The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-07-09


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IoVerath ess#Yario Gus di fferent ilroa lines
Eln, Arn1our tor ca contro led Hby
~ y This additional refrig era tor or car
rental charge is always exhorbitant and
IN all cases whenever and wherever Ar"
m SS 81 car Linz company appear on5he
exclusive contract for the privilege Of
using and operating such refrigerator cars
upon said railroad con,pany's lines, the
refrigerator rates are Increased from three
hundred to five hundred per cent, and in
some instances the railraod companies IN
addition to this materially advance their
own" rates.
Refrigerator Charges Exhorbitantt.
g. We cannot see by what law railroad
companies expect to maintain their posi-
ton to farm out this privilege 20 any pri-
as levied and collected by the Armour
Car Line company are freight charges
Of device be Separated or detached from
company's charges levied and collected by
the railroad companies themselves. These
refrigerator charges are billed against the
mt n oy the M sompan
bulls are made out and follow the car 20
destination, and is made part of the ex-
pense bill made out and collected at the
station of destination by the railroad
company's agent, and is an absolute lien
upon the goods, and railroad company's
agent will refuse to deliver any such
collecting this refrigerator charge that
mas been arbitrarily assessed by the Ar
mour Car Line company as a part Of the
transportation charges and it is a COM
follow shipments from one line to anolh-
er and expense bill is rendered at station
OF destination with the advance freight
charges from connecting lines and the re-
frlgerator charge Jumped together in a
lump sum without being itemized and
same billed as advance freight charges.
Conslgnee has no means of knowing or
finding out how said advance charges are
made up except by taking the matter up
with the local freight agent who fire.
! quently finds it necessary to trace the
shipment back over various connecting
! lines to get this information, and it fire.
quently takes from ten days 20 two weeks
TO get this information With this evil
dence matter of record that can be
relationship existing between the common
carriers and this private corporation
which private corporation evidently has
been created for the sole purpose of car
ton levied upon all products transported
in Armour refrigerator cars. This tax,
which 1T would be mockery to call any
thing else than transportation or freight
even consulting with the parties whom
It is levied against and without restraint
of any kind by law.
Attacks Exclusive Contract.
4. BY what law or justice is the Ar
mour Car Line company or any other
company permitted to say to a grower or
shipper, 1--WE will prevent you from using
any but our cars notwithstanding the
fact that such grower or shipper may be
able to get all the cars needed for the
transporta ton of their products, and even
better cars than the Armour Car Line
company are in position to furnish, free
Of charge.
5. In our firms experience in shipping
from Michigan during the season Of 1903
we were offered all the refrigerator cars
We were able to Use by the Milwaukee
road, the Wisconsin Cntral, and the Chi
cago, st. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha road.
All Of thse roads volunteered to deliver TO
the Michigan Central road and to the
Pere Marquette road all the refrigerator
The Michigan Central and the Pere Mar
quette roads refused to accept such re-
frigerator cars or any refrigerator car
other than an Armour car, thus we were
pay their charges of $500 and $4,000 per
car, or else cease shipping perishable
commodities from points on their lines.
The growers of fruits and produce on
their products to be shipped in these cars
or allow their products to rot on the
ground in their fields and orchards be-
cause they would be unable to get any
other refrigerator cars, and account of
this -extortion, and additional charge such
growers would be compelled to sell their
Of Jpn ent* "a + q corr
able the purchaser to Sell same in open
market in competition with products Of
like kind and nature that may have
these refrigerator contracts did not exist,
permitting shipments to be made from
such points to the open market at
much lower carrying charge; or if not in
the dealer would be compelled to add such
additional carrying charges to the cost
of his goods and sell for correspond
ingly higher price, thus the consuming
by this unlawful combine upon every
package of fruit they buy and consume.
e. We find upon investigation that tar
ington by the various different common
carriers throughout the country do not
provide for car rental charge Or re-
frigerator charges. This being the case,
is it not SO that all such charges that
have been levied and collected have been
collected contrary to law and as a result
of a conspiracy by and between the rail-
road companies and the Armour Car Line
company?
Shipper and Grower Affected.
It is not true that the shipper or grow
er consents 10 this They
they wish 20 ship their goods to market.
Armour Car Line company controll-
ing the refrigerator cars upon any line OF
railroad have it in their power to cause
a car shortage at any given point, and as
they are in the business of wholesaling
fruit, and as it is commonly charged
against them that they are willing to
employ any means to crush out competi-
ton, is it not fair to presume that, with
the power in their hands to do So they
may. select some particular. station or
stations along such lines Of road that
have large quantities of perishable pro-
ducts to ship, and being DESTROYS of ac-
quiring such products at the lowest
prices possible they may create car
shortage at such point or points and the
growers or shippers thus finding them
selves without means of getting theif
products to market become panic stricken
and willing to take any offer made them
for such products rather than see them
rot upon the ground. And Just at this
t osteniSbly. buying goods for himself. but
secretly in the employ of the Armour
company, who is willing to make sucn
growers and shippers low offer for their
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