Cattlemen's Plaint

Washington, Nov. 17.- There are a number of important cases pending before the interstate comraerce commission, some of which may be decided soon, while others are yet being investigated by the commssion. The Arkansas and Kansas grain rate cases, which grew out of a complaint of minor importance, have developed until many questions and various Unes in the west are now involved. The Kansas board of railway commisssioners are among the complainants and the subject of rates from Missouri river points and milling in transit are affected. The export cases are still being investigated by th'é commission. Different roads are complained against, it being asserted that they have issued from time to time tariffs on exports to Liverpoool and other points abroad in which the trans-Atlantic sharé of the rate was less than the rates to the seaboard. New York Has a Giievancc. One of the most important case beíore the commission is the complaint made by the New York Produce exchange against trunk unes to the seaboard, ■ charging diserimination against New York city and in favor of Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Newport News. A similar question was decided a quarter of a century ago by a commission of arbitration consisting of Judge Oooley, Senator Thurman, and Elihu B. Washburne. In the southwest there are several complications.and one case which is considered important is that of the Texas common point rate from various points on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. It involves rates on carload and less than carload lots lo distributing points in Texas. Nearly all these distributing centers in Texas get the same rates from all points. Galveston and other seaboard points generally'are not included. The complaint is made by the Business Men's league of St. Louis, which wants a rate on less than carload lots to local points outside of the distributing centers the same as on carload lots. Able to Compete with St. Louis. It is claimed by them that by reason of the carload lot rate being less than rates on broken carload lots, the distributing points are able to compete with St. Louis and other large Wholesale centers. The Dallas people, in the same cases, complain against this Texas common point rate, and want a lower rate where the haul is much longer. Another case coming from Texas, which has behind it the entire cattleshipping interest, is the terminal charge on cars of live stock shipped into Chicago. Formerly the roads entering Chicago charged a rate to that city which included delivery of the car at the stock yards. In 1894 the roads established a terminal charge of $2 per car on live stock in addition to the rate to Chicago. It is of this additional charge that the cattlemen now complain. The importance of the case is increased by reason of the fact that in a decisión about two years ago Judge Grosscup of Chicago held that charges in a case of this nature were Ilegal. KeVcrsed That Decisión. Since then, however, the court of appeals has reversed that decisión. But the complaint of the cattlemen is predicated upon grounds dlffering in some respects from those involved in the case decided by Judge Grosscup. From the southern Atlantic seaboard comes a case before the commission upon complaint of the Savannah Freight association, in which it is charged that the fertilizer rates from Charleston to points in Georgia, Alabama, and Florida discrimínate against Savannah. It is asserted that the roads make, the same rate from Charleston as from Savannnah over a longer haul, and where the haul is made over several different lines, while the haul from Savannah is made over only one or two roads.