The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-01-23
Inquiry at Seattle Shows Up New
Trick Of The Roads
RAILROAD MEN SELL LUMBER CARS
TO LUCRATIVE INDUSTRY :.
FOR TRAlNMEN.

SEATTLE, Wash Jan. 23-Evi-
dence indicating that lumbermen have
been paying money to railroad en-
ployes to nave cars spotted" on their
tracks, was introduced before Inter-
state Commerce Commissioner Frank
lin X. Lane at the inquiry into the car
shortage question.
Charles E. Patton. president of the
Reliance Lumber company and vice.
president and secretary Of the Atlas
Lumber & Shingle company, made
the statement during the course OF
his examination. To say that the
evidence of Mr.. Patton was sensa-
ton would be putting it mildly.
Mr.. Patton had been giving some
facts and figures showing that there
was an apparent discrimination in the
distribution of cars at Tacoma among
the mills.
How do you account for this dis
criminatiOn?" asked Commissioner
Lane. "Only that somebody was buy
ing cars" replied the witness.
What is a common salutation
among lumbermen, concerning this
purchasing of cars?" asked Austin E.
Griffith. who was conducting the ex-
animation for the lumbermen.
We'll very common salutation
among lumbermen is, What is the
price of cars today'?" said Mr.. Pat
ton. The price of cars runs from
81 to S. a car. The practice on the
part Of railroad employees in selling
these cars has been eliminated in the
northern part of the state, but still
fiourishes in the SOUTH
How common is that situation
among the lumbermen?" queried Com
missioner Lane.
"Oh, it is very common, replied
the witness.
1T is almost a joke. Some weeks
ago the superintendent of our mill at
Tacoma saw a very large car being
ductOr if We We're going to get that
car The conductor asked him how
much it was worth to him. 1 have
given strict orders that we are not
to buy any cars, and the superintend-
ent said that while we wanted that
car pretty badly, We were not going to
pay for it. The conductor said it was
worth $40 to him, and We did not get
that car
On cross examination F.. j. Cannon,
attorney for the Northern Pacific.
wanted to find out the names of ship
pers who had paid for cars and the
names of employees who had received
the money. Commissioner Lane de-
INJURED about going into the matter
and remarked that that was matter
for the railroad company to investi-
gate.
But We dispute that any such prac-
tice exists said Mr.. Cannon.
THE commission has testimony
from all over the country that the
practice is a pretty universal one"
said Commissioner Lane.
The matter ended there.
multitude of witnesses testified
before Commissioner Lane today
about the car shortage and the Grip
pling effect it has had upon the in
dustries of the state. Not only were
lumbermen put on the stand, but
Senator Paulhamus told of the suffer-
ings of the Puyallup berry growers
and the troubles of the wheat farm
ers of Eastern Washington were gone
into.
The lumbermen contended that
while the car shortage was particu-
larly acute at the present, there had
never been a time for years when they |
got all the cars they wanted. The |
rate at which cars moved was gone
into and it was shown that this had |
steadily decreased from an average !
movement per car of "a 1-2 miles in !
1903 to SO miles in 1906
No attempt was made to dispute |
the car shortage by the railroad at |
torneys. They sought to show, how
ever, that the present paralysis of |
traffic was the result of foods in No.
vember !.