Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-09-30
COMMERCE BOARD.
CUTS FREIGHT ON.
SAND, GRAVEL, CLAY.
REDUCTION IN RATES EXPECTED
TO PROVE MATERIAL HELP TO.
WARD IMPROVING CONDITIONS
OF ONE OF oTTAWA's LARGEST
INDUSTRIES.

Sand shippers Of La Sale county
are expecting to be granted de
crease in the rates for shipping sand
from points around Ottawa in the
near future. According to word re-
ceived by the members Of the Silica
Sand Traffic Association from their
traffic director who has been manag-
ing their fight for cheaper freight
rates, the decrease can be expected
in the near future.
While no definite prediction as to
the decrease can be given, it is be
lieved it will be in the neighborhood
of % per cent lower.
During the past five weeks freight
rates in more than a score of cases
have been reduced in Illinois by the
commerce commission. This Is
shown by the records Of the body,
which issued the order in each case in
direct opposition to the ruling of the
federal interstate commerce commits
sion.
The reductions have been in isolat-
ed cases, but may be indicative of the
trend of the times for lower freight
rates generally In a large number Of
cases the reductions were made upon
petition Of the railroads themselves
or upon motion of the state. The de-
crease9 have been made principally
on sand, crushed stone, gravel, brick,
ice and pig iron. In most cases the
decreases were made between short
shipping points.
While in Ottawa the railroads have
made no effort to secure lower rates,
the fight has been carried on by the
sand men, who organized for the pur,
pose of obtaining lower rates. Tho
pending lower rates will be greatly
welcomed by owners Of local sand
companies and their employees, as
practically all CT the dullness in tn
sand business has been caused by
the high freight rates.
Oscar Hewitt, in writing for the
Chicago Tribune this morning, says
in giving an account of the reduC-
tiOns.
"A spectacular reduction was made
in the case of the Big Four road ON
pig iron shipped from Granite City to|
Litchtield. The rate heretofore has
been $2.4O a ton and was made 9HI
cents. The Illinois Central also wae
given a rate Of 80 cents on pig iron
from East st, Louis to Litchfeld. A
member of the commission explained
that this reduction is more apparent
than real He said that heretofore
the rate has been paper rate with no
81 hinr1nUtG pul hn =, ;-
basis OF shipments. He added that
most of the reduced rates on building
which were made largely in
the interest of road construction,
came about because new sources for
the materials have been opened
The Santa Fe asked and received
a reduced rate on coal from Streator,
Mlnonk and Roanoke to Chicago and
the Big Four obtained an order for re.
duced coal rates from Indiana ana Hi
nois mines to various DOints in III
nois, The Mobile and Ohio road OBJ
tanned permission to haul lumber and
mine props to southern Illinois mines
at lower rates than heretofore charg-
ed
The Mckinley Traction System
asked for lower rate on coal from
Dawson to Jacksonville and the Balti-
more and Ohio obtained permission
to reduce it rate on ice hauled from
Springfield. The Burlington and the
Illinois Central obtained a lower rates
on cement from La Sale to several
points in Illinois.
The fact that the Illinois com
mission has approved of these raduc-
tions, in the face Of the order of the
interstate commerce commission pro.
hibiting action by the Illinois con-
mission, indicates clearly the mental
attitude of the Illinois commissioners
on rate reductions generally ohserv- |
ed an emplCye of the commission"