The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-09-06
RAILROAD news.
Companies Hesitate to Oppose
Commerce Commission.
On Question of Unjust Charges
for Refrigeration of Fruit.
SANTA FE is SILENT.
Has Not Even Asked for Time
to Answer Complaint.
Gossip and Matters OF Interest
in Railroad Circles.

Washington, D. c., Sept. 6.-Pri-
vate car lines and railroads which
have been accused of making unjust
and unreasonable charges for the
refrigeration of fruit and vegetables,
discriminating between shippers in the
matter of rates, giving rebates to
some shippers and failing to publish
their schedule of rates as required by
the interstate commerce law, are re-
luctant apparently to join issues on
that subject with the government
Yesterday was the day when they
should have filed their answers to
the complaint of the Interstate COM
merce commission.
A number of the companies did file
answers, but many more asked for
an extension of time, and in one case
not word has been heard from the
road complained of. The Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fee is the road that
has not taken any notice of the COM
plant. made against it. The COM
plant was filed against the st. Louis,
Iron Mountain & Southern, Atchison
Topeka & Santa Fe, Kansas City
Southern, Southern Pacific, st. Louis
& San Francisco, Pennsylvania, South
ern, Atlantic Coast Line Seaboard
Air Line, Central Railroad of Georgia,
Armour Car Line company, American
Refrigerator COllpdQy ana the
Santa Fe Refrigerator Dispatch COM
pany.
The Pennsylvania, Southern, At
lantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line
and the Central of Georgia notified
the commissioners yesterday that their
answers had been transmitted. At
the same time requests for an extern
sion of the time in which they may
make answers were received from the
st. Louis, Iron Mountain e. Southern,
which asks for an extension to Sep
TENDER IL, which was granted; the
Southern Pacific asked for an extern
sion to September %, and received it;
the st. Louis & San Francisco was
granted until September 20. The pri-
vate car line companies asked some
time ago that they be not required to
answer until September 20, and an
order to that effect was made at that
time.
Members of the interstate COM
merce commission regard the issue
that will be made in this fight as the
the interstate commerce law was put
on the statute books.
There is no question as to what the
commissioners will decide when they
have heard what may be said in de-
Tense of the very high rates that have
been charged on the refrigeration OF
fruits and vegetables. They will hold
that they are unreasonable and I'M
just and will order the railroads to de-
sist from the practice of charging
them.
The order directing the companies
to show cause why they should not be
ordered to cease and desist from
charging the unreasonable rates is
the result of the inquiries held by
Commissioner Cockrell in st. Louis,
Kansas City. Chicago and other CEN
tiers of the fruit and vegetable sec
lions. In those inquiries the commits
sioner discovered that the exactions
of the refrigerator car people went to
such an extent that they required
shippers to pay charges for icing cars
to carry cabbages and cucumbers for
distances of 20 and 80 miles. They
found also that ice was being foisted
upon shippers at So a ton, for which
the shippers paid common laborers
SO cents an hour to load into the
cars.