Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-04-10


Attorney General Explains Position
Here one of the most interesting
incidents of the hearing so far oc-
CURED, when the attorney general re-
marked to General Traffic Manager
Wann:
81 am in dead earnest about what
am saying. The commissioners and my
assistant are more anxious to find eff
forts shown on the part of the railroads
of seeking to comply with the law than
evidences of seeking to violate it.
Switching was then explained by the
witness, in answer to questions of the
attorney general.
You forward a copy of your rate
tariff to the commission. Is it not pos
sible to submit to the commission any
tariff you intend to enforce some time
prior to its enforcement"
YES" was the reply of the witness,
"but something might arise which
would work injustice to the shipper, in
that case; say, when there was need for
haste"
Could Advise with Commission
Except for the case you mention, is
it not possible to submit all your tariffs
to the commission and to advise with
the commission regarding them?" was
next asked.
"Y eS.
This has not been done?'
Mo-
LAS your road intends to publish and
to adhere strictly to the rate so pub
lished there is no reason why the COM
mission should not know the rate at
such timer" was next asked.
mot only is 1t possible for the COM
mission, but for every one else" was
the reply.
do you know any reason why the
commission should not make rates?"
"They might want my salary" was
the ocular reply of the witness. "All
we want is a reasonable remunerative
rate, and [ think the commission wants
us to get that. In all my twenty years
experience with railroad commissioners
have never had any trouble" added
General Traffic Manager Wann.
could you not file the rate with the
commission before it became effective?'
Eyes, on the same day we make the
rate, and notify them before we pub
lish the tariff"
"Would keen competition with your
road make this inconvenient to your"
sit is a feasible, but an unusual re-
quest. I can't see any objections, If
they want that done"
I'm some states there is no require
ment to file the rates with the railroad
there?" the attorney general asked.
Eyes, SIR" was the response of the
witness.
II understood you to say that it was
unusual to file the rate before its adop-
tion?"
Witness Corrects Attorney General
mo; it Is unusual to file the rate with
the commission before the authority to
flIIh oh
the witness.
There could be no possible objection
then to filing the rate with the COM
mission between points where there was
no competition, when the rate was made
or at the time it becomes effective?"
mo"
would there be any objection to do
ing so between points where there was
competition"
mo"
do you know of any practice of con-
cealing your rates for fear of your COM
petitor knowing your rate?" was asked
the witness.
mo" was the reply. 1.-THE rates are
public"
"Open to the shipper and competitor
both?'
yes"
General Traffic Manager Wann, in
answer to further inquiries of the attor-
ney general, explained that he had
known in the past of conditions where
there was concealment of rates. But
the new system of rates open to the
public he considered better. This had
been brought about by absolute main
tenance of the rates under the laws.
Examination on Large Scale
The attorney general here explained
that he was seeking for information Gu
a wider scale than this one particular
road, and asked some general questions
regarding inside rates for favored ship
pers.
Favored shipper is a term which
might be misunderstood easily" replied
General Traffic Manager Wann. 81
have always had the good fortune of
being with strong lines during my rail-
road career. / know OF cases where the
weaker lines cut rates until the strong
er lines had to cut rates in order to
meet this competition. A weak railroad
can disturb whole arrangement of
rates; whereas a large shipper can
help railroad, but his interests must
be protected.
Basing his questions on a hypothetical
case often, and seeking to get at the
theory of rate making, the attorney
general continued
Under the practice of railroads here
tofore, is 1t not deS1rabl Tor railroad
to build up and strengthen the large
shipper, for the reason that it made the
handling of commodities easier?"
mo" replied General Traffic Manager
Wann, ''it is to the interest of the rail-
road to help all shippers alike"
but take the wheat belt. If the
wheat raised by many were purchased
by one. would that not be nicer for the
railroads than if shipped by hundred
dealers, say?"
Value of Elevators Explained
Eyes, for the reason that grain ele-
vator would load a train while one
farmer would be loading car; the time
would be the same in both cases." was
the reply.
"Then the fewer the shippers the bet
ter for the road?" asked the attorney
general.
mo; the more elevators the better
for the road" the witness corrected.
IF all the wheat grown were in one
elevator 1t would be ideal for the rail-
road?" suggested the attorney general.
yes"
"Then this present system places a
premium on grain concentration?
queried the attorney general.
Eyes, but rather on quick transporta-
tion," explained the witness.
Are railroads often applied to for
inside rates?" came the question.
/ mot today" was the positive reply.
Here the questioning took a different
form, while the attorney general pro-
pounded the following of the witness