Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-12-01


DAY.
Washington, November 30.-At to-
days session of the Interstate Com
merce Commission, which is investiga.
ting charges of rate and facility dis
elimination by the Chesapeake & Ohio
Railroad Company, o. G. Blake. the
Cincinnati coal operator, and the COM.
plainant in the case, testified that the
principal operation of his contracts was
to make him pay the regular scheduled
tariff rates while other coal handlers
were obtaining lower rates. He also
declared that in the New River district
the railroad company had neglected to
furnish him promptly sufficient cars
for his business.
During his cross-examination Cen
eral St. Clair, of counsel for the rail-
road company, submitted in evidence
a letter written by Samuel Dixon,
manager of the Mcdonald Colliery
Company, and the Sugar Creek Coal
and Coke Company in the New River
district, in each Of which Blake is in
terested, to President ingalls,, of the
Chesapeake & Ohio Company, in which
Dixon said that while the railroad had
not furnished cars enough to take care
| of the two mining companies orders,
yet to the best of his knowledge there
had not been any discrimination
against either of the companies in the
car supply.
The defense presented their case at
| the afternoon session, President M. E.
! ingalls,, of the Chesapeake & Ohio, be-
| ing their principal witness. Briefly he
referred to the advent of the c. & O.
into the territory traversed by it, and
of its efforts to introduce into the city
of Cincinnati the fuel of the Virginia
,nd +ho xxyoc4 ~1r,--.-..--e-~--17-7 11ors., ia
| competition with that already in use
there. While admitting that the in
vestigation had disclosed rather pc
culiar condition of affairs. yet in
| general way he defended the manner
| in which business had been done as
conserving to the best interests OF all.
Tn "a mi "a atian--he adpaitted
that coal freight agent Benjamin, of the
chesapeake & Ohio. had done some illegal
acts in connection with the rate making
and said the rates should have been pub
| lished The witness made it known in q
very emphatic manner that hereafter the
published rates of the company would be
maintained In week or ten days q
new tariff schedule will be announced
lower than the present, but higher than
the rates allowed in existing contracts
| He would be very sorry if such rates re-
| suited disastrously to the railroads or on.
orators. but they would have to be paid
| as the company was not going to stand
as violator of the interstate commerce
law or be put in position where any one
offended by it could bring constantly be-
| fore the commission.
| The other witnesses called by the de-
tense included j. r. Beury, Justus Col
Inns and Enoch Carver, operators in West
| Virginia coal fields, who testified that
| they had no complaints to make against
the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad, nor did
| they desire a change in existing condi-
| NASSs oiShou6h IL was duIIltI6Q IndC at
| times they had been unable to fill con-
| francis because Of an insufficiency of
cars. After brief arguments by both
sides, Chairman Knapp said there seemed
+; to be no testimony warranting the com
mission in making any order respecting
| the terminal facilities of the road at Gin
| cinnati, as to which discrimination is
charged. The general charge of freight
discrimination will be treated in some fu-
! ture order of the commission. The chair
man said it was a regrettable thing that
a railroad largely engaged in business.
should be conducting it in a conceded
violation of the mandate of Congress
He, however, complimented the company
on the exceptional frankness with which
1t had replied to the demands of the COM
mission and made known at this inquiry
exactly what had occurred and he also
expressed qualification that the company
had promised to hereafter comply with
the law. The investigation would have
a salutary effect as contributing in part
to disclosure to the country of the stu
alton now existing in the transportation
business carried on by great railroads.