The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-01-09
COAL MEN
GAIN VICTORY
IN RATECASjE
New Tariff is Suspended by
Interstate Commerce
Commission.

CHARLESTON, Jan. SIN the nc
ton taken by the interstate commerce
commission at Washington suspending
operation OF the new coal freight tar
IFS recently filed by five OF the West
Virginia railroads until May 10, tho
public service commission, the oper-
ators association and the miners or
ganizatlon consider that they have
won the main point In the contention
According to Information wired Cap
tain s. b. Avis, special council for
the public service commission. by his
Washington legal connection, Mossrs,
Littleford, James, Ballard and Frost
the Interstate commission has thrown
upon the interested railroads the bur-
den Of proof Of the necessity OF In
creasing the rates for hauling West
Virginia coal to northern and north
western markets. Tho railroads have
all along been endeayoring to put II
up TO the coal associations to show
why rates should not be increased,
Meanwhile the rates will remain as
they are until May 10, at least. Until
then and perhaps longer, even II the
decision should then be in favor OF
the railroads, contracts and delivery
of coal from the mines Of this state
can be arranged for with the assur-
ance that rates will remain temper
arily at old figures, which means that
tho snring trade will not be demon
allied. tgN 81
In shifting the burden Of proof on
the railroads, the attorneys for tho
service commission and the coal In
terests will now have an opportunity
Of developing some proof Of their
contention that the dominating influ-
ence of the Pennsylvania lines In the
West Virginia railroads has been the
chief contributing cause of the pres
ent attempt to bring about tho i'd
vRnces demanded In the proposed tar
IFS. In this connection tde following
significant statement Yes made In the
protest recently filed by these attor-
neys:
MOI Dbheu VII 4ucEktbs
1.-THE tariffs and supplements hereir
protested proposing an increase II
the freight rates on bituminous Goa
from West Virginia were not based OF
the transportation merits, but were
the result Of an agreement on thu
part OF the Pennsylvania system, Nor
folk and Western, Chesapeake nnt
Ohio system, Kanawha and Michigan
lines and the Western Maryland and
other roads. There were several
agreements entered into for the pur-
pose, but the final and eliminating
agreement was made in New York
City about November N or 1885.
II is true the commission will slis-
tain rate II reasonable even though
brought about by an agreement In
violation OF law yet when an adj
yanced rate Is the result Of an agree
ment furnishes q presumption Of fact
that the proposed advanced rates were
arrived at arbitrarily rather than as
a result Of Just principles Of trans
poYtation and not arrived at as re-
suit Of the individual Judgment Of the
the carriers on the merits"
Strong Argument.
A strong argument against the pro-
posed advance was set forth in that
protest in the following paragraph:
Goal Is by far the most important
output Of the state of West Virginia
and affects directly or indirectly every
man, woman and child In tho state.
Approximately half tho cash on de-
posits in West Virginia banks is from
coal and these cash'deposits from coal
contribute to the financial stability
Of all business In West Virginia.
There are about $4,000 persons en-
gagged as mine laborers and their
families would constitute 100000 peo-
pie. The existence Of Wholesale mer-
chants and retail merchants Is largely
dependent upon the bltuminous coal
production in West Virginia. The
wages directly paid In coal mining
amount to approximately $55,000,0 900
per year. Coal mining Is the heart,
life and blood Of West Virginia. To
advance these rates would be to work
irreparable injury to the state Of
West Virginia, to the capital invest
cd in coal mines, to the operators, to
the laborers engaged therein, to the
agricultural interests which supply
food, 70 the wholesale and retail ner-
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