Arizona republican., 1921-11-21
SHIPPERS SIDE IF RATE CASE TO .bEPREsENTED| DENVER HEARING
Western Representatives to Open Fight On Rail- roads Plan to Cut Rates to Pacific Coast and Not to Inland Points

DENVER, Nov. 20-Following the introduction at the Chicago hearings of at least the principal contentious of the railroads in support of their request to the interstate commerce commission for permission to set aside the long and short haul law, shippers of the west tomorrow will begin the presentation of their side of the case at Denver before Exam iner William A. Disque. The western shippers are not going to fight against the proposal to reduce trans continental freight rates, because it means cheaper transportation. They want as cheap transportation as they can get with justice, quite as ear nestly as do Pacific coast shippers.
 As matter of fact, the hearings held thus far have developed in the minds of observers, if not in the rec ord, that the intermediate territory in having to pay as much for trans continental rates if similar cuts are made for it's benefit. Utah certainly has no objection to seeing freight move from New York to San Fran cisco at lower rates than at present prevail if that same freight can be shipped to Salt Lake at the lower rate as well. It is the proposal to maintain the present high basis of rates to Salt Lake and the rest of the intermediate territory while re- ducing the rates to the Pacific coast, a matter seriously disturbing rate relationships, which makes this case of such vital importance to the western inland country. If the car riers are right in their contentious al l Chicago that the reduced transcon- 1 tinental rates they ask for are req sonably compensatory within the meaning of the transportation act then the average shipper is going te find it rather difficult to understand how the existing and much higher rates to interior points can at ths same time be unreasonably low, a. one witness for the railroads de clared they are.
 i Salt Lake shippers contend tha l they now labor under a disadvantag' in having to pa yas much for trans portation as does San Francisco, S0l | miles farther distant from the east ern points of origin. To add ma | terially to that disadvantage by per hitting San Francisco to get consid erably lower rates is without justifi cation and will be fought to tn limit W. s. Mccarthy of Salt Lake 1 president of the Intermediate Rat I association, declared today. It i argued by Karl Knox Gartner. at torney for the association, that tn
 cost data submitted by the railroad
 themselves shows the intermediat
 territory to be entitled to just as lov if not lower rates than the Pacifi coast, on westbound traffic.
 l.. E. Wettling, chief of the statis
 tical bureau of the western lines introduced at Chicago an exhibi showing that in 1920 it cost the car riers S7.32 per car for a haul of 2,70
 miles, a representative haul to tn
 intermediate territory from the east
 The same exhibit quoted $S95 as tn
 cost per car of freight moving iron
 New York to San Francisco, 3,30
 miles. It is MT. Gartner's contention
 that if it costs the railroads S16
 more to haul car of freight iron
 New York to San Francisco thai from New York to intermediat points, then certainly the inland ship
 per should not be asked to pay nor
 for the much less expensive service
 Tomorrow's hearing in Denver
 expected to provide opportunity fo Colorado interests to present thei
 views on the application. Montani
 shippers will be heard at Helena O
 Wednesday, while Friday and Satur
 day will be devoted to the taking 0
 evidence at Salt Lake City.