The Cordova daily times., 1917-03-07
LOWER WHARF FACE RATES ARE
 REQUESTED

'N'NN''hih Q LII iCl ptioiS lut 1uttI' state Commerce Commission in the Alaska transportation cases
 Mining Go. Contract Rate System.
 "The Treadwell Mining Company, on demand (page 43S. Hearings), filed in this cause as complainants' exhibit No. 29, -, a copy of it's secret con- tract with the Pacific Coast Steam ship Company, for special rates. This contract is dated December II. 1915, and was to run for the year 1916. It differs in form from the cannery re- bate contract, but amounts, substan- tially. to the same thing.
 "The Treadwell Company runs a large mercantile establishment at Treadwell, opposite Douglas, and just across the Gastineau channel, a mile from Juneau. A fifteen-minute ferry connects these towns, and thus the Treadwell store is in direct and active competition with the Douglas and Juneau stores. Complainants' exhibit No. g is a certified copy of the last application for the Treadwell store for a license under the act of con gress requiring merchants in Alaska to pay business license tax based upon the amount of their sales. The act of congress, 21, Stat. L., 331, pro- vides that mercantile establishments doing a business of a hundred thou sand dollars per annum shall pay li- cense of five hundred dollars per an- mum. That is the highest amount mentioned, and the highest license paid, and even If merchant does million dollars business per annum he pays no more than five hundred dol lars. The Treadwell Company pays on the maximum, but how much busi- ness it does above $100,O00 is not known. Bradley, P. 432, Hearings). |. MT. Bradley says there are about l. 300 people working for his company, and with their families, 1t is probable that four times that many trade at the company store.
 Now, the Treadwell store gets it's merchandise via Seattle for B flat rate, while the merchants at Doug las and Juneau pay from $7.50 to $950. And this discrimination in favor of the "readwell Company extends to inter-
 dEeight rebilled at Seattle (P.
 Tt Is trsrings).
 eannerv ih enabate at cordova.
 ''ad e'sht ats that the Carlisle
 6r rebate form s4.so.4yssl.irs who receive their freight on the same wharf pay $14 per ton.
 Another discrimination was noted by the merchants at Cordova in the fixing of minimum rates. The rate in the early part of 1916 was fixed so that the small merchant paid on one ton $11, on two tons s10, on five tons $9, and on ten tons $S per ton. This rate applied on shipments from Port land via rail to Seattle and thence to Cordova, the railroad being added. This rate was changed on April l, 1916, by fixing minimum of fifteen tons, or 30,000 pounds. For any quan- tity less than fifteen tons the rate is now s12.50 from Seattle, plus Port land rail rate, on flour, sugar and other staple articles. Thus discrimin- ating against the small independent shipper and in favor of the heavier shipper (Hearings p. 167).
 Tn the matter of interstate ship ments of this kind, rebilled at Seat tie, the attorney for the Alaska Steam ship Company and the Copper River & Northwestern Railway said, at page 154, Hearings:
 "'Mr. Bogle: Yes, because they were local shipments no, the ship ments of this cattle from Oregon is not local shipment; through ship ment that comes into Seattle by rail under through tariff, the steamship company advances the railroad charge there, and it comes on just as you see on these bills. When 1t gets here the same thing is done, if it Is to be for warded by the Copper River & North western Company. It is the univer- sal practice everywhere. But these cannery shipments apply to local ship ments alone water shipments - not through rates
 'In other words, a contract rebate shipper rebills at Seattle. the steam ship company rebill for him (p. 291 Hearings), and advances the rail charges. The freight is then rebilled, say to the Carlisle Company at Cor dova, at a $6 rate, whereas a Cordova merchant, on the same goods, from the same house, in the United States via Seattle, must pay $14 rate to the same destination at Cordova. The Carlisle Cannery thus has discrim- inatory rate of $6 against the non- contracting shipper of $14 And all this in the transportation of interstate traffic.
 The Valdez Wharf Rates.
 "This wharf is alongside of mu. nicipal wharf, maintained by the pub lie. The maximum rate charged at fha municinal dock for freight com.