The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-05-06
GIVES The LIE
TO GARFIELD
Pennsylvania Railroad Com
pany Replies to Presidents
Latest Manifesto.
REBATES ARE NOT ALLOWED
LOW RATES FORCED BY PIPE
LINE COMPETITION.

Philadelphia May 5-Vice President
Thayer of the Pennsylvania railroad /
company today made the following
statement concerning the report of
Commissioner Garfield in the Standard
OF inquiry:
The report of Commissioner Gar
field so far as It refers to our COM
pany in it's relations with the traffic |
Of the Standard OIL company. is an |
tnexcusabie and outrageout perYersion /
OF the facts.
1T is true that there has been in eff |
feet a special rate of 9 cents per barrel I
on oil from Clean to Rochester and it |
has not been withdrawn. Thfs rate
was originally made IN 1888 by the
Western New York & Pennsylvania
railroad, twelve years before the acqui-
sition of that company by the Penn
lsylVania railroad, in order to retain to
the railroad traffic which would other
wise have gone by pipe line. 1t is not
a secret, and it never has been secret.
The tariff was not filed with the inter
state commerce commission because it
applies to traffic solely within the state.
Statement Was Untrue.
"As the so-calIed saving Of sI15, 200 in
1904, I presume this IS based on the
difference between the special rate and
conveys the impression that a large
sum of money was illegitimately given
by the railroad, which in view of the
facts above explained is manifestly not
true.
Reference IS made TO blind billing
as If it were some secret device. This
also is untrue The explanation of So
called blind billing is very simple:
Billing is another name used by rail-
roads for manifesting which is a rec
ord Of the shipment made for use only
Of the railroad company in making
proper movement of the traffic taking
Ill
sees a manifest, being interested only
in the bill of lading and fre-g ht bill.
Saves Clerical Work.
The term blind is used when man
1festS are made without the details be-
ing shown, a practice not infrequent
and not peculiar to the oil traffic. Its
purpose is to save clerical work. This
was fully explained to Commissioner
Cfarfleld's representative and it was
clearly shown to him. in the case I'M
der discussion, that the actual freight
money required by the issued rate was
collected and retained by the railroad
company.
After an exhaustive examination by
the department of commerce, our books
and accounts being freely produced
both on state and interstate traffic. It
appears the only case that Commits
siOner Garfield was able to present for
criticism in all our relations with the
Standard Oil company is the rate on oil
between clean and Rochester, two
points in the state of New York, a dis
lance of 100 miles apart, at each Of
which points are located refineries of
the Standard Oil company and between
which pipe line could readily have
been constructed
No Rebates for Sugar Trust.
In the message from the president
transmitting the report of Commits
sioner Garfield, reference is made to
the relations of the railroad 70 the so
called Sugar trust at New York, and
10 information communicated to the
president that the so-called Sugar
trust rarely if ever pays the lawful
sylvania Railroad company is known
TO participate largely in = the carriage
of this traffic il would necessarily fol-
low that such information applied to
that company and in view of this it is
eminently proper that answer thereto
should be promptly made OH that COM
pany's behalf. Having personal knowl-
edge. I deny most positively and en-
phaticsHy that such Information is
road company is concerned; on the con-
trary, I assert positively that the traffic
of the so-called Sugar trust or other
shippers Of sugar has been carried fol
many years past at the lawful pub
lished tariff rate, and that no rebate OIL
unlawful concession direct or indirect
has been paid by our company on this
traffic.
1T is unfair and unjust to the presi-
dent that he should be misled into be-
lIeving that any such condition of af-
fairs exists as stated"
=. G. NJ. l.. Saltair. Friday. May II.