The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-16
DENIES ALL CHARGES
PRESIDENT OF ARMOUR AND CON-
 PANY MAExEsssA sTATycsEENT.
Says Testimony of Boston Man Before InteFstste Commerce CpmEnittec
 Ia Made lip of FalAe- hoods. /

Chicago, Jan. l5.--A complete denial of the charges made by witnesses be- fore the interstate commissioners commission investigation of the modes of operation of the Armour refrigera- tor car lines was made today by a rep- resentative of Armour and Company. The testimony offered during the in- vestigations. Is declared by the Arr mour interests to have been not only prejudiced and biased but in many re- spects false.
 The only persons making complaints against the Armour car lines, said George Robbins, president of the com pany, Are not growers, or producers, but a league of commission merchants who handlo on an arbitrary commits ston basis produce billed to them. The most sensational of all the mis- -sta te- ments made against us have been of- fered by & Boston commission man. before the interstate commerco com mission and the House committee on interstate commerce. He is the vice. president of the refrigerator car com pany and therefore not a disinterested witness. The unwarranted attack upon Armour interests made by this Boston man, who, 1t is alleged. represents the commission men of that city. was made up Of misrepresentations and wiIful malice or made in ignorance Of the conditions governing transportation of perishable commodities.
 This means testimony that the Ar mour lines charged the Pennslyvania Railroad $50 for icing cars at Jersey City while for other persons who of- fered $4 to $5 the company had re. fused to ice private cars. he knew to be false, because he haJ knowledge that the Pennsylvania Railroad was charged $4 per car and that our con tract, which required us to ice any and all cars offered there, had never been violated.
 'The accusation that the Armours had swamped competitions on the field by buying up the peach crop of Michi- gan or refusing cars to other shippers is absolutely untrue. Armour 6 Co., nor any of it's allied interests, have never directly or indirectly bought or dealt in Michigan peaches. This same denial also appartaihs to the charge that the Armours monopoIizzed the Georgia peach crop.
 "Our company can do business cheap CT under exclusive contracts and as Il result we endeavOr to make such agree ments with the railroads. but the alle- gation that by these terms the rail- road companies notify Us of intended shipments of fruits to enable us to flood the market fin advance of arrival of the present shipments is a falsehood. and there Is no ground whatever for such a statement.
 Refrigeration rates charged the pub lie by Armour & Go. are based on the cost of ice and the supervision. to- gether with reasonable addition thereto fo general expenses. These rates are printed, like tariffs among shippers and railways. Our company has never bought ar sold any of the products transported in its cars as charged by witness during the tnvesti- gation.
 The entire proceedings against our company" said Mir. Robbins In conclu- sion have been characterized by preju- diced and false witnesses instigated by this Boston car owner who seeks to have the railroads build their own cars under patents of his company. This fact has been carefully kept In the background all during the investiga- fiOn"