Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-08-31
PECOS VALLEY
WINS RATE
FIGHT
SWEEPING TARIFF
REDUCTION ORDERED
Santa Fe Given Sharp Rap in
Significant Ruling of Inter-
state Commerce Commission
Ordering Rate Reduced,

OIQOIlllS liCtlC liONhNOhi
The shippers of the Panhandle of
Texas and of the Pecos valley of New
Mexico have won one of the most
sweeping rate victories In the history
the Interstate commerce commission,
after a protracted hearing, the mem
hers deciding that the Santa Fe, as the
principal defendant and key to the
rate situation, had bottled up the Pc
cos valley and was retarding its devel-
opment by about as eXorbitant a sys-
tenn of freight rates as the commission
had had to deal with in many day.
As a result a sweeping order has
been entered by the commission, re-
cufrlng wholesale reduction i'm the
rates on almost every commodity re-
auired by human progress. Not in re-
cent years. at any rate, has the board
found such wholesale policy of tax
ing the traffic all that 1t will bear, and
the case is declared to be shining eX-
ample of what a community may eX-
pcct when dependent on one railroad,
unless federal authorities Interfere.
Pecos Valleys Record.
The finding of the commission is all
the more astonishing because the
Santa Fe road claims to have made
an especial effort to eolonize the Sec
tions referred to spent large
sums for years ad valley
which becomes ,erItable garden
when irrigated. J. Hagerman of Molly
Gibson mining fame, found an arte-
sian spring in the sands Of the desert
which irrigated an entire section or
land. Despite the fact that 1t was
several hundred miles from means OF
transportation, Hagerman bought a
large tract Of the desert, and by the
expenditure of thousands of dollars,
secured one of the most beautiful
plantations in the southwest. Then
he began building a railroad toward
the north to get his products to mar
ket This railroad he sold TO the santa
Fe and II formed the nucleus OF thar
companys now comprehensive system |
in northern Texas and southeastern
New Mexico. one of the things that
Hagerman did was to plant the great
est annie orchard OF earth. which con- |
sists OF nearly 1000 acres, and from
which he takes a fortune IN every
wear. Lands in the section are worth !
from SEQ TO $50 an acre and there are
500, 600 good acres.
Uaperman Blamcs Roads.
Hagerman spent also $2,OOO.OOO III |
building an irrigation dam ana lfflga,-
ing canals. Then the government took !
notice and the Hondo and the cars I
bad irrigation projects followed. Ha-
german. who always Is quarreling with |
q
rates charged by them were excessive |,
and that but for poor service and eX.
cessive rates the pecos valley Woulu |
'become as thickly settled as the east
crn portions of the United states me
raids insisted that Hagerman was
a crank and that they were philan-
thropists so far as the country went |
and that. but for their paternalism.
there would have been no Pecos valley
and no Panhandle except for grazing
purposes.
Now it would appear from the deci-
sion of the commission that the Pecos |
valley has nourished- despite the rail-
roads instead of by reason of them.
For several seasons the residents ~
the valley petitioncd the railroads o
reduce many of their rates, but ] /
moor success. At last they appea d
10 the commission after that body b "a /
received the power to fix maximum
rates.
Entire Valley Appeals.
THE entire valley interests combined (!
in making the appeal, the complain |
ants before the commission being INC
Roswell Commercial club, Carlsbad
Commercial club. Artesia Commcrcial |
club. the Merchants association OF ha-
german. and the Chavez County Wool
Growers association
The commission held in general that
"the present class rates from Kansas
city and St Louis. Mo-; Galveston
and Denver 10 said points IN New
Mexico. viz: Roswell, Carlsbad ha-
german and Artesia, are unjust ana
unreasonable. and that commodliN /
rates on grain and grain products I
from points in Kansas and Oklahoma. 4
snd on lumber from points in TeNas !
and Louisiana. on salt IN sacks tfOin /
Hutchinson, Kas.. To said points IN
New Mexico. on apples. alfalfa and al
falfa meal from said points IN NcW
Mexico to Fort Worth. Tex are eN
cessive. and reductions are ordereu,,
10 further was ordered that the rail-
roads should cease collecting ana {
charging "a cents on -four and - cents /
on wheat from Wichita 10 these points /
and should make the rates ~ Genus
and 40 cents, respectively tnat they 4
should reduce the tariff on lumber
from beaumont. Tex. from % cents 10
22 cents. that they should cut the fig
ure on salt from Hutchinson kas.'
from 35 cents to 30 cents, should pare
from "a cents to 30 cents the sched-
ule on alfalfa and alfalfa meal ifo.i
said points To Fort Worth, emo shouie
lower the rate on apples from ssia
points TO Fort Worth from 90 cents 10
i5 cents
Coal Traffic Injustice.
The Injustice of these rates was MOI
all from which the commission
thought the people of the Pecos Nahey
were suffering. II devoted considera-
BILE thought 20 the coal SITUATION
Nearly an the valleys coal supply mas
come from Canon City. Col. via the
Santa Fe TO Hutchinson and thence
south 10 the Pecos Valley lines. nearly u
900 miles. Formerly the valley gpt
much fuel from the McAlester mines
over the Rock Island lines. but TINS
was expensive. The Colorado anu
southern extends from the Walsenpurs
coal district in Colorado 10 Amarillo
zs5 miles. The Walsenburg fuel -
said 90 better than the Canon CITY 4
product on which the freight rate was +
50 per ton. now reduced % Sl-aa' i
with rate on slack OF $3.50 ton
No Joint rate has been made from t
Walsenburg 70 the valley. SO that the 4
santa Fe may have a monopoly Of the .
traffic.
T-be eorsr,issi.n saws. eve feel .