Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1920-08-02
START REIMBURSEMENT OF
WHOLE RATE STRUCTURE

Washington. Aug 2-Readlustment OF
the whole rate structure OF the nation
Transportation syst ems was started today
with view TO putting into effect by Sep
TENDER |, the freight, passenger, pullman.
excess baggage and milk rate increases
authorized last Saturday by the Inter
state Commerce Commission.
While tariff experts arc working on the
general rate schedules the carriers willmake
application to the various State commits
slons for advances in intra state rates to
correspond to those in interstate rates
Requests for advances in passenger pull
man. milk and excess baggage tariffs are
expected to be the same for all States as.
the increases in these charges authorized
bv the federal commission were general
for the entire country. They were 20 per
cent ON passenger, milk and excess bag
gage Charges and 80 per cent on rates for
sleeping and parlor car space.
In the case of freight rates, however
the carriers will ask the States TO advance
these tariffs TO correspondent with the
increases granted by the federal commits
sion for the territory in which the State
i located The interstate increases au-
thorized are 40 per cent In eastern terri
tory p per cent IN southern and mountain
Pacific territory and IS per cent in western
territory.
Railway executives have not calculated
the total increased revenue 10 be derived
from the rate advances but the sum has
been unoficially approximated at one bill
lion and half dollars. The commission
decision Is intended to so fix rates as to
give the roads the Sin per cent return on
their aggregate value permitted by the
transportation act.
Since the commission fixed the aggre-
gate value OF all the lines at SIS. 900, 600
900 the net operating income would be
approximately S1.134 100000, as com
pared with the 1893 ,000,000 standard re-
turn the roads have received during the
period of federal control and since.
Coastwise and inland steamship COM
panies and eledtric railway lines are per-
mitted under the Interstate Commerce
Commission decision to raise only freight
rates Nothing was said by the commits
sion as 10 passenger rates on the steam
boat lines but the decision did say specl-
tically that the freight rate increase grant
ed electric railway lines was mot to be
construed as an expression OF disapproval
of increases made or proposed III the regu-
lar manner IN the passenger fares OF cleo
trlc lines.
While the commission authorized sep
arate freight rate increases to the rail-
roads in the four separate territories the
increase on freight moving from one
territory Into another viii approximate
80 l-3 per cent.
The commission said carriers IN New
England had brought to it's attention the
peculiar financial needs" Of the railroads
in that territory and in its general con-
clusions regarding the freight increases It
said:
While the New England carriers are
included in the eastern group and are
subject to the percentage for that group,
the evidence as to the disproportionate
needs Of the New England lines makes 1t
desirable, that the carriers give careful
consideration to the divisions Of joint
rates accruing TO these lines.
The surcharge of so per cent on sleep
ing and parlor car space is to accure
wholly TO the railroads This charge was
opposed BY the Pullman company on the
ground that it would reduce the travel in
cars Of that type. The commission held,
however, that a charge Of this character
'has much in its favor" as ''unques-
tionably the service is more valuable to
the passenger and more expensive to the
rail carriers"