Evening star., 1925-04-27
$1.20 Per Ton Reduction Or
dered by !. c. c., Retroac-
tive to Sept. |, 1921.
DECISION SPURS PLAN
FOR GENERAL SURVEY
Business Men to Push Proposal for
Transportation Bureau to
Study ALI Tariffs.

their claims today in a decision hand
ed down by the Interstate Commerce
Commission ordering a reduction in
the freight rate on shipments OF
newsprint paper from mill points TO
this city and awarding reparation in
the amount of the overcharge made
by several railroads since September
l, 1921.
The decision effects an average re-
duction of cents a hundred pounds.
or $1.20 ton. from Canadian and
New England production points. The
average rates from these points %
Washington, which have been in the
neighborhood of 46 cents hundred
pounds, will become 40 or Al ccnts
under the decision today
The decision concluded a case which
has been before the Interstate Com.
merce Commission since September.
1928, and was heralded by officers of
two of the trade organizations here as
step forward in a plan to join iD>an
investigation of the general commod.
ity rate structure to Washington, The
newsprint decision affects shipTfent of
many thousands of tons-6f paper to
this city every year.
Baltimore Plea Lost.
While the, Commission found the
freight rates on newsprint from points
in New England, New York and Can
ada and from Philadelphia to Wash
ington to be unreasonable and preju-
dicial. it decided against a similar
complaint brought by a Baltimore
newspaper also alleging overcharge,
and ordered thv complaint dismissed.
The report of the commission find
ing the rail rates too high came as
result of the joint complaint of the
Washington Publishers Association.
made up of publishers of the fve daily
newspapers in. Washington. but also
included similar findings in the case
of The Evening Star Newspa per Co,
which had filed a separate complaint
Reductions in the rates were ordered
by the commission and reparation
awarded to all the Washington COM
plainants. The commission has before
1t at the present time complaints
against the rates on steel cores around
which newsprint is wrapped and on
newsprint ink from points of origin to
Washington and return.
While the decision was not regarded
complete victory in that all points
requested were not granted Ross P.
Andrews, president of the Merchants
and Manufacturers Association, and
James T. Lloyd, president of tho
Chamber of Commerce, regarded it as
a notable victory and a long step for
ward in the proposed general COM
modify rate investigation now pend
ing before the two trade bodies. Sam
- - r.
of Trade, said he was not familiar
with the investigation and would not
comment upon 1t without further
knowledge. T. d. Geoghegan, traffic
manager for the Washington Pub
fishers Association, said he was graft
fed at the decision. but claimed it did
not cover all the points asked by the
complainants. He said he wished fur
ther time to read the decision before
making a statement.
Would Probe All Rates.
Both the Merchants and Manufac
turers' Association and the Chamber
of Commerce have before them pro-
posals to form a transportation bu-
reau of the trade organizations of the
city, with the view of undertaking a
general rate investigation on all COM
modities transported by freight to
Washington. Mr.. Andrews views the
establishment of such a bureau as
imperative, and declared there are
many other commodities entering
washington whose rate structure
should be Investigated, adding that
discrimination is in evidence against
this city in many commodity rates.
He said he had noted the progress of
the newsprint investigation with much
interest and felt sure the newspapers
would win their case.
Mr.. Lloyd said the Chamber of
Commerce Is now working out a plan
under which general rate investiga-
ton would be undertaken, seeking a
reduction in specific commodity rates
to the Capital. He also expressed
himself as gratified at the victory
won by the associated publishers in
the news print case. Both the Mer.
chants and Manufacturers Associa-
tion and the Chamber of Commerce
have discussed the Establishment of a
transportation bureau, but have not
gone further than to informally talk
over plans for its Inauguration.
Differential Held Too High.
During the hearings before the
commission last year extending over
several months the respondent rail.
roads In the North and East ship.
ping news print paper to Washington
over their main lines or connections
admitted that Baltimore had been es.
tablished as the base for rate-making
purposes. The complaints alleged
that the differential between the Bal.
timore base rate and the Washington
rate was too high.
The commission found today that
che rates from producing points in
New England, Canada and New York
to Washington have been and are
unreasonable to the extent that they
exceed the corresponding rates to Bal.
timore by more than cents per 100
pounds; from Philadelphia. by more
than 2 cents, and from New York.
Norwalk. Conn, and other points of
origin. Publishers who have paid the
excess rates to Washington were al
lowed in the decision to enter claims
for reparation.
The Baltimore American was the
paper joining in the complaint alleg-
ing unreasonable rates from mill
points to Baltimore, which the com.
mission dismissed. A complaint in
which f0ur Ra aITir,Cro ~nrpnro+J1vc