Evening journal., 1904-10-13
PRIVATE CAR OCTOPUS
Sress Oppression Charged by
Witnesses Against Armour
Car Company.
FRUIT BUSINESS BEING RUINED

Extortionate Charges Allesed-Also an
Attempt to Crush Out Competition.
Witness For Standard Oil Company
Denies Charges Made by Witness at
Previous Hearing.
Chicago, Oct. l3-The alleged extor-
lonate charges and arbitrary practices
Of the Armour Car company were
again the subject OF careful examina-
ton by the interstate commerce COM
mission. and the commission fnally ad-
iourned pending special call with the
Investigation suspended. Charges Of
gross oppression were made by several
commission men Of Chicago and other
points who have had TO depend on the
Armour car system for the transporta-
ton Of their produce.
George H. Mend Of George t. Mead
& Co. fruit dealers. and vice president
of the National Association Of Commits
sion Men of Boston. stated that the
tactics adopted by the Armour COM
pany are fast running the commission
business an over the east
Armour & Co have practically de-
moralize1 the fruit business east Of the
Aliechanies." declared Mr. Mead in his
testimony "Not only do they charge
extortionate prices for icing ears con-
tanning deciduous fruits. but they have
undermined the market as well. For
instance. they know through private
sources that n car of fruit is TO be
shipped into Hartford on certain day
and. having say two cars Of this same
fruit az Springfield run one of them
down TO Hartford. and when the car
FOR the local commission man arrives
he finds the market sold out from un-
der him."
Never Heard Of Rebate.
"What OF the $50 rebate ON cars
shipped from western points claimed
by the Armour representatives I'm theh
testimony" asked one of the members
of the commission.
Il am sure we have never heard OF
them" was the reply. Il will be carry
ing Interesting news back to Boston
for no one of my acquaintance evei
saw a rebate Of amy kind"
A. l.. Somors. a South Water stree
commission merchant was the mex
witness called Mr. Somers tcstihe,
that the Armour eompany's charge
are far IN excess of the actual cost 70
icing cars. and he cited several I'M
stances where he had been charged 81
for icing a ear for trip of 200 mile
or less, comparing therato with one q
$40 made by the Santa Fe railroad fC
a trip Of 700 miles.
At the close Of the hearing Commi
sioner Prouty declared that the cond
tions as shown were shameful an
called for correction. He was in douh
however. as 70 the power of the COZ
mission IN the matter but declar,
that he believed congress would
moved TO act in the matter should Il
commission prove unable 10 presel
any solution.
A sensational feature of the inte
state commerce commissions inquii
was the arrival Of IT. r. FELTON,. viz
president Of the United sank line, q
associate company Of the Standard @
company. Mr.. FELTON, hurried fro
New York to Chicago after readir
Mr.. Midgeley's testimony of Tuesday
He absolutely denied Midgeley's i
situations that the Standard OIL cor
pany was receiving rebates throuf
the United Tank Line company. assei
ed that the Standard Oil compapk WI
not violating the interstate law. WI
not in contempt Of the commission az
was not a burden to the railroads.