Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 August 1919 — STATE NEWS ITEMS [ARTICLE]

STATE NEWS ITEMS

The Doings of Hoosierdom Reported by Wire. ILLINOIS MEN CHANGE FRONT Shippers of Adjoining State Now Indicate Strongly Conciliatory Attitude In Indiana—lllinois Rats Hearing at Chicago. Chicago, 111., Aug. L—Bitter opposition to the application of the disque mileage scale of freight rates to supplant the existing grouping plan scale in Illinois was voiced by Illinois shippers testifying at the hearing of the Indiana-Illinois freight rate controversy before Commissioner Meyer of the Interstate commerce commission. Illinois witnesses were particularly caustic In their aralgnment of the railroads’ attempt to obtain the disque, or Central Freight association scale, for their state, charging that It is part of a plan to push the mileage scale over the group system which features rates In Illinois and Western states. Rate differences between Indiana and Illinois .are admitted, and two Important witnesses during the day advocated the adjustment of these. The tone of the defendants toward the Indiana shippers is conciliatory and offers conferences to adjust the rate differences have been made by witnesses of Importance In the case. As the Indiana part of the controversy has been submitted, there is little reference to the Hoosier situation, beyond continued admissions of the rate differences between the two states. Witnesses for the Illinois shippers dealt with the petition of the Illinois railroads for general freight rate increases through the application of the disque scale. H. M. Slater, transportation rate expert of the Illinois public utilities commission, and Murray M. Blllngs, assistant traffic manager of the Illinois Steel company, 2 ccu P ie< l s he stand during the entire day an,d divided their time opposing rate advances.