The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-21
MEN ANGRY
WANT TO TEAR UP RAILROAD
 TRACKS.
InteFstate COmmerce Commission I,esArns that Railways are Not Moving
 Ten Per Gent. of the sOuth's Live Stock


 Kansas City, Dec. 2u.-The Interstate Commerce Commission car shortage hearing begun in St. Louis. as<ta ken up here today by Commissioner Prouty, aided by P. F. Farrell attorney for the Commission.
 J. 4. Crow, President of J. R. Crow Coal and Mining Company, of Kansas City. the first witness. testified in re ply to a question that S. T. Fulton or Chicago. assistant to President Win chell. of the Rock Island Railroad holds $io,000 stock in the Crow Com- pany.
 He admitted that Mir. Fulton had re- celved this stock without paying for #. but said he obtained the stock be. Fore he became employed by the Rock Island. Murdo Mackenzie, President af she American Live Stock Association, and manager of the Makador Land and Cattle Company, testified that he had received many complaints from the Southwest of financial loss resulting from shortage of stock cars.
 What is the reason for thls short age! asked Commissioner Prouty
 The railroads use the cattle cars for other commodities" replied Mir. Mac kensie.
 Mr, Mackenzie said he has known of sheep being held fon six or seven weeks waiting for cars and finally they were driven from Albuquerqhe to Kansas in order to get them to market. The shippers had experienced more or less delay every fall, but this year tine delay was the most severe yet. Tn one case 1t took four days Nto ship cattle from Texas to Kansas and in another isfs stance cattle shipped from Texas uo Kansas City had been sidetracked in Oklahoma for twenty-one hours.
 If. N. B0yce. who owns ranch as Cha Taxnu xafd he af cd fr, make a shipment from Texas on Sep tember 90 of 125 cars of cattle. He could not get cars until October IS. then only limited number. the last of the cattle were not shipped until Decem- MHsc Jett of Fort T5aviss, Texas. said hc had been, since october 17 trying to ship 5000 cattle and had just received seven cars. Not 10 per cent. of the cattle are being moved" he said.
 On the way to Kansas City he had met stock cars loaded with coal, cot ton and everything but cattle.
 We cattle men have got our blood up" said Mir. Jett in reply to a ques- ton. Wed like to tear out those railroad tracks down there
 While c. P. Kelley, President Of the Champion Coal Company of this city was on the stand. developments arose which caused Commissioner Prouty to direct some important questions to M. A. Lowe, Nattorney for the Rock Island Railroad Mir. Kelly testified that his company had been discrIminated against to the advantage of other coal companies, which. he said, sold coal to the railroads
 He said that on December l. the Frisco Railroad had served him with notice that it would not accept billings of nut or lump coal after that date, ex- cept to points on the Frisco system He said his company had few custom. CTS along the Frisco and as the order came without warming, his company now had coal in cars skanding at the mines and was paying demurrage charges on cars in Kansas City. which have been held since December l.
 The witnass. in answer to question from Commissioner Prouty said that slack was not included in the Frisco order. because the coal companies which sell to the railroads had great quantities of slack to dispose of
 M A, Lowe asked the witness if he did not know that he could transfer coal in Kansas City to the cars of oth- CT systems and reach his market at the same rate he would pay for through shipment from the mines to markets. and Mir. Kelly answered that he did not know H--that his informa- tlun was just the opposite.
 MT Kelly would have to make transfer from the cars of one road to those of another. would not he?" asked Commissioner Prouty
 "I supose so." answered Mir. Lowe. There is nothing in our contracts call- ing for a transfer of coal
 well, if he saw fit to ship from the mine to points not on the Frisco, why would not it be up to the Frisco to make the necessary transfer?'
 If there Is fixed rate quoted be- tween points, why should tho shipper be put to the additional expense of making transfer"
 well railroads do not transfer coal" replied Mir Lowe
 c.sft That XN.Ju pIease Any Lady.