Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1909-04-10
Story of Fight
Against Back
Haul of ESpee

The Carson News gives the follow
ing story Of the recent terminal rate
hearing before the Nevada railroad
commission at Reno:
The initial effort to c adjust
ment to a reasonable rate on west
bound transcontinental traffic was a
faulty petition which ended with dis
missal of the complaint.
Afterwards the railroad commits
sion of Nevada took up the matter
and conforming to its rules invited a
complaint from business men of Reno
which was made in official form. The
Southern Pacific company, against
whom the complaint was made, was
cited to appear before the commits
sion at its trial oom in Carson City,
to make answers to the complaint and
defend the action. The commission
convened in regular session on the
days set down for the hearing, but
the railroads cited to appear entered
no defense.
Then in conformity with the law a
petition for a readjustment of rams
continental freight rates, w%est-bound,
equal to the coast rates was filed with
the interstate commerce commission
at Washington, d. c., reciting the
grievance and praying for relief,
The petition was drafted in the regu-
, lar form then c%ontenanced by the in
terstate commerce commission.
These preliminary steps having
been taken the step was to decide the
: best method for presentation of the
: evidence whether by oral testimony
I or by documentary exhibits. In view
Of the vast area to be enumerated
and classified it was decided after
careful deliberation and review of the
f. Spokane cases, one by oral testimony
n and the other by documentary evil
dence, that the case could be better
Ii presented in a simpiiied form ant
connected manner by documentary
evidence where in the quietness O
ri research and the careful testing o
each proposition the recital could b.
woven into a series of related fact
t, running continuously from the con
+ struction of the railroad to the di
vision of the profits of operation.
The routine work Of the commits
sion demanded so much of the tim
and thought of the members and it
office corps that undivided attention
so necessary to a matter of such i'm
=, p~ortance, could not be given to tn
preparation of the evidence; there
fore, it was decided to call to thei
!. aid an expert of standing and reput
=, to assist in the work. The principl
involved was the same as in the SpC
kane ease and as the expert, Fran
= H. McCune in charge of the prepar;
ton of the evidence in that case ha
achieved success his services wei
secured. He was brought to Carsc
City, where for months he co-opera
m ed with the commission in the tas
m of compiling evidence in proof of Il
be- charge of discrimination.
ld- The authority of the commissiC
ce, was exercised in securing volumino
traffic data from the records
I'D, the railroad company, unattainat
ILL through any other body or sour
uis that was essential to a complete
position of the origin and quantity
/. the traffic received at Reno, the G
chosen to demonstrate the discern
M nation in d%isproof that such sh
I'M. ments were subject to water com
H. tition, the basis of contention Il
defendants for the system of ra
100 complained of. Other informant
of railroad record was also secul
ms from officials of the company
.llia authority of the commission.
ia. Other data, the source of VIII
was unknown to those indirectly c
nected with transportation matt
was gathered from far and near
interviewer by the experien
UNI thought in charge in the story
UNI transportation wrongs.
oe- Thus a mass of essential evide
was compiled and with infinite de
90 was arranged in so simpliied a fl
NY that it required no technical knc
MD edge of transportation matters
ence read and understand nor tax the
thence of the tribunal in adjudica'
in it's review.
Assembled at the trial, or hear
March 29th, at Reno, were skilled
~ torneys opposing counsel for c
plalnants, together with the cou.
lum- for in~tervenors, could without a
upon words be classed as veteran
r be- rate case hearings, as they hac
lnce, times past sat in counsel or opp
Il. in court cases of this sort.
essie The entire force of the defend