The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1906-10-26
Rail AND GRAIN
PROBE is BEGUN
LIGHT TO BE THROWN ON RELA.
TONS OF ROADS, DEALERS
AND ELEVATORS.
Board of Trade Man Admits Partner
Is Employed by Railroad-Inquiry
Into Southern Coal Mining In
dustry Started.

Kansas City, Mo-, Oct. 23.-The in
terstate commerce commission here
Monday began an investigation of the
relations of railroads to grain dealers
and elevator companies. I'VE can't
tell how many Kansas City dealers
will be Witnesses said John H. Mar
BILE, attorney for the commission.
Fifteen grain men have been SUBJ
poenaed to appear this morning
Whether more will be asked to testify
depends on the character of the tes-
timony given"
NJ p Simonds, of the Simonds-
Shields Grain company, members of
the Kansas City board of trade, and
buyers and sellers of grain, testified
that his partner, E. w. Shields, is
manager of an elevator in Kansas
City, a portion of the storage tanks of
which his firm leases from the Chi
cago, Milwaukee & St. Paul rail
way.
Is Employed by Railroad.
On direct examination Mr.. Simonds
said that Mr.. Shields was employed as
manager of the elevator by the Mil
waukee railroad, and received
stated monthly salary. This salary,
he said, was not increased in any
manner by any concessions received
from the railroad. Later in reply to
a question from Commissioner Clarke,
Mr.. Simonds admitted that there were
no switching charges made by the
Milwaukee railroad on grain passing
in and out of an elevator if it came
over that road, but that charge of
five dollars car was made if hand
led by any other road. Mr.. Simonds
denied that the fact that Mr.. Shields
was manager of the elevator had any
thing to do with the reasonableness
of his firms lease on the elevator.
Mr.. Simonds said that in bidding
for grain in the country his firm
did not deal entirely. with what are
termed regular elevator men, but
said they did not like to bid for
grain owned by Independent elevator
men for fear it might create feel
ing" with the regulars. They had,
prior to two years ago, received a
few isolated letters from Oklahoma
and Kansas persons, asking them
not to place bids with certain grain
men, but had not let it interfere with
their actions. Mr.. Simonds is not
now actually engaged in business, and
was not familiar with all the firms
dealings. His partner, e W. Shields,
he said, was in St. Louis or Chicago,
and Commissioner Clarke requested
that the latter be wired to be on hand
Tuesday morning to testify.
Southern Probe Begun.
Knoxville, Tenn, Oct. 23.-Judge
Judson S. Clements, of Georgia, and
James S. Harlan, of Illinois, members
Of the Interstate commerce commits
sion, officially convened hearing for
the commission in this city Monday.
1t is to ascertain the relationship of
the Southern railway to the coal in
dustry in the Tennessee-Kentuc
field. The Southern railway is repre-
sented by H. B. Spencer, general man
ager; w. w. Finley, second vice pres
ident; c. H. Ackert, third vice presi-
dent, and r. A. Dugan, assistant gen.
eral manager, whom it is stated were
subpoenaed as witnesses. The in
vestigation is similar to inquiries re-
Gently made as to the Pennsylvania,
Baltimore &, Ohio, and Chesapeake
& Ohio, railroads and their relations
to coaling industry. 1t is understood
a number of complaints have been
made as to the Southern rail-
ways method of car supply for the
coal mines, it being alleged that the
distribution of coal cars is unequal,