East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1919-07-23
ASTORIA RATE
UNDER ATTACK
IN FREIGHT CASE
Columbia River Territory
Classed as Plucked Goose
by Attorney West.
LATHROP ON STAND
AT HEARING TODAY
Livestock Ship m c n { s to
Sound via Portland Gets
Same Rate as to Portland.

PORTLAND. Ore. July 23.-Port-
land launched her fight against Puget
Sound ana Astoria ports when John
III. Lathrop testified in the Columbia
basin rate case today. Lathrop de-
clared that Astoria, although 100 miles
further from the interior gets the
same rates and that Seattle does also
although reached via the mountains.
lie said livestock shipments from
Pendleton to Seattle via Portland get
the same rtes al the same from Pen
dleton to Portland.
Lathrop said, Carriers In making
the same rates to Seattle over longer
routes as to Portland via shorter
routes and again disregarding dissi-
miliarities in transportation condi-
tions. are not dong SO because of rail-
road competition but solely for the
purpose OF equalizing the market by
unfair and abnormal adjustments"
A normal Pendleton-S Seattle rate
would be I21 'per cent OF the Pendle-
ton Portland rate. he said.
Latnrop said New York and Phila-
delphia, 80 miles apart. have differ
ent rates based on the distance but
Portland Is 100 miles closer to the in
terror than Astoria but gets the same
rate as Astoria.
The railroad science of "plucking
the goose without letting it squawk
was depicted vividly as former Cover
nor Oswald West continued his ques-
tioning OF Edward Ostrander, rate ex-
rert of the Inland Empire Shippers
league. in the Columbia basin rate
hearing before Interstate Commerce
commissioners Hall. Daniels and East
man Tuesday morning.
But after the loss of the feathers OF
trade and business during n couple OF
generations the commerce commission
Is hearing the sauawk of the Column
bia basin ''gooss."
Rate Structure Exposed.
Vests keen questions and Ostrand-
er's careful answers were designed to
show how the northern mountain
lines to Puget sound. aided by rulings
OF the Washington public service COM
mission. almost imperceptibly estab-
llshed the mountain route of the
Northern Pacific as the base of rate
making and left the water routes to
follow on terms that were to their
advantage SO far as returns on the
volume OF business were concerned.
but much to the disadvantage of thte
Columbia basin and ports interests.
The present unit OF the Union Pa
cific, then the Independent line of
tho o. II. Il n. the temporary testi-
mony showed. Sas first into Eastern
Washington territory, of which Walla
Walla. Dayton. Pullman and Ritzville
are shipping points AS Is usual III
pioneer railroads. the early rates were
high, as much as 35 cents hundred
pounds to tdewater in 1888.
How System Grew UP.
by successive orders or voluntary
reductions the rates came down until
the Washington public service COM
mission established in 1909 the present
normal rate of l2 "a cents a hundred
from walla Whlla to Seattle. 3l7
miles. The O. II. q n. met this rate
TO Portland and the 13 3-4 cent rate
was applied by 10th lines to Pendle-
ton. The Washington public service
commission named the rate from
Walla Walla to Seattle as reasonable
and compensatory. The q. II. & N,
with water Crude haul of 242 miles,
met the rate without any reference to
cost but because of competition. The
Great Northern and c.. NJ. e. st. p
both have short II routes to the Sound
from competitive territory with the
Northern Pacific, but apply the same
rates as the Northern Pacific.