The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-29
ILLINOIS DEFENSE
BREAKS IN RATE
CASE AT CHICAGO
Admission is Made That In
diana Shippers Are Getting
Worst End of Deal.

CHICAGO, July 29.-Powerful Illi-
nois iron, steel and meat packing in
dustries made substantial concessions
Monday toward freight rate advances
on their products, as a means of equal
izing rates between Illionis and Indi-
ana, at the hearing of the Indiana-Illi-
nois freight rate controversy before
Commissioner H. B. Meyer of the In
terstate Commerce Commission.
This break in the Illinois shippers
defense comes at the beginning of the
second week of the hearing and is
viewed as indicative of victory for the
Indiana shippers. The meat packers
representing the Big Five" and thirty
FIVE other Illinois packers offered an
increase of Is per cent in rate as a
compromise to eliminate the industry
from the hearing.
Through the Illinois shippers star
witness, H. C. Barlow, traffic director
of the Chicago Association of Com
merce, one of the most influential
trade and industrial organizations in
the United States, came the admission
during the afternoon that the steel
and iron industry would agree to an
advance.
Makes Further Concession.
AS a further concession Barlow, who
is regarded as one of the ablest traf-
fic and rate experts, stated that Vim
cennes, Terre Haute and other border
Indiana towns should be brought into
the Illinois classification and enjoy the
benefits Of lower rates.
Correction of the rate differences by
equalizing them in Illinois and Indiana
points Of competition of the same rel
alive distance was advocated by the
witness. He chung to the theory that
in all events Illinois should have d
lower freight rate than other states be
cause 1t was big market.
Commissioner Meyer and Examiner
William A. Disque participated in the
cross-eXamination of Barlow and drew
from him many opinions which
strengthened the Indiana case. ALONE
the line Of discriminatory rates Com
missioner Meyer asked the witness il
he believed one commercial center
should enjoy an advantage over a com.
petitor equally distant from a given
market.
The witness replied that if one cen.
ter was an industrial center handling
a larger amount of traffic It should be
given the preference. In replying, the
commissioner said that under that con
dition the small competitor would
never have a chance to become a rival
as the big fellow" would say, wait
until you become as powerful as
then I will talk with you"
Central Scale Too High. I
Examiner Disque questioned Barlow
as to his opinion in the Central Freight
Association scale and the witness re
piled that he believed it too high, il
fact, he thought Indiana freight rate
we're too high.
The examiner, who Is the author o
the DisQue scale of freight rates useC
in some localities, extended his ques
lions as to the witnesses opinion o
not be proud" to be the originator o
that scale, as it had been so dis
torted, but suddenly stopped his ties
timony and asked that the remark b.
stricken from the record. The sCor
ing of the Disque scale brought
laugh from the examiner.
In support of his statement that Hi
nois should enjoy a lower rate, tn
witness said that Indiana had onl
about one-third the traffic of Illinoi!
He added that lower rates were nee
essary in his state because every mar
ufacturer in the Middle West desire
to compete in the Chicago market an
II no preference were shown the il
terror Illinois manufacturers thei
business would be throttled
Mr.. Barlow was on the stand durin
the entire afternoon.