Arizona republican., 1909-03-24
PHOENIX ARIZONA, WEDNESDAY MORNING.

colt and Phoenix and the A. & c. II
had been mentioned that the grain rate
to Prescott was 20 cents, while to Wen
den il was 80 cents. The witness had
stated that the former was a forced
rate, and he asked why il had not been
/ carried on to Ash Fork to meet Cali
| fOrnia competition. Mr.. Norton asked
/ him if he thought that Ash Fork was
| a grain consuming center. He fur
ther asked the witness why he thought
the Wenden rate should be reduced
| and in the dialogue which followed he
| said: Now, don't talk buncombe; talk
/ like a traffic man.
1t had been stated that the rate on
hay to Prescott was &c cents and that
the president Of the company had stat
ed that that was remunerative. Mr.
Norton said: Have you ever discov-
| cred that that rate was put i'm to pro-
| tect the farmers Of the Salt river val
| ley? When did the president say that
! that rate was remunerative, and under
J what circumstances? Was it not when
you as general freight agent were try
ing to have it raised?"
Mr.. Jones replied: Not necessarily.
1 was trying to secure the readjust-
ment Of several indefensible rates" Mr.
Norton repeated that that rate had
been put on for this valley and he did
not think, now, when hay was selling
at sl4 ton with none to sell. that
there was much need Of a widened hay
market.
Some allusion being made to the rate
on wheat and flour. Mr. Norton re-
sion had ordered it for the benefit Of
the valley.
Yes" replied Mr. Jones, but it
works the other way"
Then" replied Mr. Norton. you
will have to ask the commission to
change it,
The Testimony of Shippers.
Mr.. Jones, having finished his
evidence in the morning session, the
afternoon was given over to hearing
that of the shippers, members of the
MaricOpa Commercial club. The first
witness was Mr.. Pratt, of the firm Of
Pratt & Gilbert, vehicle and impIe-
ment dealers. In his experience, Mr.
Pratt said that he had found that
rates to Phoenix We're nearly double
those from the east to terminal points
and this fact together with that of
out bound rates made it impossible
for his firm to do business outside OF
the valley. The binder twine rate to
Phoenix was S2.0S, while the rate
from the same eastern points to Los
Angeles was so cents. Here was a
loss shared by the merchant and the
farmer. The same trouble occurred in
the matter of bags. In addition TO
the higher rates on vehicles to this
point, dealers, Mr.. Pratt said, suffer-
ed from the minimum car weight regu-
lation for Arizona points. The mini
mum weight for vehicles. a thirty
six foot car, was $4,000 pounds, but
il was impossible to put that weight
Of vehicles into it, though dealers had
to pay for it. The minimum for
coast dealers was 2o,O09 pounds. The
of the Arizona dealer was
to take forty foot car and pay three
per cent a foot on the rate. Mr.
Pratt disclosed an unexplainable in
in the rules regarding the
of traction engines and
gasoline engines, adding to the trou-
Dlt anu CADtllSt VI lllt utdltI NiAn-
out any apparent advantage to rail-
roads.
At the conclusion of his testimony.
Mr.. Costigan wanted TO ask the wit
ness regarding the conference of last
May with the representatives Of the
lines and the alleged promis-
es of better rates for this point. Spe-
cial Examiner Lyons said that had
been gone over in the testimony of
Mr.. Jones. Mr.. Costigan replied that
the credibility Of Mr.. Jones had been
attacked by the opposition. The ex
aminer declined to admit evidence of
Mr.. Pratt on this point, saying that
he did not understand that the state
ment Of Mr.. Jones had been ques-
toned; beside no fact concerning that
could affect the hearing.
Louis Melczer, wholesale liquor
dealer, gave some freight figures
within his experience. The rate on
from the same eastern points
to Phoenix was $2.75; to Los Angeles,
s125. The difference in the amount
Of freight paid on a car, was $685..
The rate on liquors in glass to PhOe-
nix, was $40; to Los Angeles, s1.90. |
The rate on mineral water and beer
was so high that Los Angeles dealers
could compete in Phoenix itself.
The minimum car weight also fl
cured disastrously in his business, |
though not in quite the same way as
L had done in the case of Mr.. Pratt. |
While Mr.. Melzcer did not have to !
pay for more freight than he re-
,eived. the higher minimum weight |
required him to make an Investment |
II $500 more on a car than a Los l
Angeles dealer would have to make. !
The Grocery Trade
l.. LaChance, manager Of the |
Yakelin Grocery company, gave some |
facts regarding the rate |
IN groceries, which he said was so
much higher that the wholesale bust |
ness of his firm was confined within !
Mesa and Tempe on the south and |
Congress on the north, though he yet |
The Phoenix rate on canned goods |
vas $1S5, while the Los Angeles rate |
vas 95 cents This amounted to a |
oss of six cents a case. Regarding |
he rate on rice from the east, Mr. |
LaChance said that he had found |
hat il was cheaper to have it ship |
BED to Los Angeles and sent back to
Mr. LaChance stated that the rate on
:anned goods from California points |
% Colorado and eastern points was
IS cents: that to Phoenix it was 81. |
Secretary Miller of the Dorris-H Hey