The Coconino sun., 1923-08-24
RESUME OF HEARING ON
STATE RAILROAD RATES


Arizona state corporation commission
at Phoenix in the middle Of July, a
summary Of the cases has been COM
| piled recently by the intrastate rate
conference, under whose direction the
evidence of the shippers was prepared
and presented.
The Importance Of the July hearing,
members of the conference said, lies
not alone in the matter which was pre-
sented and the hope for a favorable
4 decision, but rather in the fact that
4 they betoken an increased interest in
freight rates on the part of shippers
and business men throughout the
state On the opening day of the hear
4 ing the house chamber at the state
capital was filled with interested aud
itors. OF the entire number present
$50 men had a definite interest in
the cases either as shippers or as
their representatives.
This attendance was centrasted re-
peatedly with an intrastate rate hear
! ing which was scheduled before the
state corporation commission about 10
years ago At that time apathy con-
eerning freight rates was so general
that the railroads alone entered an
/ appearance, with not single shipper
or shippers representative present.
4 The level on which intrastate rates are
1 today is a direct result of the indif
1 ference shown by the general public
at that time and during the interval
until today in the matter of freight
rates between points within the bor-
ders of Arizona.
The representation on both sides of
the hearing was a commanding one.
Eight railroads had traffic counsel
present during the hearings, and so
carefully did they watch the interests
of the carriers that the completed
! transcript Of the hearing makes 5 two
volumes, each of which is nearly two
inches thick. Through the efforts of
| the intrastate rate conference as great
car was taken of the cases for the
shippers.
Seventeen companies were repre-
sented at the hearing, and as many
4 cities, giving the hearing UNIVERSAL
! ity hitherto unknown in freight rate
cases in Arizona The organizations
represented also formed an unusually
imposing list The city of Phoenix
!
the chambers of commerce of Nogales,,
Tucson, Yavapai county and the Verde
Valley commercial club. The traffic
associations and attorneys represented
were the Graham and Gila Counties
Traffic association, the traffic bureau
of the Phoenix chamber of commerce,
/ the Southern Arizona Traffic assocla-
4 ton, the Ell Paso freight bureau and
the firm Of Jones, Blaine and Jones.
An unusual feature Of the hearing
was the number of farm organizations
/ which took an active part In 1T.
/ Among those which entered an aP-
Il pearance at the hearing were the Gill
bert Farm bureau, the Roosevelt Farm
4 bureau, the Graham County Farm bu-
reau, members of the Waters Users
association, the Arizona Citrus Grow
ers, the Graham and Gila County Hay
+ and Grain Growers association, the
! Arizona Cattle Growers association,
/ the Arizona Wool Growers associa-
+ ton, the Arizona Honey Exchange,
and the Arizona poultry producers.
When the hearing opened the Tue
! son chamber of commerce protested
| any acton on intrastate rates at this
time. The protest did not mean that
Tucson vas in opposition to the intra-
state rite conference, but Indicated
! only that a disagreement as to the
precedence of intrastate and interstate
rates had arisen, Tucson contendlng
that the logical method of lowering
freight rates in Arizona was to begin
with the interstate tariffs. However,
now that the intrastate hearing has
I L I.o11 fort
between Tucson and the conference,
with the result that in any rate act
ions that may be instituted in the fu-
ture the entire state will present a
united front.
The keynote Of the meeting was
struck by Roland Johnston, manager
of the traffic bureau Of the Phoenix
chamber of commerce that In dis
tances of SO miles or more Arizona in
trastate freight rates are universally
higher than the rates for like dis
tances in the states Of Washington,
Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Utah and
Nevada.
In answer to a question of F. A.
Jones, who appeared as leading eoun-
sci for the intrastate rate conference,
Mr.. Johnston, despite strenuous OBJ
lection on the part of carriers, also
declared that the high level of rates
obtaining in Arizona has been SER
ious handicap upon shippers when
seeking relief from the interstate COM
merce commission. He also said that
reduction in intrastate and inter-
state rates here would give Arizona
an opportunity to develop such as it
has never had in the past.
Charles E. Blaine, also of counsel
for the intrastate rate conference, tes-
titled that density of population in it.
self has but little influence upon
freight rates, illustrating his conten-
ton by examples taken from all the
states of the Rocky MountainvP Pacific
Coast route.
A conspicuous example of Mr..
Blaine's contention is Nevada. The
increase in population in Arizona for
the years 1910-1920 was 63 per cent,
while Nevada during the same period
showed decrease OF 5.4 per cent.
The population per mile of road in
Nevada is 33, while the population per
mile of road in Arizona is 1856, but
Nevada freights are only 40 per cent
of Arizona rates.
In opposition to the contention of
tbn caTy.iny.S that Arizona has low