Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-14
ELEVATOR INQUIRY
IS LATEST MOVE
INTERSTATE CHIEFS BEGIN
INVESTIGATION
Circular Letters Sent to Officials and
Answers VIII Furnish Basis
Of Congressional
Report

According to advices received in Los
Angeles an investigation is to be made
by the interstate commerce commits
sion, by authority of the United States
senate, of the elevator, grain buying
and forwarding business of the coun-
try to determine to what extent special
favors have been granted to them by
railroad companies; the influence
which the alleged monopolizing of this
branch has upon the market; the in
jury 1t has worked to grain producers;
the extent to which railroads, their Of
ticers, directors. stockholders and en-
ployes own or control the grain buying
and grain forwarding companies, and
the manner in which such holdings, if
any, We're secured.
The interstate commerce commission
has sent a circular letter to every rail-
road corporation in the United States
requesting its responsible officials to
furnish to the commission as soon as
practicable, information which will en-
able il to report to congress next De-
cember.
What Is Wanted
In brief, the commission desires rail-
road companies to supply it with the
name and location of every grain ele-
vator along their lines, together with
the capacity of the elevator and
by the corporators; the name and ad-
dress of each firm or corporation oper-
ating the elevators; whether any of
the elevators are located upon the
lands of the railroad companies and
whether such privilege of location is
open to other persons desiring to erect
elevators along the railroad lines:
what. if any, interest the railroad COM
panies have in elevator companies, and
whether any allowance in money or
otherwise is made by the railroad COM
panies for the elevation or transfer of
grain: the name and address of the ten
persons or firms who have been the
largest shippers of grain over the rail-
road lines since June, 1905: the extent.
If any, to which each railroad company
since June, 1905, has beep engaged in
the buying or selling of grain; the ex-
tent, so far as may be known, to
which any officer or employe of the
railroad has been engaged in the oper-
alton of any elevator; description of
all facilities or privileges which the
railroad companies during the three
years last past have provided, under
stress of competition or other condi-
tions, to maintain or increa Sc the vol
ume of grain traffic over the lines of
railroads. together with details of such
special privileges or facilities and a
statement showing in detail the meth
ods of the railroad companies in dis
tributing cars for the shipment of
grain.
May Take Months
1t is expected by the commission
that it will require three or four
months to obtain the information
asked for in its circular letters, but no
special difficulty is anticipated ut
mately in obtaining it.
The investigation instituted by the
commission will be thorough and
sweeping and the commission expects
to be able at the beginning of the next
session of congress to lay before the
senate such information as may he of
value to ii in the form of legislation
regulating the interstate grain traffic
of the country.