The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-02-04
Break. Private Car N Trust

Is then applied, and the cars arc started
northwarl IIs ttE3' F In " u Il Si r. .E
Break Private Car" Trust.
The strawberry season, for instance,
lasts but&n month, and the growers nre
fearful that fithe8C Congress should enact
Legislation abolishing tthe$uscf ofSrc frigera-
tor cars not owned byEt he railroad COM
4panles, tho latter would not undert.lke
to furnish refrigerator cars themselves,
MS there would be a demand for#them.
for SO short Il time each your. Indeed.
several of the railway accompanies, it Is
4 srd, have Indicated that they Will not so
intoIthe2 business Of supplying iced cars.
Tho private CIR companies can make
money by having their cars used IN the
Florida fruit trade early in the year, I n
Georgia In the early spring. u fewtweeiss
later in tho Carollnus, and In Virginia
In May, nnd 50 on,3 switching them over
to California al other easons. The New
York Philadelphia and Norfolk Railway,
which hnndles 10 much OF tllelbcrry trade
from the Norfolk nnd Eastern shore
country, is would have use for98the cars
only about SIS weeks In each Scnr.
livery rilllroa Representative about
Washington these days Is urging that
something lie done to break the private
cartr,st, ana declares that that5is ut the
bottom Of most f8the5tlls Of the shipper----5
that and rebates.a Indeed 1t is asserted
that tho use of private cars Is used MS q
cloak for&thc granting OF bates. ship
rers who use their own cars. lis the beef
trust. the swifts and tho Al:nlo!irs. are.
given a much, lower rate OF freight thnp
IRE the shippers who have to- depend upon
the railroad companies foracars The feel
Ing against tle&prlVa tei car companies is
stronger&tlinn against the railroad com
nanies. for$te5 Idea hasagoncSa broad thnt
the railroad companies are themsel YES ! ne
victims of these private companies. Inc
House Committee on Tuterstatcsnnd For
elgn Commerce will hear representa- tiyes
OF the private car rust IS to-mnrrow, ana
the scnvte COMMITTEES Will probably hear
them Tomorrow al q
To Appear Before Committee.
IT has been represented to3tha Commits
tees on Commerce that these private car.
companies are common carriers In the
sense that they own and operate freight
lines. Representatives OF the private car
companies deny this, and say theirs are
only equipment companies, and not Oper-l
ating companies, in any sense Of the
word. In the hearings before the COM
mittees contracts and corrcspondencefgw VII
be presented to show that these COM
panics have nothing to do with the rout-s
ing az tho freight. issuing bills Of ladlng
or anything else pertaining to the SNIP
ping business, any move tllull II ~ WIZ
locomotives instead of cars they we're
renting to the railroad compaples, They
claim Arey only build and own refrigera-
tor cars, which are rented to such rail-
roads as may want them on mileage
basis.
The shippers say that the ears are
furnished 10 carry beef to the South Or TO
California, ana that they come back laden
with fruit ana ber,'lcs II is charged tina
the fruit shippers pnS enough 70 defray
the cost Of operating the ears both ways.
The private ear companies s,tS that, aside
from tho fact that the business OF sunnlv-
Iag refrigerator ears for fruit and berries
IS entirely distinct from the business or
packing meat and of supplying ears for
tle TRANSFORMATION pf the same. t is5 also
asserted that there lis MS great 4 differ
ence between the refliserAtor cars FOR
meat and those for fruit ms there Is be-
tweentt the car for grain and the car for
coal
,rhern can be no doubt that Congress
does not knew very much about the sub
jecj Of prlvately owned cars for the trans
pUrtaton Of freight. IL ikEalso true that
| Ii Is going "a take some time for the
members 70 lenrn And when they have
! learned there arc soing 10 be many dir-
| rerent opinions as to tho best manner IN
! which Ia proceed 20 cnrrect evils which
| may exist or which nny arise.
/ / y.