The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-10-22
HILL WANTS ID
 PREVENT RAIDS
Insists on His Explanation of
 the So-CalIed Merger.
SHARPLY CROSS EXAMINED
Concerning Rates Charged for Freight MT. Hill Said His Coal Rates Had Been Lower Than Reading
 for Several Years.

St. Paul, October 21.-When Special Examiner Ingerso1l opened the hearing in the suit of the United States against the so-caned railroad merger, he an- nounced that but one session would be held today. Solicitor General Richards immediately resumed the eross-examina- tion of President J. J. Hill of the North ern Securities and Great Northern Rail- road companies, asking in regard to MT. Hil1s statement that one reason for or ganizing the holding company, was to prevent the danger ofraids on stock.
 How does it come about that the Union Pacific hold about eighty millions Of the Northern Securities company"s 8 stock?.'
 That Is a matter that does not con- cern IS. but 1t does concern you"
 Pressing the same line of questioning MT. Richards was told that MT. Harri man or any one else who wished, might buy Northern Securities stock. Any stock might be bought and purchasers usually could find those wilHng to sell. If others desire to buy Northern Securi- ties stock, they could only do so by offering a high enough price. We have tried to make 1t as difficult as we fairly could for such raids to prove successful.
 Knows Few Stockholders.
 T don't control who shall or might own the stock. Out of eleven or twelve hun dred Northern Securities shareholders, I know propbably twenty-five or thirty.
 "The largest single holder of Northern Securities stock, l understood, is Harri- manor at least the issue of stock was to him some months ago. The outstand- ing stock on the Northern Securities com pany is something near $360.0 900, 900. liar riman might double his holding, but he would have to pay a fair price for 1t, if he bought it. The real protection is the union of effort to develop the great north west business
 Hin insisted that certain suggested rates. so far as he knew, were never considered because they were unlawful. In answer to questions by W. A. Day, at torney for the interstate commerce com mission, MT. Hill said the Great North ern railroad owned no line of railroad under lease. MT. Hill said that the re- duction of rates since the requirement of the Burlington had not been an un- usual thing on the Great Northern, and he believed 1t applied to substantially the same extent on the Northern Pacific.
 Coal Rates Had Run Low.
 MT. Hill said his coal rates had for sev- eral years been lower than those of the Reading or the Lackawanna railroads. He said rates always were reduced as traffic increased which had followed the Burlington purchase. He had made no attempt to influence rates on the Burling- ton.
 Better rates on coal were possible be- cause of the control of the Burlington, he said He feared there might be a fuel famine in the northwest, not because of the anthracite strike, but because of the inability of the railroads to trans port sufficient coal from the Ohio and West Virginia fields to supply all needs. The acquisition of the Burlington had not diverted traffic from other lines to the Northern Pacific and Great Northern, but had actually created new traffic for them Asked to define the word raid" used in his testimony, Mir. Hill said it was the purchase of stock in the open market. but insisted that the purchase of the Burlington by the Northern Pacific and Great Northern was not raid but simply a raid by and with the approval of the directors In answer to questions by Mr. Young and others MT. Hill said he could not purchase the Burlington nor contract to do so, and that corpor- ate action of the Great Northern was necessary.
 Mir Hill was then excusued and the hearing adjourned until tomorrow.