Arizona republican., 1918-07-19
JUST RATESF0R INTER MOUNTAIN
 FIELD EXPECTED
A. A. Betts Tells of Meet
 ing at Which An Appeal to Federal Authorities
 Was Presented Officials

"The inter- mountain territory, of which Arizona is a part, is fighting to secure freight rates under the govern ment administration to which it is en- titled,'' said A. A. Betts, member of the state corporation commission.
 MT. Betts returned to Phoenix on Wednesday night from Chicago, where he attended two-days' conference of the representatives of the state com missions and various commercial bodies of the inter mountain country and the district committee of the railroad ad- ministration for the western district of which A. P. Johnson of Chicago is chairman. Representatives from all the southern inter mountain commits sions and from about a dozen commer- cial bodies were present, as were rep resentatives from many railroads oper- ating in this district. It was one Of the most important conferences held since the railroads were taken over by the government.
 Especially was the conference of importance to Arizona, because of the conviction that this state has not been fairly treated in the matter of rate ad- JustmentS since the new deal in rail- road transportation has taken place. IL was the feeling that much depended upon this conference, and while no announcement was made public after the conference, the general belief is that much of good was accomplished and that the freight rates will be ad- l justed fairly
 The conference was called to discuss | the merits of petition of the inter- mountain district that freight rates 10 the inter-mountain territory be estab- | lished on the zone basis, similar to the handling of transcontinental traffic to and from the eastern Atlantic seaboaro territory.
 "The subject was gone into thor oughly.' said MT. Betts "I do not know what the result will be, but feel confident that some good will come out of the conference. The matter goes back to June. 1917, when Examiner Thurlett of the interstate commerce commission rendered a tentative decis- ion in the inter- mountain case, in which he recommended that the zone basis of rates be established to points west of the Missouri river
 The interstate commefce commis- sion itself did not order the establish ment of rates on this basis because the issues of the case were not considered sufficiently broad, but it expressed the opinion that such an adjustment would be fair and equitable.
 "On this basis, the inter mountain territory would be given rates from 20 to 35 per cent under the coast terminals The federal commission found, as a matter of fact, that there was and Is no water competition 10 the coast al the present time and probably will not be for many months. or even years, and there is therefore no justification for a depressed rate to the coast and al the same time higher rates to the inter. mountain territory.
 "The application of the inter noun tain territory was fought with all the power and influence that the coast job bers could bring to bear" added MT Betts. Seth Mann of San Francisco appeared before the conference for the San Francisco jobbers, and, while con. ceding that there is no water competi- tion and therefore no reason why Sar Francisco should be given rates any less than reasonable of themselves even though such a reduction would not carry with it any advances to tn, 1 titude of the coast jobbers
 ''In my opinion" Mr Betts insisted here, 'the interior districts should joir
 hands and boycott the coast jobber.
 until they show a disposition to con
 cede to this district just what it is en
 titled to. They could accomplish muci 0 fthe inter- mountain territory should
 say to these coast jobbers: Here, W,
 will not buy from you until we can D,
 treated as we should be treated. w,
 are tired of having you bleed us ant
 then fight us every time we try to ge
 our just dues
 We hope for decision on this con
 ference in about thirty days,' Mir. Bett . concluded, "and if we do not get wha
 we want we will take the matter t. { the interstate commerce commission. Passenger rates were also dis l cussed,' said Mir. Betts, but nothin was done in that respect. We though it best to hold that question in abey
 ance until this one is decided Neithe did the interstate proposition come u at the meeting"