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

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 protracted hearing, the mem
bers 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-
0pment by about as exorbitant sys-
tenn of freight rates as the commission
had had to deal with in many day.
As result sweeping order has
been entered by the commission, re-
quiring wholesale reduction in the
rates on almost every commodity re-
quired by human progress. Not in re-
cent years, at any rate, has the board
found such a wholesale policy of tax
ing the traffic all that it will bear, and
the case is declared to be shining ex-
ample of what community may eX-
pect 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 colonize the sec
tions referred to and has spent large
sums for years advertising the valley,
which becomes a veritable garden
when irrigated. ]. Hagerman of Molly
Gibson mining fame, found an arte-
sian spring in the sands of the desert
which irrigated an entire section of
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 that
cOmpanys now comprehensive system
in northern Texas and southeastern
New Mexico. One OF the things that
Hagerman did was to plant the great
est apple orchard. on earth, which con-
sists of nearly 1000 acres, and from
which he takes a fortune in every
year. Lands In the section are worth
from $40 to $40 an acre and there arc
10000 good acres.
Hagcrman BIames Roads.
Hagerman spent also $2.000.000 in
building an irrigation dam and irrigat-
ing canals Then the government took
notice and the Hondo and the Carls-
bad irrigation projects followed. Ha-
german, who always is quarreling with
the railroads. insisted that the freight
rates charged by them were excessive,
and that but for poor service and eX-
eessive rates the PecOs valley would
become as thlckly settled as the east
ern portions of the United States. The
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 1t would appear from the deci-
sion or the commission that the PecOs
valley has fiourished despite the rail-
roads instead of by reason of them.
For several seasons the residents of
the valley petitloned the railroads 30
reduce many of their rates, but W Z
poor success. At last they appea "a.
to the commission after that body h I'd
received the power to fix maximum
Entire Valley Appeals.
The entire valley interests combined
in making the appeal, the complain
ants before the commission being the
Roswell Commercial club. Carlsbad
Commercial club. Artesia Commercial
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 to said points In New
Mexico. viz: Roswell, Carlsbad Ha-
german and Artesla, are unjust, and
unreasonable, and that commodity
rates on grain and grain products
from points in Kansas and Oklahoma,
and on lumber from points in Texas
and Louisiana, on salt In sacks from
Hutchinson, Kas., to said points in
New Mexico. on apples, alfalfa and al
falfa meal from said points In New
Mexico to Fort Worth, Tex, are ex-
cesslve. and reductions are ordered.
It further was ordered that the rail-
roads should cease collecting and
charging a cents on ilOur and 45 cents
on wheat from Wichita TO these points,
and should make the rates AZ cents
and 40 cents, respectively; that they
should reduce the tariff on lumber
from Beaumont. Tex, from IS cents to
32 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 from
said points to Fort Worth, and should
lower the rate on apples from said
points to Fort Worth from so cents TO
As cents.
Coal Traffic Injustice.
The Injustice of these rates was not
all from which the commission
thought the people Of the Peeos valley
were suffering. 1t devoted cOnsldera-
bic thought to the coal situation.
Nearly ali the valleys coal supply has
come from Canon city. Col, via the
Santa Fc to Hutchinson and thence
south TO the Pecos Valley lines. nearly
1000 miles. Formerly the valley got
much fuel from the McAlester mines.
over the Rock Island lines. but this
was expensive. The Colorado and
Southern extends from the Walsenburg
coal district IN Colorado to Amarillo,
2a5 miles. The Walsenburg fuel is
said to better than the Canon city
product on which the freight rate was
$3.50 per ton. now reduced to &A5b.
with rate on slack Of $3.50 ton.
M Joint rate has been made from
Waisenburg to the valley 90 that the
Santa re may have a monopoly OF the
traffic. aD4
The commission saws: We feel
that the people Of The pecos valley are
entitled to q rate which win give them