Arizona republican., 1909-03-25
Traffic Experts Testify al The Interstate Commerce
Commission Hearing
The Shippers Conclude Their Testimony Against the
Existing Rates-The Side of the Defendant Railroads
VIII Be Ended Today Which Promises Be the
Most Interesting Period of the Hearing

examination drifted into the hay bus
mess in the course of which Mr. Dill
lard questioned the witness as TO the
productiveness of the crop, the num-
ber of crops to the season, the price
of it, the price of land, and the per-
centage of profit which the farmer
was expected to make. The witness
was not quite sure, and when Mr.
| billiard asked if that was not what
the advertisements of Salt River wall
/ ley land said about. the special ex-
aminer remarked that he did not
think this information material, for
said he, Il used to sell real estate"
Mr.. Costigan, referring to some
questions and answers in the course
Of an examination regarding the rate
on hay, asked, Did you or Mr.. Nor
ton general counsel for the Santa
Fe) testify that the hay rate on the
:. f. =. & p. had been made for
the benefit of the farmers of this
Valley"
Mr. Norton-"We were in harmony
about that"
One Of the clearest witnesses of the
shippers was John B. Long. of the
Phoenix Hardware company. Speak
ing of the rate on glass from Pitts
burg TO Phoenix, he said that the
freight cost more than glass. The
same was largely true Of paint. More
of the latter could be sold if it could
be sold cheaper.
There was no advantage in the car
load rate for it was so nearly as high
as the local rate that the difference
would not warrant the making of
the greater investment. Mr.. Long
concluded with the statement that a
rate that would support a jobber here
would be better for the trade.
Max Viault, of the milling trade.
testified briefly, mainly as to the
rates on the S. F. p. & P, which he
thought were too high.
Dwight b. Heard, president of the
Arizona Cattlemen's association and
general manager of the Bartlett
Heard Land and Cattle company said
that the cattlemen had long felt that
the rates We're too high and that they
had for a long time been trying to
get an amicable adjustment of them.
He offered in evidence, a copy of a
letter which the association had ad-
dressed to the general agent of the
Southern Pacific on that subject, and
the reply II was shown in the letter
that the rate per car from Phoenix
to Los Angeles on beef cattle was
S126.S5, distance 4i9 miles: FL Paso
TO Los Angeles, $50 miles, S116; Salt
Lake to Los Angeles. 7S1 miles, s116,
Flagstaff TO Los Angeles, $50. The
letter stated that it was believed that
"a rate of $50 would be just and rea-
sonable. 1t was pointed out in the
letter that the rate excluded Phoenix
from the Los Angeles market for all
the year except three months, when
cattle were not available elsewhere.
The suggested rate would give this
valley a longer market.
The reply did not contain much
hope. 1t stated that a complaint
about the same thing had been lodged
by the commercial club with the COM
mission and nothing could be done
until that matter had been decided
Attention was called in the reply to
the fact that the company had al
ready done much for the live stock
Interests Of the territory by putting
in the feed and transit rate Of IS a
car. That, Mr.. Heard added, had
benefited only about twenty-five per
cent of the cattlemen.
MI htdIu Ailtu DlltTtu the lDliDW-
ing rates from cattle shipping points
to Los Angeles: Dillon, Mont, 11O9
miles, $3.50 a car; Silver Springs,
Idaho. 9s4 miles, s162; Modena, Utah,
$40 miles. s117; Nephi, Utah, 7OS
miles, s133; Caliente, New, 457 miles,
's11O; Deming, y. NJ, 7SS miles.
S1OS.O3; Holt, Cal, 523 miles, s7OSO:
Navajo, Ariz, 675 miles, s1O9.74. Mr.
Heard then offered a statement Sc
cured by Secretary Thomas of the
National Live Stock association as to
rates from northwestern cattle ship
ping points to Puget sound ports.
The witness volunteered the state
ment that the additional charges on
the Maricopa and Phoenix road were
those that had been inherited by the
Southern Pacific when il took this
line over from an independent man
agement. These charges had been
carefully maintained.
a New Crime Unearthed.
Questioned by Mr.. Norton, Mr.. Heard
said that the sheep business, in which
he was not interested, had been profit
able for several years. AS to the cat
tie business. that might seem good to
an outsider.
1T seems good TO us who are com
PEELED to buy steaks in Chicago. OBJ
served Mr.. Norton
Regarding the history of the cattle
business. Mr.. Heard could not go back
beyond five years ago. when he en-