Evening star., 1924-01-03
NEWS PRINT. RAIL
RATES ATTACKED
Washington and Baltimore
Publishers Point Out
Variations Here.
I,C, C., HEARS COMPLAINTS
Claim Made Evident Intention of
Body's Ruling Is Now
Nullifed.
I.C. C. HEARS COMPLAINTS

Rates on news print paper main
tanned by the Canadian Pacific and
eastern trunk lines in the United
States were attacked before the In
terstate Commerce Commission today
by representatives of Washington
newspaper publishers, who pointed
out discrepancies in the rates on
transportation of news print from
mill points to this city.
There are differences ranging from
2lz to liz cents between the rates
from distant points TO Baltimore and
rates from the same points to Wash
ington, T. D. Geoghegan, traffic man
ager of the Washington Publishers
Association said. He claimed that
this was in direct opposition TO ine
stated principle of the commission
that as the distance grows greater
the difference between contiguous
points of delivery shall grow less
matter of fact, there is an increasing
ratio in the present instance CORE. =.
spending to the greater distance OF
the point. of origin.
A complaint was filed several weeks
ago on behalf OF The Evening star
Newspaper Company attacking the
rates, and subsequently, more than
dozen publishers, representing All the
important daily newspapers III w
inSton and Baltimore, intervened, De-
coming parties to the complaint.
The differential in distance between
Washington and Baltimore is not
great enough to cover the great
spread in rates shown by tarl1s OF
the carriers on news print paper MI.
Geoghegan pointed out.
Pay for Waste.
Because publishers are forced to
nav for the protective wrapping
around rolls of news print paper on
the basis of news print sale rates MT.
Geoghegan declared, The Evening
Star Newspaper Company paid more
than $4,000 for wrapping during
1922 which it sold only as waste
paper, thereby realizing cot more
than $4,000 on an expenditure OF
$4,000,
for the interior wrapping a. freight
cars carrying news print. hS Nttd, un
der price arrangement with the
manufacturers. the cost OF Su'a wrap
ping being figured in the cost OF pa :
per loaded on cars at the mills. Ihe
witness declared The Evening star
Newspaper Company had instructed
shippers to disregard the rules OF the
American Railway Association re-
Rarding car loading of news print pa
per and had thereby greatly reduced
its damage loss in transit. due to
friction between tightly packed rolls
of news print. By leaving space De
tween the rolls, he said, the damage
due to jolting of the car had been
lessened.
Supply of Newspapers.
Newspaper publishers consumed
more than four billion pounds of
news print paper during 1922, Mr..
Geoehegan said, or about one
fourth of th> paper consumption
of the nation during that year I'M
portance of the daily newspaper IN
American life is shown by staustics
of business houses in New York dur
ing the pressmen's strike in that city
last September, the witness said
Newspaper publishers in Washing
ton carry large stocks of news print
paper. he declared. which they do not
use except in an emergency.
Mr.. Geoghegan called to the atten-
tion of Examiner w. b. Hunter nu-
merous discrepancies in rates on
newsprint, one of which-the rate
from Buffalo, y. Y. to Washington
against the rate from Bay city.
Mich-he declared to be a clear vio-
interstate commerce act. Many other
discrepancies in class and commodity
rates between Washington and New
England, upper New York and Cana
dian points were also pointe'l out.
J. p Welcker of the National
Tribune was the first witness called
by Mason Mangum, representing the
complainant and intervenors. He
testified that the National Tribune
was a constant receiver of shipments
OF news print from northern points.