The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1906-06-29
TOOK TRB TESTIMONY
The State Railroad Commission
Heard Many Witnesses.
All Of Them Testified That q joint
Rate on Wheat is Necessary
and Right.

The State Railroad Commission finish
ed It's session here after taking much
testimony on Wednesday, Thursday and
Friday of last week. A great many
witnesses. consisting of milIers and indie
pendent buyers from the Sound. and
buyers from the east side of the noun
tains, gave evidence before the commits
sion in behalf Of the state The railroads
did not introduce any evidence in their
behalf, but were very Jealous in guard.
ing and weakening the evidence intro
duced By the state, and with short talks
TO the commission Friday afternoon sub
mltted their case.
Judge Nj. j Gordon opened the argu.
ment with short but forCeful talk in
which he called the attention Of the com
mission to inautfCiency of the evidence
on which they could ret in granting a
Joint rate on wheat to Sound points, or
in granting a terminal rate to Beling
ham. He spoke Of the desire OF the rail
road companies to build up the country
along their lines, and that an injustice
would be done the roads by the commits
sion interfering with terminal rates
He said that the D X < Y would be
the greatest loser. as freight loaded in
cars on it's road would be routed to the
Sound by way OF the g. N. or N. r., and
that such cars would be months in re-
turning, and that the road hauling them
would have to bring them back empty,
where, under the present system. each
shipping over its own road, cars sent to
the Sound loaded with wheat were either
sent back with lOca! freight or sent east
with full load.
u. Spencer, attorney for the q. r. &
N, in glowing terms told how his com
pany had built its road into this coun-
try when it was considered q great
waste; how the Palouse had been made
to blossom as the rose" and how the
farmers had acquired great fortunes
under what they now called discrimina-
ton. He stated that by granting
joint rate his road would be made
feeder and side line for the Y. P. and q.
N, in the interest of the Sound miers
and independent buyers OF wheat.
7. w. Lawrence of Pullman, was on
the witness stand a part of two days and
gave valuable testimony in behalf Of the
state. He is an independent buyer who
has been buying grain in the PalOuse
country for number OF years and well
understood his subject. He stated that
in Pullman last year the prices were
about two cents higher on the N. Z.
than was paid for the same kind OF
wheat on the O. r L N. He also gave
as an illustration that on the same date
last fall the price for wheat was FIVE
cents less at Waverly, on the O. r i n,
than was paid for the same kind Of grain
at Spangle, nine miles distant on the n
?. MIR. Lawrence gave a great many
inst x,ho
the n. Z. than on the O. +. { n, and
gave as a reason that the prices were
better in Seattle and Tacoma than at
Portland. That most OF the grain which
is on the o. r. & n line is shipped to
Portland because if the cars are sent to
the Sound the shipper is charged a local
to Spokane and the regular rate to the
Sound, which makes it impossible to
ship wheat to the Sound from o. r. 4 N.
points. That for this reason the 0. r,
& n. got only about % per cent Of the
grain delivered in Pullman last year
When asked how ne accounted for the o.
R. x N. getting any grain at all, he
stated that the agents had friends, and
by promises to pay the same price as
was paid for wheat on the n. r., they
we're always able to get some wheat.
at Albion was about five cents less than
at Pullman.
ThOs. Savage of Pullman, was also
called as a witness, and be stated that
he delivered his grain to a warehouse on
the 0. R. i n, and when he came to sell
he had to take two cents less than he
could have sold for Il his grain had been
on the other road.
n N ina of
Spokane, testified that the price for
more in Seattle and Tacoma than in
Portland. That shippers on the 0. r. &
n. are shut out from the Sound market
because there is no joint rate on wheat.
MOritz Thompson of Seattle, stated
that his company operates nine mills
and that he is precluded from buying
wheat in the Palouse country at 0. r &
n. points, because of the local freight
rate, although his prices are governed by
Sound prices, which are higher than
Portland prices.
O. 0. Calderhead, rate clerk and
statistician for the cOmmis sion, identified
a map which he has prepared showing
the mileage of the various railroads in
the state and the freight rate charged
from one point in the state to other
points. It also shows the iObbiDg rates
from Spokane to Sound cities, the Job
hing rates in the territory of Spokane,
and the iObbing rates for the Sound ter
ritOry, which was of great assistance to
the commission. The map shows that
the rate given Spokane is some higher
| than the rate given to the cities of the
| Sound. Mr.. Calderhead was a valuable
witness for the state, as be is perfectly
familiar with shipping, and greatly aided
| the commission in explaining the tariff
| sheets filed in the case.
Henry Blakely, general western freight
| agent OF the Northern Pacific, was called
| by the state. He stated that there was
no joint rate between the Northern Pa
cific and the Washington & COlumbia
river railroad, as they we're practically
the same road, which accounts for the
fact that shippers on the Washington L
/ Columbia have practically a joint rate
or they only pay one rate to the Sound
the rate being from Walla Walla to the
Sound, 1S4 cents, which was reduced IRON
19A cents at the time the rate was raised
to Bellingham. At the same time the
rate was lowered from 19A to liz from
Kennewick to the Sound, with further re
duction on the road from kennewicb
west, the rate was raised two cents from
these points TO Bellingbam. He also
stated that there was joint rate exist