The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-09-10
keokuk Chamber Of Commerce and
Local Shippers Were Repre-
sented at Meeting In Chi.
oago This Week.
CLAIM DISCRIMINATION
Illinois is Beating Rail Rates on Pas
senger Trains, il is, Pointed Out
and shippers are Com
planning.

James NJ. Fulton, executive secre-
tary of the Keokuk Chamber OF Com
merce, and John c. Fry, representing
the J. C. Hubinger Brothers company,
have returned from Chicago, where
they attended a rate hearing. Mr..
Fulton entered, the appearance OF
the Keokuk Chamber Of Commerce
in the hearing for rate equalization.
The Illinois railroad commission
has granted an intrastate rate on
freight of 33 per cent, while the inter
state rate is 40 per cent This makes
discrimination against Keokuk ship
pers, and the local people are asking
for an equalization q
The hearing was a doubIelbarreled
affair with both passenger and
| freight rates at bar, and the passen-
ger rates were taken up first. 1t was
brought out at this hearing that Hi
nois is beating the rail rates, and the
roads claim the fares are discrimina-
tory.
| Railroad systems. centering in Iii.
| nois yesterday introduced testimony
purporting to show that the ruling OF
the state public utilities commission,
preventing the interstate passenger
rate granted to carriers by the inter-
state commerce commission from be-
coming effective in interstate tariffs,
! is discrimina tory, both as to 1ndl--
viduals and localities.
The evidence was presented be-
| fore Commissioner B. H. Meyer, OF
the interstate commerce commits
sion, at the Great Northern hotel.
Examiner H. M. Slater appeared
| for the Illinois utilities commission
and Attorney Morton P. Culver rep
resented the Illinois attorney general.
Points Out discrimination"
P. S. Eustis, general passenger
| traffic manager of the Burlington
! railroad, testified that the state
1 ruling preventing the carriers from
! charging 3.6 cents mile in Illinois
! operated to the disadvantage OF cities
Just over the border of the state and
| to the advantage Of competing cities
| Just inside the state line.
"A case In point" Mr.. Eustis ex-
planned, lis that of Davenport, Iowa,
and Rock Island III. Before August
| rs when the new rates became eff
| fective, train left Chicago every
night over the Rock Island for Dav-
export and Rock Island, carrying two
sleepers-one for Rock Island and
the other for Davenport. Just across
the bridge. Usually they were well
filled. Now nobody wishes to ride
In the Davenport sleeper because It
costs 1892 more. Everybody buys
transporta ton to Rock Island and
either walks across the bridge or
buys a local ticket
u. 8. Fares Nutlffed Here.
"The same situation applies to St
Louis You can ride from Chicago
to East St Louis for cents a mile
and without paying the 50 per cent
surcharge on your sleeping berth. II
you buy a ticket for St Louis you
must pay Sc cents a mile and SO per
cent additional for your berth. The
result is the intrastate regulation of
the Illinois commission actually is
making the interstate fare Of the
federal commission imperative"
Attorney J. V. Fletcher. appearing
for the railroads, asked Mr.. Eustis
whether he believed the public gen
orally was taking advantage Of the
opportunity 10 peat lhe interstate
fare"
Certainly" was the reply. "a great
many travellers starting from Illinois
buy tickets to points as near the
state line as they can go, then re-
purchase. Those who cannot re-
purchase have to pay the extra rate"
Continuing his analysis, Mr.. Eustis
declared the Illinois ruling gave
Quincy an unfair advantage over
Burlington, Iowa, and Hannibal Mo-.
IN getting the trade of the surround
ing country, and hampered the New