The San Francisco call., 1909-11-05
FAMOUS RATE
BOOK OF 1872
is PRODUCED
Much Discussed Volume Intr0-
duced in Court at Rate
Hearing
Case Closes and WilE~Be Sub
mitted to Interstate Cons
merce Commission

The much discussed ratebOok OF Jan
nary /. 1872. made it appearance, in
court yesterday and laid open TO the
inspection OF the Southern Pacific Of
6cials. However. the little volume had
been stripped of its covers and any
tentale information that might have
been contained in the owners sigma
tare had been removed. The tariff
sheets bore the stamp Of the official
authority of A \. Towne and J. c.
Stubbs. AZ that time superintendent and
assistant general freight agent. re-
spectively. Of the Central Pacific. It
contained the "a cent rate between
Sacra mento and Reno. II was intro
duced by William r. Wheeler and At
torney Seth Mann in behalf of the
shippers TO support their contention
that the present tariff of s1.2s is ex
cessive.
There was something in the book
OF almost equal interest. 1t was this
instruction 20 agents:
"If the actual weight of freight load
ed by owners can not be ascertained.
estimate the weight as nearly as pos
sible; do not underestimate it,
q. ". Luce. general freight agent OF
the Southern Pacific. answered on be-
half Of the company that the rates
Of January, 1902 had remained in effect
but 25 days. He asserted that they
were superseded by new tariffs Janu
ary 25 Of the same year.
CASE Is CONCLUDED
The hearing. which involves the rea-
sonsbleness Of the rates from San
Francisco and Sacramento on the west
10 Nevada points on the east. was
brought to a conclusion last night at a
late session before Examiner Frank
Lyon. The case viii be submitted to
the interstate commerce commission on
briefs
The witnesses examined yesterday
were: jerome Newman. for 10 years
a member Of the Southern Pacific en-
sineering staff; J. ". Chapman. traffic
manager for the Pacific hardware and
steel company; g. J. Bradley manager
of the Sacramento manufacturers and
producers traffic bureau; w r. Scott,
assistant general manager or the South
ern Pacific; Samuel Sussman. a whole
sale grocer. and C. ". Luce. the general
freight agent Of the Southern Pacific.
Newman gave testimony in regard 10
Cd the grades OF the mountain roads on
the Pacific coast; Bradley quoted team
ing rates in various psrts of California
and Oregon; SUssman expressed the
belief that the rates to Reno were too
high and Scott told of the difficulties
of railroading over the Sierras.
EXPLAINS HIGH CHARGES
The rains and snow. according to
Scott. made hauling expensive in the
Sierra Nevadas. Attorney Seth Mann
raised The point that the same condi-
lions obtained in the Siskiyous. where
the rates are less. Scott stated that
trains IN the Sierras were made up of
about IS cars. which required four en-
gines on the haul. In the Siskiyou
mountains. he said train averaged
40 cars and required sometimes four
and at other times five engines. At
torney Mann argued from this that the
SiSkiyou haul, where the rates-are sat
Ssfactory, is more expensive than the
Sierra haul, where the rates are re-
zarded as excessive.
The company closed its ca Sc by plac-
ing on the stand G. W. Luce, its star
witness in many a case. Luce was up
20 form. There was aothing he could
not explain. For every comparative
rate table Of the complainant he had
one of his own for the company. He
was even ready to explain what Senator
Stanford meant when he told the senate
committee that his rates had been
based on OK team competition. He was
80 vOluble in his dissertation on the
low tariffs the company had inaugu-
rated ito help the California farmer"
that Attorney c. W. Durbrow was in
Epired to sudden oratory.
And this great western country. OF
which we are all so proud"-began
Durbrow. but Examiner Lyon cut him
short with the terse admonition. put
that in your brief, Mr.. Durbrow. and
let Us proceed"
Luce stated that the mountain rates
TO Portland over the Siskiyous and to
Los Angeles over the Tehachapi were
Unduly low because of water conlpe-
tition. An effort was made to force
an admission that the company made
Up by charging an excessive rate to
Reno, where il had no competition
Luce smiled knowingly. but declined to
fall into the trap.