The Washington times., 1905-02-05
DEFENDS The USE
Of PRIVATE CARS
Armour's Agent Before In
tePstate Committee
MAKES EMPHATIC DENiALS
Packers Net Trying to Get Control of
Produce of the Country as Al
leged-Business Costs.
MAKES EMPHATIC DENIALs

George b. Robbins, of Chicago, presi-
dent of the Amour Car Lines and a e.
rector of Armour & Co, appeared before
the House Committee on Interstate and
Foreign Commerce yesterday afternoon,
in defense of his line and connections.
and in strenuous opposition to those in
fuences that have sought to discredit
them.
MIR. Robbins said the private car lines.
which have provoked the bitterest dis
cussion at recent sessions of the COM
mittee, and on the floor of the House.
were absolutely demanded by existing
conditions and were an absolute neces-
sity of present met mods of handling in
terstate freight.
The line of which he is president re-
ceives mileage at the rate of three
fourths of a cent mile for each ear
collects refrigeratinG charges, through
the railroads, from shippers.
Describes Business.
RI. Robbins gave several illustrations
of the manner in which the present sys-
TEN of private car lines operated for the
relief of the shippers, when the crops
were heavy and transportation problems
doomed difficult. He said that in Georgia
last season 1000 cars of peaches were
produced and that to handle this crop
nearly 4,000 individual cars were neces-
sary.
Fifty inspectors Were needed to look
after these extensive shipments and see
| to it that the cars Were properly iced.
| He gaze numerous illustrations of the
| hazards and vicissftudes of the business.
| and of the uncertainties to which 1t is
necessarily SOLICITED.
/ But at one point ne supplied the COM
/ mittee-s most decisive point,
| We have exclusive contracts with
many roads," said bfr. Robbins. I'VE
| found that business could be done
| cheaper when such contracts were made
/ than under any other circumstance, and
| both the roads and ourselves were GLAD
to make them"
number of instances when refrige-
rating charges had been reduced volun-
tariiy by his lines were given by Mr.
Robbins He said the contracts with
| the companies absolutely prohibited any
| increase of rates,
Not Fruit Dealers.
THE Armour car lines said Mr.. Rob
| bins, ''have never bought, sold. or trad
| ed in any of the products handled by the
| Armour Packing Company or Armour &
| Go. The latter corporations have never
| dealt in fruit, and the handling of fruit
is the principal business of the Armour
| car lines. The produce business the Ar
Tnour interests once engaged in has beer
| abandoned since May Of last year.
/ MIR Robbins admitted his connection:
/ still dabbled casually in the butter. egg
and poultry business, and that certain
| staPis vegetables were handled in small
| quantities He said that the company
. owned 5000 fruit cars and 5000 packing
cars, and that the former were in usC
for about three-fourtns of each year. H
| denied that his company ever received
| advices as TIC shipments made by othei
CORPORATIONS ana individuals
Indignant denial WIS given by thu
speaker to the statements made by
| George E Mead of Boston, who has
| testified the Armour lines were strivin:
to secure control of the produce inter
| estS Of the country.