The San Francisco call., 1908-04-07
SANTAFF AGENT
ADMITS MAKING
SPECIAL RATES
Freight Traffic Man Explains
Secret Tariffs Were to
Meet Competition
Books Containing Evidence Are
Declared to Have Been
Destroyed
Attorney General MerciIessly
Probes Actions of Road in
His Questions


sions that prior to the fall of 1905
exclusive" freight rates were made
by the Santa Fe railroad to some
shippers on local traffic in southern
California were obtained by Attorney
General U. S. Webb from w. G..
Barnwell, general freight agent of
the Santa Fe, in the hearing before
the state railroad commission today
Barnwen stated that this system had
been done away with prior to 1906.
The Santa Fe is defended by E. w.
Camp, attorney for the road, and Ed
ward Chambers, assistant freight
traffic manager. After questioning
Barnweli concerning the general classi-
flcation of commodity and class rates.
and the territory in which they ap-
piled. Attorney General Webb asked:
Are these tariffs on file with the
state railroad commission
Barnwell said he understood some
had been filed. but could not answer
definitely, although he admitted 1t was
his duty to file them.
asked the attorney general. and the
witness again failed to make definite
answer.
The matter would come in your de-
partment. would 1t not7 and If 1t were
required by law it would he your per-
aonaI d,rfxy ~ aeo f-,
Il presume So
Have you personally caused these
1lings to be nsde?"
Not personally
why have you not done so?"
NOT UP ON Law
q did not know of any such require
ment."
What have you done to ascertain
your duty in the matter7"
Nothing until recently. when made
inquiries of our legal department"
What did your department sayr
There is some question as to what
is required, but we are going ahead
and filing the tariffs, or are planning
to do so now
When did you make this inquiry"
Several times In the last month or
two
your company has taken some no.
tice of the railroad commission then?"
We have been watching it pretty
closely lately"
L The attorney general asked IL all
movements of intra-California freight
on the Santa Fe in 1905. 1906 and 1907
had been under the class or commodity
rates which Barnwell had described.
TELLS OF SPECIAL RATES
mo. we had another tariff-tempor-
sry local rates-prior to. the fall of
1so5," answered Barnwell Those
rates were not published except in
mimeograph or typewritten form fur
nished to the agents and to the audi
tors ONCE"
why were such rates made"
'It might have been because of COM
petition by teamsters or water comps-
tition. They were made sometimes by
Mr.. Chambers office. sometimes by my
own
Barnweli explained that the author
ization Of these rates were simply
pasted in a scrap book because of their
temporary or experimental character,
and that the books had been destroyed.
GIVES ILLUSTRATION
As an illustration of why these rates
were made Barnweil supposed a rate OF
$3.50 ton on canned goods from Los
Angeles to North Pomona, and team
ing competition made it necessary to
reduce the rate to 81. This rate would
obtain temporarily. II the teaming
competition died out the rate would
then be abolished. II the teaning kept
UP, as II did in the Pomona instance.
the rate would be permanent and be
published.
when It was made in the name OF
some specific shipper 1t was open to
that shipper alone?' asked Attorney
General Webb.
ct was certainly" said Barnwell,
who refused to admit that this was a
special" rate. but said 1t was "ex-
elusive" under the conditions described
These rates were necessary" said
Barnwell. .and present conditions are
burdensome Shippers are frequently
delayed while we are getting out our
regular publications There should be
some way in which we could meet these
emergencies"