The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-04-28
SUIT OPENS
IN SAL I
LAKE
David Eccles Relates His
Experience in Making
Lumber Shipments

Salt Lake City. April 27-The in
PRODUCTION of testimony In the suit of
the United States government to dis
solve the alleged Illegal combination
of the Union Pacific, Southern Pacific
and affiliated lines for the purpose OF
crushing out competition, was begun In
this city today before Special Exami-
ner Sylvester G. Williams, The gov
ernment was represented by c. A.
Severance of St Paul, Glen E. Hus-
ted of Washington, and Charles A
Page OF New York. and the interests
OF the railway companies were cared
for by r. S. Lovett Of New York. chief
counsel Of the Hartman system. and
n. II. Loomis.
w. S. Mccarthy. traffic manager OF
local hardware company and form
er railroad man, testified that in the
railway merger In 1891, competition
for general merchandise and wool bus
mess was keen between the Union
Pacific and Southern Pacific agents.
but that since the alleged combination
Was effected no special effort had been
male so far as he was aware OF to Sc
cure the routing of business over
either one of these lines, as the busi-
ness Is handled. according to his un-
derstanding, over the line most conven-
lent. He also testified that after the
alleged combination, the freight time
schedules between Omaha and Utah
hal been doubled and that the length
ened schedule was not always main
tanned.
S. II. Babcock manager testified
along similar lines and described meth
ods before the merger. He said:
"One company even went so far as
to pay a government tax on sheep
between the states OF Idaho and Mon
tana In order to get the shipping of
the wool"
Mr.. Babcock said that the San Pc
dro. Los Angeles and Salt Lake had
refused to quote a through rate to
San Francisco, and had informed him
that the rate on freight shipments to
Daggett, Cal. and thence by the
Santa Fe to San Francisco would be
the sum of the local rates. The con-
clusion reached By the witness was
that the only rate obtainable from Salt
Lake Is on the Southern Pacific. He
was questioned regarding the method
of making through rates and said that
the rates were fixed by the freight as
sociation In secret session. the details
of which he preferred not 10 give,
David Eccles. business man, told
of his experience In making lumber
shipments from Hood River, Ore
Formerly he shipped via the Oregon
Short Line to Wells, New Now he
was Obliged to use the Shasta route
and the Southern Pacific, the Oregon
Railroad and Navigation, and the Ore
gon Short Line, refusing to quote him
any rate through Ogden. He had re
monstrated and the only explanation
he could get was that the Southern
Pacific preferred the long haul.
Mr.. Eccles went into the origin o.
the San Pedro. Los Angeles and Sal
Lake road. In the nineties. he had beer
interested in the building of 66 miles
of railroad from Milford. Utah. tt
Uvada. on the Nevada line. The Ore
gon Short Line had taken an optioI
on the grade, .but had not exercised
the option until Senator w. A. Clarl
began to negotiate for 1t as part o
his Los Angeles road. Then the Shor
Line made the purchase, Mr. Eccles
testimony is important, chiefly as
foundation for the evidence that Is t
come regarding the relations of tn
Clark road with the Hartman system