The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-22
-FOUR WITNESSES
WERE EXAMINED
Inquiry Into the Hartman Mer-
ger Held at Seattle by Com
missioner F. K. Lane.
COMPETITION NO LONGER
PARALLEL LINES MERGED IN
VIOLATION OF LAW.
COMPETITION NO LONGER

Seattle. Jan. 2i-1he first hearing on !
HE Pacific coast into the Hartman n1er-
ger was held I'm Seattle today bv Inter /
state Commerce Commissioner Franklin
Il Lane After four witnesses were ex-
aInlned the hearing was continued untn
d ~ y cIock thursday morning, in the fed
eral court room at Portland. Ore
The government has set out to stop
~ apparent attempt upon the part Of |
y. II Hartman 10 become the dictator of |
ohe-Iourth or the railroads Of the United
states. Al the present time Mr. Harri-
man IS the controlling sprit Of one
eighth or the railroads Of this country
TO show that Mr.. Hartman has alb
Sorbed and merged parallel and competing,
ihes. in violation OF the Sherman law
Is the purpose Of the present investiga-
ton
Ben campbel's Evidence.
Ben Campbell fourth vice president Of
the Great Northern and head of the !
traffic department Of that road who was
formerly connected with the traffic de-
partmcnt Of the Hartman lines as assist |
ant to T. C. Stubbs. was tho first Wit
moss examined today. Mr.. Campbell was
~ the head OF tho traffic department of !
the Oregon Railroad d Navigation com
lany before the merger with the Southern
Mr. Severance sought 60 show bv Mr.
Nampben that previous To- the merger
connection did exist between Che South
srn Pacific on one hand ana the Oregon
It1iroad Navigation. Oregon Short
Line and Union Pacific. and that after
TIE mercer competition ceased
The affairs Of the OREGON Railroad &
Navigation q Oriental service was gone
INTO and II was developed that these var
lois lines. including a service nv contract
WIN powell y company. and the Oregon
Rnilroad q Navigation's own line. the
pcrtland a Asiatic. were operated at a
loss.
Merely an Outlet.
WHY We're the connecting lines estab-
] - Z
the examining the witness i'm defense
solely for the purpose Of arfording an
"ntlet nj Portland i'm competition with
the Northern Pacific at Puget Sound
ports. said Mr.. Campbeli
To Judge LoVett. Mr.. Campbell also
stated that the Portland route To the
AS'atic seashore was nm impractical one ,
Mr.. Campbell adu'itted y mild compe-
tition between the Southern Pacific and ,
the Oregon Railroad g. NAVIGATION com
many river service on the Willamette " !
W. Cotton. OF Portland. attorney for the J
Oregon Railroad & Navigation COMPANY !
made the witness state that the Villa 5
mette service. above Salem. was incense =
cuential
Tell US about the size Of that skim :
ming dish we ouerated above Salem
said NJ. Cotton 20 tho vitnoss.
About seventy-five tons said Mr.
Mr. Severance asked the stenographer ,
To- read the quotation "Skimming dish"
ne exclaimed do Won mean bv that
that II had holes I'm the hotton?"
We'll most Of the time" said Mr.
Campbell laughing.
Draft Was Six Inches.
What was her draft. Mr Campben?" /
asked Cotton
six inches" :
What was the character of the river !
where she navigated. as to snags?" q
VERY bad I
How often did she sinl<?" !
We'll. now you've got me. / can't re- {
4
lane Joined in the general laugh which
followed. 1
Mr.. Campbell stated that the river boat t
IN question was the "GyDsv" that she g
operated about three months out Of the I
year and carried little farm produce c
ut rates which had been permanently 2
established for many years. I
How Traffic Is Divided.
Again. under examination by Mr.. Sew r
GRANGE. Mr.. Campbell admitted that the r
oregon Railroad ~ Navigation company q
aud the Southern. Pacific competed I'm
moving wool to eastern markets Mr. 1
campbell estimated that OF eastern COM {
- iitiNe business the Union Pacific brings
fifty per cent to Portland. the Southern I
Pacific five per cent. the Great Northern n
l!iteen per cent or sixteen per cent and =
the Northern Pacific twenty-eight per {
cent or thirty per cent
But i'm Atlantic seaboard business the "
Southern Pacific brings i'm much larger :
percentage TO Portland. does il not?" '
Mr.. Camnbell stated that he thought tho =
southern Pacific handled about twenty
live per cent Of the Atlantic seaboard
business 90 Portland. adding that his esti-
mate was a pure guess"
Summed up. Mr. Campbell's evidence v
showed that there was competition be- o
tween the different Oregon lines until :
merged by Hartman. He belittled the $
extent of this competition under exaUina- :
ton by attorneys Tor the Hartman inter-
ests Z
instructions Were Given. r
Mr.. Severance asked Mr. Campbell II he Il
remembered. after the merger OF the Ore s.
Eon lines, calling a conference Of his traf- n
Tic men in his office and instructing them s.
10 solicit all SeabOard business over the : G
Sunset route n possible. Mr. Campbell
replied that he had instructed his men s
that each representative should work for G
MS own road IN preference 90 getting >
freight for any other. e
Did sou instruct or adyise them that ,
business from 1.-THE Atlantic SeabOard =
should be brought from the seahoard over ="
the Sunset routc?" asked Mr.. Severance
No. sir" said the witness
Don't you remember telling me that
you did yesterday over this matter at the u
hotei? asked Mr. Severance 81
Mr.. Campbell protested that the attor- y.
ney was mistaken and that he had no =
OF confirming what Mr.. Sew
erance himself had told him at the CON
ference. :,
Afternoon Session. ~
The agent for the Oregon Railroad & o
Navigation company anx the Southern s.
Pacific at Tacoma was ne first witness
called this afternoon. He testified that IL eN
cost one dollar more to go east by. way IN
or Sacramento and $3.50 more 10 60 BY G.
way OF EI PaSo than from Portland di- ci
rest. He testified that prior to the re
merger there was competition between :.
the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific. ~
+. =. Ellis. the next witness called said ! -
that he was the general agent OF the ~
Oregon Railroad *. Navigation company ! <.
FOR Seattle and that he represented the | Vi
Pacific. Prior to the merger in
1901 Mr. Ellis said that the Southern
Pacific had an agent OF their own here
He testified that he had received IN
from the Oregon Railroad e re
Navigation company 10 assume the "a
Southern Pacific business agency. ~
Mr.. Ellis said that there was practically ~
70 freight business for shipment on the 81
Southern Pacific TO eastern competitive 81
points and he testified that the principal
freight originating here for the Oregon
Railroad & Navigation company was r.
lumber and forest products and that il IL
was generally hauled by the Northern r.
40 Don .