The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-10-15
RAILROADS.&C.
FREIGHT RAISE
Say Conditions Make Operation
at FTtfit Impossible.
OFEd HE%.......G WEDNESDAY,
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion Chants the Eastern Lines
Request for a Conference.

Washington. Dee. l3.-Ea>trrn rail
roads. $>cNl;ig relief from conditions
winch ,n'lr executives ASSET 4 % rap
ids approaching - point whc.c they
can no i0l%HI "!j'ta'@ with pto..t. IndI-
Gated the form their cffnrtS Viii assume
III letter to III" Interstate Commerce
Commission. asking f.. II conference TO
consider rates lnt iucludrd in the adj
vance allowed by the decision III the
10 per cent. rare advance case IaSl June.
Indications are that the railroads have
in mind film applications for INCREASED
rates DE Il large number of GONNA rditieS
not already raised. if it ShoIld develop
at the conference that the apple ions
might meet with any measure Of sue
cess.
The Commission. replying to the re-
quest for IA short informal conference,
notified the roads that it would be glad
to hear them at IA public session next
Wednesday afternoon. Following is the
text of the railroad executives letter.
sent from New York Friday and made
public by the Commission:
The trunk line. traffic executives
after discussion, desired me to try
to arrange for a short informal confer
ence with the Commission next Wednes-
day or Thursday ednesday prefer
Ied) to talk over the rates on trattc
not favorably acted upon in the recent
decision of the 10 per cent. advance
cred by suspended tn IS and -l.ess.....4e.--
arranged for, others Ivered by tariffs
which carriers Cancelled at the sugges-
ton of the Commission. and possibly
other matters germane to securing all
the results originally asked for.
THE thought arises from the car
riers' keen necessities as shown by the
raSrlltS Sinnn thn nrpSSntpH
and was encouraged by the language of
the Commission as TO ampif!ing its
order il the necessity became apparent
If few of us could have the priv
lege of such a conference on next Wed
nesday it is thought it would be of
great assistance at the present time in
reaching prompt conclusion as tn
future action.
To this letter the Commission re
piled as follows:
Pursuant to your request by letter
dated yesterday. the matters there re-
ferred to may be presented to the Com
mission at public session October Il
at p. NJ. Notice is being given ac
cordingly."
In denying the railroads petition for
a general ID per cent. raise in rates.
the Commission last June dismissed the
proceedings without prejudice to their
Itut"dl any tllllt liit it'tNSllf lOl
such advance. or for any advance in
rates could be shown. At the same time
the Commission granted Eastern roads
hardest hit of all by the car shortage
and congestion of last winter, advances
in class rates which the railroads esti-
mate approximate > per cent.
1t is thought hardly likely that these
rates would be increased again, al
though the reference by the railroad
executives to possibly other matters
gerInane TO securing all the results orig
inally asked for is regarded as suffi-
GENTLY general to include such an in
crease Commission officials, unaware
of what the executives have in mind,
are inclined to believe that the roads
may ask for long list of specific rate
advances, or possibly another general
rate increase.