The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-02
BY THE INTIoRSTADE COM
MERGE COMMISSION.
ATTORNEY CALLED DOWN.
ASKED FOR THEY TERMS UPON
WHICH HE COMPROMISED
A CASE. y
Old Case Reopened on the Complaint
of the milwaukee, Road for
New Hearing.

CHICAGO, June 1.-The interstate
commerce commission met today for
a week or more of probing Of Western
railroads for alleged violations of the
law of interstate commerce. William
Morrison, chairman, and Commission
ers ]. W.. Yeomans, Martin A. Knapp
and G. A. Prouty, accompanied by
the commissions attorney, w. r. Day.
were present. The James Mcmillan
ccmpany's charge against the Western
Classification association for discrim
ination in wool shipments was first
called by the commission. ATTORNEY
F. L. Stiles, of Minneapolis. said he
represented Mcmillan and assured the
commission that the matter had been
adjusted, and he simply desired to
have his charges dismissed.
Chairman Morrison informed Attor-
ney Stiles that he should commit to
writing on "a piece Of paper a state
ment how this matter was adjusted"
Was it in accordance with published
rates? Attorney Stiles said he sup
posed it was. ~
Then you had better write it out
on piece of paper and sign it," said
Commissioner Morrison. 1--WE will
have it on file then so that other ship
pers may get the same classification
and rate as your client"
The Eau Claire lumber, differential
was reopened. Two years, ago the COM
mission, after trying a case of alleged
discrimination in shipments from Eau
Claire, Winona and La Crosse, directed
he M ID
a differential that would give a 21kc
higher rate to Eau Claire shipments.
The old discrimination had been ten
cents against Eau Claire The case
was reopened on the complaint of the
Chicago, Milwaukee & ST. Paul that
the differential had been followed by
a ten-cent cut at Winona and La Crosse
by the Omaha road the Chicago &
burlington, Northwestern and Wilson,
sin Central. A. c. Bird, traffic man
ager of the Chicago, Milwaukee & st.
Paul, appeared as witness for the COM
plainant. Mr.. Bird said he had made
the differential charging 21ac per one
hundred more from Eau Claire on lum-
Der than from Winona and La Crosse.
He said the rate had only lasted a
week, when the other roads made a
cut at the competing points, which
again placed Eau Claire in a bad way.
In self-defense his road was compelled
to restore the old rate to have the
Winona and La Crosse rate restored.
He named the other roads as having
made the cut and upset the differential.
When pressed to tell why the other;
roads had discriminateds against Eau
Claire lumber shipments, Mr. Bird
said that the old Wisconsin Western
road. with which the competing lines
had close contract relations, had sold
or leased tracts of lumber land in the
Winona and La Crosse districts, and at
tached to those land leases or lumber
privileges was an agreement to give
the lumber men a rate under that Of
competitors in the Northern Wiscon-
sin field
Attorney Wilson opened the afternoon ses-
sion by presenting to the court rate sheet
Of the Omaha company, showing that there
was no variation in the rates on differentals
except at non-competitive points, and that h 6
ROAD mad as clean record the complain
ing road. He then presented Traffic Manager
James Clark, who talked about rates and DIFF
fere s ais for an hour In opposition to 8
cent differential at Eau Claire as against
Menominee, Shell lake. Chippewa Falls and
Cedar Falls, he said he made "a difference of
60 cents on LOCO feet of lumber, which would
ruin the trade of the other points.
Attorney Wilson closed the case by defend
ing Winona and La Crosse against an Eau
Claire differential. He said that both of the
other places paid from 50 to $3.50 more on LOCO
feet of lumber in rafting down the river TO
their towns and to give Eau Claire the differ
entail ordered by the commission meant that
Eau Claire would have that much more ad-
vantage in selling at points of delivery on
70 Mo 1oy,1ic &nAIr
the case under advisement.
Tomorrow the commission will take up the
complaint of the Texas Cattle Shipping as
ISOLATION against the roads delivering cattle
from Texas to the Chicago stock yards. The
complaint is the 50 switching Charges
and the evidence Of the cattlemen heard at
Fort Worth in April was introduced Tomor-
row the reads will put in their evidence.