Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-03-07
Committee Appointed to Make
Probe Says Pacific Coast
Should Depend on Water
Competition.
GOVERNMENT FAvoRs
Long and Short Haul Case Be-,
fore United States Senate
Committee of Interest to
Northwest.

The Idaho public utilities commits
sion is sustained In its attitude on the
famous long and short haul by which
the intermountain country has been
Disseminated against in freight rates
in favor of Pacific coast terminals
President Freehafer OF the Idaho COM
mission announces that the senate
committee appointed to hear the evil
dence in this case part of which was
given by Idaho's commissioners, holds
that the Pacific coast cities should de-
pend upon water competition for adj
vantage in rates and not upon gov
ernment favors." The committee
favors the Poindexter bill which the
present legislature has been asked to
irdorse.
Referring to the arguments in be-
half of the Pacific terminal cities, the
report declares that the advantage
they now enjoy of rates which return
no more than the out-of-pocket cost
to the carrier is altogether unnatural"
and continues:
SHOULD UTILIZE WATER ROUTES
The real natural advantage which
the Pacific terminals should enjoy they
have been deprived Of by this system.
That advantage should be water trans
portation. That however, has been
driven away by this artificial and dis
criminatory system Of rates.
THE real, natural advantage Of the
Pacific coast cities is the ocean. No
one can deprive them nor will under
take to deprive them Of this advant-
nr,j 70
as coastwise shipping is concerned be-
cause of destructive, discriminatory
unequal and prohibitive railroad rates.
No greater impetus can be given to the
Industrial and commercial develop
ment of Seattle, Portland, San Fran
cisco, ST. Louis, Memphis and every
other city which to a greater or less
extent has the natural opportunity of
developing water borne commerce than
to remove the restrictions which have
prevented it's use.
COASTWISE SHIPS NEEDED.
THE ports of the Pacific with their
great harbors should become thriving
centers of maritime activities of all
kinds, and will SO become when proper
encouragement is given to those who
are willing and ready to invest in ships
for the coastwise trade, by the guar
anty they would have from the enact
ment of this law that they will not be
Disseminated against by what amounts
to an enormous subsidy to the rail-
road lines, levied upon the consuming
public of the interior"
The report asserts that the only act
i've opposition by the railroads to the
bill before the committee came from
the Southern Pacific, and no mention
is made of any other opposition. AS a
matter of fact Seth Mann. representing
San Francisco and Portland CONNER
cial organizations, and others in behalf
of coast interests appeared before the
committee to oppose the Poindexter bill
This testimony the report ignores.
S. p. SHOWS HAND.
| The Southern Pacific, the report pro-
ceeds, is interested in maintaining
rates which discriminate against the
interior, and adds:
! 1T is largely due to this company
with the powerful weapon of the per-
NIT given it in the operation and con-
struction of the fourth section, the long
and short haul clause, to reduce Its
| terminal Pacific rates to such point
practically as 1t might see fit, or as
might be necessary to destroy, or deter
any rival water transportation"
! Quoting some examples of rates