The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-03-04
.THORNE RES|STS
RATE INCREASES
Iowa Railway Commissioner
is. Fighting Proposed Boost
in Rates by West
ern Roads.
HEARING HAS STARTED
Not as Great as Published Claims Al
torney for Railroads, Who Says
It Really is Not
Alarming.
HEARING HAS STARTED

United Press Leased Wire Service |
CHICAGO, March 4.-Never before
in history Of the American railways
has there been involved as much OF
the public money as in the rate in
crease asked by the forty-one western
railways Of the interstate commerce
commission, Clifford Thorne, Iowa rail-
way commissioner, today told Inter
state Commerce Commissioner w. M.
Daniels. Railroad companies asking
the increase, own lines west of Chicago
and east OF the Rocky mountains.
The rate increase asked by the west
ern, railroads has been suspended by
the interstate commerce commission,
pending the hearing which opened to-
day
i G. G. Wright, general solicitor of the
Chicago and Northwestern railroad,
and President c. E. Schaff. OF the Mis-
souri,, Kansas and Texas railroad.
! were the speakers today for the rail-
] state railway commissions and in
Edividual shippers.
The amount of increase in revenues
! Is not as great as has been stated In
iprint, e Solicitor Wright deciafed ut
tw1ll amount to little over 500 per
mile. The increase is not general, but
limited only to grain and grain prod
ucts, live stock, fresh meats and pacx-
ing house products, coal, hay, fruits
and vegetables and cotton goods. The
hearing also involves the propriety of
eliminating certain privileges Prevail
ing in parts of the territory relating to
stoppage in transit, storage and con-
centration.
THE total increase asked is esti-
mated at about $1v,O00,000. This
amounts to about 1la per cent in
crease on the freight revenues of the
last fiscal year. The largest increase
is ten per cent, asked on coal from
Indiana to Illinois points. A five to
twelve per cent increase is asked on
fruits from the southwest. Other in
creases requested are 3h per cent on
packing, 21s per cent on live stock
and 1 " per cent on grain
1--WE will show you increases in
freight rates ranging from five per ceut
to 100 ger cent in amount" Thorne
asserted, that have been permitted
to become effective or are now pend
ing
"The advances permitted during the
past year by this commission on
three western railroads, those involv-
ed in the original suspension order
in this case, added to those involved
in the sixteen supplementary orders
issued by the commission. in this
case affecting considerably over 4
thousand tariffs and supplements add
ed to those now being filed, make
total, we believe, of a ten per cent in.
crease in the railroads revenue from
freight"
The railroad business in the south
west has been and now is a struggle
for existence, Schaff said in his al
dress He told the commission that
construction of lines had practically
stopped and expenditures reduced to
the minimum.
Governmental expenditures for wat
er ways and harbors were criticized
by the NJ K. & T. head, because, he
said, the claim is made that water
way transportation is much cheaper.
without taking into consideration that
the government is seeking to the up
keep Of the harbors and rivers.