsel for the
Retail Merchants Association. made it
plain to the examiner that it was the
commodity tariff that was being at
tackled and not class rates
When NJ. NJ. Caskie, rate expert of the
Freight Audit and Adjustment Compa nv
was put on the stand the first wit
ness. he started to read statement
containing the results of his study of
the local rate situation. Counsel for
the railroads objected to this form of
testimony.
Examiner Pugh rebuked them for
breaking into the record at that time,
but at the same time said:
Will say with all the emphasis
that i can that / do not approve Of
this manner of testimony"
Submits Number of Tables.
Mr.. Caskie presented number of
tables purporting to illustrate the high
compared to southern points
1t Is to me unreasonable rate
adjustment regardless of any viola :
ton Of the long and short haul clause
that may or may not exist that permits
the carriers to collect higher charges
per 100 pounds shipped from the north
ern points indicated to Washington
than they collect at Fredericksburg,
Va.
In all seriousness | wish 10 state tia;
! have been unable to find one single
valid reason why, III view of these
facts, Washington should be COM
PEELED To pay higher freight charges
than fredericksburg; in fact. it is my
personal conviction that this situation
is self-evidently unreasonab BILE.
In order to justify higher charge.
at Washington than at Fredericksburt
II must be proved that there exists al
Fredericksburg some extraordinary rate
compelling lnnuenc" that does not exs,
~ Washington II such an influence doe
exist | have been unable TO ind lt''
He expressed the belief that tn.
Fredericksburg rate was reasona bis
In view of the fact that ii had bee.
maintained for twenty-six years.
Freight Bills Exhibited.
Isaac Cans. general manager for Saks
4 Co, produced as an exhibit freight
bill on a shipment OF ease Of cotton
shirts from New York TO the company
store here. The case weighed 30,
pounds. and the freight charges were
81 40, or IS 9-lo cents hundred not
including a drayage charge Of 20 cent:
for delivery at the store. Mr.. Cans de
clared that the same shipment couk
have been made through Washington
10 F'redericksburg Tor 20 cents d hun.
dred.
Questioned by Attorney Roseubere
as 10 whether he could show similar
bills for period Of two years Or more
he replied in the Affirmative. He de,
cIared that he had made an investiga
ton and could not see why the uer.
chants OF southern towns should en-
Joy rate cheaper than the Washing
ton merchants. in view OF the fac
that longer haul WAS involved.
On cross-examInation Mr.. Cans ad
mitted that there was no competition
BY his firm with Richmond and Fred
ericksburg territory. He said. further
that the only reason for his com
plant that he could not see Wh,
the southern merchants should enJo,
more profit through getting a cheape
freight rate.
Rates so Per Cent Higher.
Several freight receipts were pro.
duced by George $ De Neale. superin-
tendent of kann. Sons * 90. They
we're for cotton knit underwear and oil
cloth and showed that rates to wash.