Omaha daily bee., 1907-02-05
PRIDE FOR MISSOURI ROADS
Interstate Commerce Commissioner Clark
Starts Hssr;ne at Kansas CITY.
OIL CARRIERS WUsT MEET CHARGES
Railroads Are Charged with Making
Excessive Rates ON OIL and
Atchison Complains of
Elevator Service.

Elevator Service.
KANSAS CITY, Feb. I.--Edgar e. Clark /
member OF the Interstate Commerce
commission, began a hearing in the federal
building here today Of complaints Of ship
pers against certain railroads. The first
case to be taken up Is that of the PRODUCE
ers' Pipe Line company of Indian Territory
against the Missouri Pacific, Texas a Pa
cifo. Houstons& Texas, Cotton Belt, Mis-
souri,, Kansas q TexssTailroads. The pipe
line company alleges excessive rates from
Indian Territory TO points in northern
Texas
The second case is that of e. N. Without
of Springfield, Mo. who complains that
the Missouri. Kansas a Texas railroad
charges an excessive rate on oil from Erie
Kan, to Joplin, Mo. The Mayer Coal COM
pany of Kansas City also charges the
Missouri. Kansas-& Texas railroad with
excessive switching charges in the yards
here. The fourth charge Is that prsferred
by the city council of Atchison, Kan,
against the Missouri Pacific. Chicago, Burl-
ington & Quincy and the Atchison, Topeka
Santa Fe railroads, alleging discrimina-
ton in grain elevator service in favor OF
Leavenworth, CoffeyviIle and Kansas City.
AS many of the railway attorneys and
important witnesses were unable to attend
the pipe line hearing these cases were
continued, It probably will be taken up
tomorrow.
OIL Rate Case Taken Up.
Mr.. Clark took up the hearing OF charges
preferred against the Missouri. Kansas g
Texas railway by e. M. Without Of Spring
field, Mo-, an oil dealer.
Mr.. without said that he dealt in Oil at
Joplin and that the Missouri, Kansas q
Texas. railway charged seventeen cents
hundred pounds for moving refined oil from
the refinery at Erie, Kansas, to Joplin, a
distance Of sixty-eight miles. and that the
charges from Erie to st. Louis was the
same amount, although that haul was 400
miles ...---- .-..a.-.
AT one time" he said, 1.-The rate to Joplin
was only ten cents, but II was raised"
IF you. ever got a rate of ten cents"
said F. 4. Leland Of st. Louis, assistant
general freight agent Of the railroad, you
owe the railroad money! The ten cent rate
under which YOU shipped that oil was an
error made In quoting by some clerk.
II cent rate to St Louis ls made the Kansas
producers so they may compete with the
Standard OIL company which supplied ST.
Louis from its whiting. Ind rehneries. All
railroad rates are not determined on the
mileage basis" ..0
Commissioner Clark heard the arguments
and allowed the parties ten days in which
to file briefs. s
Testimony Taken at wichita,
WICHITA, Kan, Feb. 4.--Taklng OF testl-
mony before c. A. Prouty, interstate COM
merce commissioner, was begun here today
in the case of d. w. Durham OF st. Joseph,
Mo-, against the Illinois Central railroad.
A violation of the long and short haul
clause Is charged. 90 t
| Following the Durham case Commissioner
Prouty will take up the charges of local
dry goods company that Kansas railroads
make discriminating rates from certain
manufacturing points in Texas to Wichita
and other jobbing points.
| In the hearing OF the Durham case way
bills of two carIoads,of machinery shipped
from Lockland. K$.si9o' F'redonia,. Kas.,
were submitted. General Manager Cameron
of the Illinois Central took the witness
stand and gave figures relative to rates
between the two points. which he said were
influenced by the water trafiic between
Louisville, KY, and East st. Louis. on
this testimony the case was submitted
without briefs. -'il.i
In the Johnston-Larimer wholesale dry
goods company case-it was shown the rate
| from Texas points on cotton goods was 81. IS
when the, cases were filed and that II has
since been reduced 70 s6 cents by the Santa
Fe and Rock Island. In another CAPE by
the same company II was shown by the
PLAINTIFF that the rate from New York to
East st. Louis was lower on knit goods
than from East St, Louis to Wichita, the
first being "a cents and the latter IS cents.
o. P.rTaylor, president Of the Johnston
Larimer company, answering question
Il
company could handle Texas goods IL a
b0-cent rate could be had
Part OF the testimony of the Howard
Mills company Of this city against the
railroads on a differentaI grain and wheat
rate to California points was heard. and
at the suggestion Of California representa-
tives the hearing was postponed until
April II, at Portland Ore. The cases OF
the Kansas Farmers, Merchants and
Shippers clubs against various roads, al
lleging discrimination in grain rates, were
continued to March IS, at Topeka, Kan.
The commission will meet at South Nc
Alester February to investigate the al
legged combination OF railroads and coal
operators The commission then ad-
journed.
Hearing Begins In MuskOgee.
MUSKOGEE, l. T., Feb. 4-Interstate
Commerce Commissioners Clements and
Harlan began a hearing here today OF
charges filed by the Muskogee CONNER
cial club and the Muskosee tariff bureau
that the Missouri. Kansas q Texas rail-
road has Disseminated against Muskogee
In freight rates, especially in regard 10 nat
cotton. which has been shipped to South
McAlester to be compressed, thus forcing
the local compress to close down. Gem
eral Freight Agent droseclose OF 81. Louis
and other officials Of the railroads are
among those summoned to appear.