Los Angeles herald., 1909-03-19
CHARGE ROADS
ENFORCE RATES
ON SMALL CARS
SHIPPERS OF LOS ANGELES
FILE COMPLAINTS
EVIDENCE TO BE INTRODUCED
WITH INTERSTATE
Merchants Of Angel City Declare They
Must Pay Full Minimum Tariff
When conycyances Will Not
Hold Shipments

H AN FRANCISCO, March 1S.-The
- Pacific Purchasing company OF
~ Los Angeles today presented TO
the interstate commerce commission
evidence in a score of actions in which
the defense will be introduced tomor-
row. The documents were left with
Commissioner C. A. Prouty. These
charge that the railroads named as
defendants were enforcing rates IN
cases where freight cars could not be
made to hold the minimum rate on
which charges were collected.
The hearing today was confined to
shipments of furniture from New YORK.
Michigan and South Carolina points TO
Los Angeles, and in some instances as
many as six carriers were involved as
defendants. f. H. Castle, manager OF
the complaining agency, was the only
witness heard, and he was several
times subjected to searching cross-eA-
animation by c. w. DurbroW, repre-
senting the Southern Pacific; c. w.
Camp. attorney for the Santa Fe, and
o, E. Butterfield, who appeared Tor the
New York Central and other vanderbilt
lines.
In at least half q dozen cases Com
missioner Prouty plainly intimated tnat
unless q direct showing to the contrary
was made the commission would take
action toward the alteration of estab-
Iished minimum carload weights. The
evidence of the complainant showed
that the railroads had collected on
weights ranging from 800 to 400 POUNDS
that could not be loaded into car.
In one case where the shipment was
of reed furniture, the commission re
marked that such light material would
not be considered in the adjustment.
The commissioner declined to go into
the reasons why large cars were not
available at certain points, and in the
inquiry relating to railroad regula
ton that had been Cancelled declared
that the purpose of the hearing looked
to the future rather than the past.
Counsel for the New York Central
opposing one of the claims, offered as
defense the declaration that one car
load, catalogued by the shipper as side
boards and buffets, in reality included
side tables, and for nearly half an hour
all the parties were engaged in dis
cussion involving the differentiating
points between the three articles of
furniture.
Could Not Load Minimum Weight
]. %. Bracken, attorney for the COM
planning shippers, presented w. Rob-
ertson, manager of the w. w. Mon
tague company; Thomas F. Rigley,
local dealer in CRATES and mantels, and
Gustave A. Lanoir. manager of local
furniture house. In each instance the
witnesses testified that the carloads OF
goods received by them could not De
loaded up to the minimum weight.
The most important declaration or
the commissioner was made when an
attorney expressed n belief that IT
would be useless to introduce 1urther
testimony along a certain line.
st would not assume that" said Mr.
Prouty. "There may be a further hear
ing on this matter in the east, with
eastern dealers summoned to give tes-
timony. I have not heard enough my
self to determine what the proper min
imum weight should be-"
Attorney Butterfield of the Ne York
Central insisted at one stage of the
proceedings that the shippers should be
compelled to furnish a stricter classifi-
cation.
"When we describe an article in n
tariff" he said, 1--WE are sent to jail II
we don't abide bv it,
'Why did you not present claims for
all the shipments that were alleged not
to be up to the Standard asked MI
Durbrow of Gustave A. Lanoir.
st tried it once and thought it was
useless" replied the witness.
"Why did you think it was useless
persisted the attorney.
''well, if you were a furniture dealer
shipping over the Southern Pacific you
would know why" replied Mr. Lanoir,
with some display of temper