State Ex Rel. Department of Public Works v. Skagit River Navigation & Trading Co.

The department of public works, as plaintiff, filed its petition in the superior court of Thurston county, alleging that the defendant, Skagit River Navigation & Trading Company, owning and operating vessels as a common carrier on the navigable waters of the state of Washington, had violated its tariffs and rate schedules, being thereby guilty of unjust discriminations and unreasonable preferences in the manner detailed in the petition. In support of the charges against the defendant, the petition set forth numerous instances, occurring in the course of a period of about fifteen months…