The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1921-03-09
HIGHER RAIL RATES
ORDERED IN STATE
BY THEl.C C. c.
Twenty Per Cent Increase on
All Freight and Passen-
ger Business
TRAVELLING FARES TO
COST ABOUT &c MILE
Determined Stand by the
Roads to Get More Money
Out Of Patrons

When the interstate commerce com
mission ordered a twenty per. cent III
crease i'll freight and passenger rates
some time ago it applied to inter
state shipments and tickets and rail
road commissions Of several Of the
sttaes refused to allow the railroad
companies TO make the increase on
business within the state, and hence
patrons of the roads travelling or ship
ping within the state did not have TO
pay the increased cost as this only
applied when one shipped TO points
without the state or bought a passen-
ger ticket to some point in another
state.
The roads, however, seem determin-
ed to force this new rate on all intra-
state business and a number of lines
entering New Orleans have already
gone to the courts with a request for
an injunction to restrain the commits
sion from interfering with ana order
issued Saturday by the interstate COM
merce commission ordering the new
rates to go into effect on April SO on
certain classes OF commodities.
A news story concerning the in
crease appeared in the New Orleans
Times-Picayune Sunday and reads in
full as follows:
Railroad passenger fares and freight
rates on rice, sand and gravel and
milk and cream were ordered increds-
ed in Louisiana to the same basis as
interstate rates, in the Interstate
Commerce commission in decision at
Washington Saturday. The order was
followed Immediately by an injunction
obtained by the Louisiana lines in the
federal court here to prevent the
Louisiana Railroad commission from
interfering with the order of the In
terstate Commerce commission.
sion deferred action on the rates on
sugar cane holding this open for furth-
er hearing, but declared the rates on
this commodity are not sufficient 70
meet the peculiar and extra expenses
incurred Rice rates practically have
been readjusted by the Louisiana rail
roads and shippers upon basis on
which the order of the commission
will probably make no change. This
adjustment was before the Louisiana
railroad commission.
The order of the interstate COM
merce commission which becomes ef-
fective April 80, raises passenger
! fares in Louisiana from cents to ap-
proximately 8 1-2 cents per mile and
| places the rates on sand and gravel
and milk and cream on the same basis
| on Interstate traffic in the same com
modities. On the basis of the change
| the increase in passenger rates from
New Orleans to Shreveport will be
from 1918 to $11; Monroe $8.76 to
| $I0.31; Alexandria, 1882 to $3.50;
Lake Charles 1854 to $7.S1; Baton
Rouge, $2.37 to $2.S4.
Referring to the differences in pas,
/ senger farces the commission said IN
| its decision:
Railroads of the state that Joined in
! the Injunction proceedings which
| quickly followed the commissions de-
cision are the Illinois Central, Louis
vile and Nashville, Southern Pacific
and its branch lines, Gulf Coast Lines,
! Southern railway, Texas and Pacific
Louisiana Southern, Vicksburg'
! Shreveport and Pacific, Louisiana Rail
way and Navigation company, Kansas
/ CITY Southern and other lines, twenty
/ two in all. The date for the hearing
was not fixed by Judge Foster after
the temporary restraining order had
been issued against the state commits
! sion. Attorney General Coco and AS
sistant Attorney General W. NJ. Bar
row, assigned to the commission IS
counsel.
The petition of the railroads declar
ed they have been ordered by the In
terstate commerce commission to in
crease their rates; and prohibited by
the railroad commission from so do
ing. Violation of either order, say the