The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-06-30

oI0ICA u No Saoo'
+ WASHINGT0E, June "?.--The rate
advance cases were horn Of the threat
cned nationwide railroad workers StrlHc
In the summer Of 1915. The first men
ton of an advance In rates WAS made IN
connection with Ihr passage or the
hdamson law which avcrtrd the impenu-
ing strike.
/ January !. 1917. found the railroads IN
a position unparalleled In their history.
They were hauling freight and passen-
gers at the top OF their driving power,
{ working their plants Mt speed and capr-
! city exceeding what experts previously
had believed the maximum. SO mucIl
freight had been poured in that they
could not handle II all: rails. sidinss.
terminals, Yards were conEested with n
burden Of loaded ears. Tremendous con-
. Eestiun ensued. especially al eastern sea-
ports where occau-carryinE vessels were
not sufficiently plentiful. and an acute
car shortage resulted.
Money was pouring IN 10 fhc TallrnaGS
TOO. faster than ever before. Receipts
for the twelve months nearly reached the
81 600. Qua 900 mark: net revenue" approx
mated $1,000 N0n. 900. 1t seemed rs II
the railroads were at the dawn "f n
new days prosperity. Then another
factor more potent titan the .tdamson
law and more unexpected IMAM Inc
threatened strike came into the situation.
II was the rising cost OF necessities.
Coal prices rnSe--in some cases more
than I0h per cent. Steel rails. steel cars.
structural steel. everything or iron and
stee! that entered into tile operation o.
railroads were M In price. oil. used ny
some western roads as fuel. went ur,
SuppliSc and equipment ri NIL sorts
mounted to new high price levels. Tn.
skilled labor threatened 10 go mo other
markets. whore pay was better and the
roads claimed they had In adNHln'r wages
in order 10 keep melt Operating costs
continued 10 GO IN. The vision OF u day
Of prosperity faded.
III It's place iher" soon came a time
when tho roads, though taking in more
money than ever before said they were
hnt receiving rs larg" Il net return A.
they had received twelve months before.
The increase In operating costs. they
commended grew out Of Ill proportion 20
the increased business. Instead Of max
ing money. tho roads ella lined they were
on the verge of losing millions at u GAY
whom they were opera ting nj maximum
rHpHrity. The new moneys paid out uF;-
der the AdHmSou law were but small
percentage. the railroads claimed. OF the
totals paid out in higher opera ting costs.
4 general movement looking toward re-
lief was hcEnn.
Within :oriy-right hours after the SUI
rreme court upheld the AhamSnn law. the
machinery for q rate Increase was pu;
in morton. Relief. the railroads claimed.
was impcrativel% necessary ana AZ I'm"
was Of the essence OF tho situation theE
sought Ia obtain IL with all possible
speed. Dividing into three terri t"riaI
groups. the railroads sought tie Inter
Stntr Commerce Commissions ala III
mecrinE their difficulties.
The eastern roads. hit harder than
those nf any other section. they claimed.
wer" tho first IN act. Their representa-
tivcs met quiely antd nfrmally with tIhc
commission one night and the procec"-
inEs or that meeting. made puhlr tne
next day by tho commission. showed fha-
general increase In rates was dtscusScc.
President Rea, Of the Pennsylvania ana
other executives told tho commission that
the time had come when the ratlroacs
faced increased rates or heavy flnan-
cial losses.
Proceedings nf the conference were
hardly publ ed before kilograms were
rrivrI from western railroad interests
ga wing their emergency also " AZ grea.
representatives i conference WAS hcic
with the western roads conference
with the southern roads followed ana
out OF these and q Their conferences grew
the formal proceedings looking 10
general advance.
The percentage OF the advance had
not been determined upon Mt the frs:
conference. Finally all thre groups &C.
cided that n In per cent advance was
nceucd to enable them to meet new con-
d!tlons. This, It was varinusly esr'-
mated. would yield from Sa0o.OO0.Ooo TO
Sinh. 0n6' annual revenue.
Meanwhile the shipping interests OF
the country met at Chicago made plans
to fight the Increase. When the henr-
ings opened here In May. before the ~
tcrState Commerce Commission. the Ma
toual Shippers Conference was repre-.
among them Clifford Thorne. Of lowe,
an expert on rates and transportation.
The attitude OF the shippers was TO
1900 ~-.--' At..iIAA SnnnA 'A~H-hH ana