The Holly chieftain., 1920-08-05

WITH Llle cOllIlllsslOll, uACA M"iSA
81, 1922.
WASHINGTON, July 3l.-The
authority to advance their rates,
granted today to the railroads by
The Interstate commerce commits
sion, will increase the roads revenue
by approximately lR billion dollars.
Freight rates will be advanced
about One-third, passenger fares one
fifth and Pullman charges One-half.
COastWise and inland steamship
lines and electric railway companies
were granted permission to
increase their rates in proportion
to stile-increases granted railroads
serving the same territory. No es-
innate of the aggregate amount re-
sulting from these advances has
been made The new rates which are
Vi continue until March l, 1922, will
become effective upon 5-day notice
by the carriers to the commission
and the public and they must be in
operation before January l. Since
the government guarantee expires
September l, the carriers are ex.
pected to bend every effort to put
the advance into effect then.
Increases granted are designed to
OffsetS the 600 million dollar wage
advance awarded by the railroad
labor board and to provide the 6
per cent net income on the aggre
gate value of the railroad proper
ties, as permitted under the trans
pOrtatiOn act.
In their original application for
thn dIui6n6 rho
country into three groups-E East
ern, Western, Southern. They
asked freight rate increases of 1915
per cent for the Eastern, 1903 for
the Western and 1891 for the South
ern. The commission divided the
Western group into two, the West
ern and the Mountain-Pacffic. the
latter taking in the territory lying
between the Pacific Coast and the
eastern base of the Rocky Noun
tains. -.
The commission also on it's own
initiative applied the general in
creases to all special services per-
formed by the carriers. 1t explain
ed in it's decision that the railroads
had not included this provision in
its proposal, but stated that this
was due to a misunderstanding. 1t
therefore authorized the increases
to apply to switching, weighing, d1-
version, reconsignment, lighterage,
flOatage, storage and transfer and
such separate charges as may be
made against the shippers for any
other special services.
With respect to the prevailing
rates on commodities which are
transported under special tariff ar.
rangments, the commission ordered
that the general increases should
be added to the present transpOr-
tation facilities during and after
the period of readjustment.
From figures submitted by the
carriers when their applications for
the increases were made 1t was url-
officially estimated that the appor.
tionment of the advances would be
estimated that the appOrtionment
OF the advances would work out at
about $1,2S5 100000 on freight. $685.
100000 on passengers, $43,6O0,000 on
Pullman. AZ million dollars on
milk and s1,4OOOOO excess baggage
charges.
The increases in passenger, Pull
man and excess baggage rates were
exactly those asked by the roads.
Freight increases requested were
1915 for the eastern roads. 32.03 for
the western roads and 1891 for the
southern roads. the total estimated
to yield s1,3560000O0. The eastern
roads were granted .25 of ] ped cent
more than they sought. the west.
ern roads approximately what they