Evening star., 1925-08-04

Promise Of one of the bitterest
fights over railroad freight rates ever
sta ged is given by comment on the
proposal of Western roads for an in
crease of IL per cent, with an Incl
dental pooling plan proposed to re-
duce the increase to per cent. Hear
ings before the Interstate Commerce
Commission will begin September l.
A battle royal over the terms of
the transportation act is expected by
the Philadelphia Bulletin. The case
will be epochal" that paper suggests.
lin its determination of the applica-
tion of the act, and may Conceivably
lead TO reVisions of that measure in
the next session of Congress" The
Spokane Spokesman-Review declares:
| "If Western farmers or other West
ern interests have reached the hasty
conclusion that the application of the
Western railroads for increa ased freight
rates is not to be taken seriously,
the sooner they dispel that notion
from their minds the better. This is
| q real issue. a real fight And the
producers and consumers of the West
must wake up and take ii seriously"
To this warning the Spokesman-Re-
view adds the charge that the Bureau
of Railway Economics, which has no
connection with the United States
Government has taken the official
reports filed with the Interstate Com
merce Commission and 'jugGled them
| to convey false impression that the
railroads are not getting square
| deal"
The suggestion from Charles E.
| Hughes, as counsel for the receivers
of the Milwaukee road, that the pro-
posed rate increase in the West be
applied in such a way that prosperous
roads will not receive full benefit of
| the increase, but that weaker roads,
not earning a proper profit, will be
| favored by a larger ratio" inspires
the Detroit News to express the con-
clusion the basis of the ''much-dis-
cussed grouping plan" is the "only
| philosophy which promises security
and health in the future to railroad
| ing generally" For, in the opinion
| of the News, lit is only connections
of various kinds that enable any rail
| way in the country to exist The
Chicago Daily News also believes that
until the much-talked-of consolida-
ton plans are put into effect, the
only way in which any measure of
equal earning power can be developed
is through plan based upon the
principle of cooperation and pooling.
Rivalry between rates on agricul-
tural products and those on other
! freight causes the Bangor CONNER
cial to call attention to the fact that
"the Northwestern railroads have
| been suffering for some time past
| from impaired earnings due to reduc-
| tions in agricultural rates. either
made voluntarily by them or ordered
by the commission" The Commercial
/ then argues: Viewed from the out
side the only method that could be
| followed that would be satisfactory to
both rails and farm shippers would
be rates so adjusted as to bring more
returns to the rails and reduce ex-
penses to the farmers. Such would
mean very material advance in the
rates of other commodities and most
certainly would bring another class
of shippers into the ring to register
complaint" This same effect is in
the mind of the Quincy Whig-J ournal,
when it remarks: Railroad rates are
a good deal like many other little
burdens of present-day life"
X X
Quoting Secretary Jardine to the
effect that high freight rates con-
| tributed to depression in farm prices"
| the Omaha World Herald charges
| that dominant color scheme" of the
| Interstate Commerce Commission is
| gray conservatism and continues:
THE railroads will look to that body
| with full confidence. Whether pro-
| ducers and shippers. who also have
rights that they think are In jeopardy,
'and whose profits are no more graft