(3) If an objection is made to the granting of the rate or fare or to the, route, the rates tribunal shall consider whether the granting of the rate or fare is a due and reasonable facility in the interest of the public, and, whether, having regard to the circumstances, the route proposed is a reasonable route, and shall allow or refuse the rate or fare accordingly or fix such other rate or fare as may seem to the rates tribunal just and reasonable.
(4) Where upon the application of a railway company or person requiring traffic to. be forwarded a through 'rate or fare is agreed to by the forwarding companies or is made by order of the rates tribunal, the apportionment of such through rate or fare, if not agreed upon between the forwarding companies, shall be determined by the rates tribunal.
(5) If there is no objection except. as to the apportionment of the rate or fare, the rate or fare shall come into operation as provided by subsection (2) of this section in the case where no objection has been sent by a forwarding company, but the decision of the rates tribunal as to its pportionment shall be retrospective ; in any other case the operation of the rate or fare shall be suspended until the decision is given.
(6) In apportioning a through rate or fare between the railway companies concerned the rates tribunal shall take all the circumstances into account, including any special charges, fixed allowances, and minimum mileage amounts, which any company may have been entitled to make or receive in respect of the route or any part of the route over which such through rate or fare applies.
(7) For the purpose of calculating the through rate or fare, the standard charge for each portion of the through route shall be that which would have been applicable to such portion had the conveyance for the entire distance of the through route been upon the railway of the company owning such portion, and as if throughout the through route the mileage had been continuously upon one railway, and shall be calculated on the shortest working distance between the two points over the railways of the forwarding companies :
Provided that in such a calculation effect shall be given to any statutory provision whereby a special mileage is allotted in respect of any portion of railway.
