The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-11-29
EVENT
OF IMPORTANCE
H. c. DALE, IN U. OF /. PUBLICA-
TION TELLS OF BENEFITS OF
RATE DECISION.

RATE DECISION.
Under the heading "An Economic
Event of First Importance" the Idaho
Economic Bulletin, issued by the de-
partment of economics of. the Univer-
sity of Idaho, of which Prof H. c.
Dale is the head, has the following
, to say of the recent decision of the
interstate commerce commission affec-
ting intermountain rates:
The significant facts in the decision
are these. First, it places the inter
mountain points, Boise, Pocatello
Spokane, Salt Lake, Reno, and Phoe-
| fic coast terminals so far as west
bound traffic is concerned. There was
time less than a dozen years ago
when carload of glass from Pitts
burg paid a rate of $400 to Seattle,
and $3.50 to Spokane and when first
class carload rates from Chicago to
Reno were $858 but to Sacramento,
only 154 miles farther west, were 5000.
This situation was remedied by FRO
viding that rates from points between
Chicago and Omaha to intermCuntain
destinations might exceed the through
rate to the coast by not more than
7 per cent; from points between Buff
alo and Chicago by not more thar Is
per cent; and from points between
New York City and Buffalo by not
more than 25 per cent This helped
some but in the face of actual water
competition following the removal of
the slides in the Panama Canal, fur
ther adjustments were made giving
Pacific coast points even more favor
able treatment. In March, ,s1918 west
bound rates were blanketed back from
the Pacific coast so that Spokane, for
example, enjoyed the same rates on
westbound traffic as did Seattle. A
year ago the railroads sought permts-
sion of the I.C.C. again to reduce
rates on some So articles including
such commodities as iron and steel,
canned goods, linoleum, cotton piece
goods, chemicals, pianos, points,
twine, glasses, heating apparatus,
tires and tubes. Had permission been
granted the intermountain region
would again have been placed at
decided disadvantage in comparison
with Pacific coast points. This re-
quest the commission has summarily
denied. This is the first great gain. ,
1t places the state of Idaho in just {
as favorable a situation as California,
Oregon, and Washington, so far as
westbound freight is concerned. In {
other words the Idaho farmer and
merchant who goes to buy any of the {
commodities listed above can get them, f
30 far as freight rates are concerned, {
IN just exactly as favorable terms as t
,an the farmer and merchant of west
,rn Oregon and Washington.
Second and of considerable impOr-
ance, the decision affects eastbound
reight as we'll The problem of east
pound freight has never received the
attention that has been given to west
,ound traffic. Back in 1913 the I.C.C.
departed from the -and-short haul
ule so far as eastbound traffic is con- Y
erned to permit wool originating at i
Pacific coast points to reach the Bos-
on market at much lower rate than r
WOOL shipped directly east from inter-
mountain points. Wool was shipped t
rom southern Idaho to Portland and b
hen back over the same lines to Bos-
on The rate this summer on baled h
WOOL in the grease was, from Portland n
o Boston $1.50, while from Boise to C
Boston it was $270. Wool in the F
rease in sacks from Portland to Bos- t
on was $1.95 while from Boise it was
3.12. Secured wool in bales from
'ortland to Boston, $3.50; from Boise
o Boston, $545h. The railroads !
ought still further reductions which
ave been denied. Not only that, but,
{ correctly reported in the papers,
he I.CC has disallowed continuation
f the disparities at present existing
etween intermountain and Pacific 1
oast points to the Boston wool mar /
et On the whole we do not regard v
his part of the decision as quite so o
nportant, being convinced that in the t
of our products, which are /
ractically all raw materials. we must S
/ the future look primarily to the .
evelopment Of water TRANSFORMATION. I
he decision on westbound rates, how
yer, well warrants the conclusion that s
lis is an economic event Of first i'm .
y