Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-03-29
RAILROADS. CASE
SHOWS WEAKNESS
|. C. C. HEARING ON FRUIT
RATES NEARS END
TESTIMONY SHOWS HOW EXTRA
CHARGES WERE FORCED
"Re-Icing by Mistake" One Excuse
Given for Profitable Practice.
Attempt to Prove Ship
pers Combine Trust
Continued from Page One,


cooperation that may tend TO lower
the freight rates or which eventually
may call for new type OF refrigerator
car new equipment, new metnods' etc.
while at the same time TINS Co
operation may crush the subsidiary ice
companies which now derive mllnohs
of dollars from their re-icing stations,
and which under the cooperative
method of preceding and pre-icing VIII
not be necessary.
To discourage the whole cooperative
plan and method, as well as TO reIute
the allegations of the present COM
plaint and justify the arbitrary re-
frigeration rate and exorbitant lemon
freight rate, the railroads have APP
parently tried to confuse the conlnls-
sion with a voluminous array OF ng-
ures schedules, rates, averages, per-
centages deductions, mileage tapula-
lions. etc, of which but n small por-
ton seems so far to have had any
real bearing on the case, and through
all of which the commission must
wade in order to get at the Few actual
facts which may aid them in arriving
at n definite conclusion. 1t is evident,
however. that both Commissioner
Proutv and Commissioner Lane are not
the least confused, and that they are
pretty well able to determine ALREADY
the actual conditions.
DISREGARD Orders and Re-Ice
THE first important witness yester-
day was A. M. Mortesen, Southwestern
agent for the Pacific Fruit express. ne
described in detail the work involved
in looking after refrigerated shipments
ana in tracing the cars from the point
of shipment to their destination. lie
asserted that cars preceded by tne
SINNERS at Pomona had been re-lced
on their way east in spite OF the IN
structions of the shippers not TO rs-ioe
them.
This point is important, as the grow
ars claim re-ieing is not necessary
where the cars are proceeded 10 a
temperature of SO degrees, which is
the standard temperature to which the
growers pre-cool, although the rail-
roads reduce the temperature, 1T IL
said only to As degrees.
The railroads have maintained tnat
the re-icing is necessary, because, the
growers say. the roads do not want
to abandon their re-icing stations anu
want to compel the growers TO pay
for the extra ice The fact that the
railroads re-iced in spite of instructions
is, therefore. a strong point III favor
of the growers I,..
Mr. Mortesens direct examination
occupied the entire forenoon session
and brought out little that had not
heen covered in previous testimony.
commissioners Lane resumed MS
mace with Commissioner Prouty yes
terday. having returned from san
Djego. where he stayed Friday ana
saturday. He will go to San Francisco
for a short time before returning 10
Washington.
Describes Refrigerator Cars
Iuther L. Yates. superintendent of
car repairs for the Pacific fruit hA-
nress who was called at the forenoon
session Yesterday told of the construc-
tion ~ refrigerator carsS their require
ments. equipment, dimensions, max
aher Insulation and expense OF repairs
lie estimated il costs three times as
mnch 10 maintain a refrigerator car as
II does a box car. Refrigerator cars
have TO be gone over atter each ZIP
cost The insulation deteriorates, De
cause of the dampness caused py tne
ice i'm the bunkers. The insulation mas
10 he frequently renewed. lie ADMIT
tod that deciduous fruits, which always
have to be refrigerated, are worse on
fine cars than is citrus fruits, Whlch re-
ouire refrigeration only fourth OF the
time He said a refrigerator car cost
lieut. $1,000 while an ordinary box car
costs only $500 or $500. The retrigera-
+or.I Gar weighs from $4,000 to 4IVOO
noinds and box cars weigh from Sz'ooV
to $4,000 pounds ,.o
Mr. Yates said it is aimed to have
refrigerator cars alright except TOT
water
water the seal is alright also. Inc
refnted other testimony to the erect
+hot alright cars are Impossible.
Mr. Mortesen then took the stand
and stated that his company now mas
1900 cars in operation, and enough ca ,oo
ordered to bring the total up TO io'loo
oars About 800 Of these cars nave
aiionsihle bunkers. The oollapsible
hunlrers originally were intended TO
nroI,ide for potato shipments from
Idaho Colorado and other points, ana
aIso 10 cool westbound dry common
ties requiring refrigeration.
He said it was difficult TO lhuuce
shippers to use the coliapslpie Dui.i IN
ors which largely increase the ca
nacitv of the car, as they call for larg-
Or consignments than shippers IKE 10
eand 10 eastern markets. In >l9OS, ne
soid about rs per cent of the re1rlg-
orator cars returned west empty; III
1909 about "a per cent. rms Is que 10
~ fact that the demand for cars Is
lne .aat Il, the west that the cars have
80 he rushed back Immediately by spe-
aiai train. and cannot be held for re-
,oading This point shows that the
tsast is supplying the east to much
o,aater degree than the east supplies
the west. 80, s+a+ad
.hat the growers had no objection TO
s..oasing the minimum weight for
collapsible bunker cars USED unoer
ventilation. o.,
attorney Durbrow of the Southern
paci6c took advantage of this con-
aassion to state that the exchange
us building up an organization to
comnel the small shippers to come INTO
a I" implying that it was trust. he
Insisted that loading cars SO heavliy
would be detrimental to the small
thinner. but did not explain why.
The first year his company was In
business. said Mr.. Mortesen, 1t was
nenessarv to ship ice from Los Angeles
~ Tucson. and from Eel Paso TO Tucson,
hut the roads are now provided with
.agrIar re-icing stations, the service
FOO which is included in the regular
tariff sheets, or is provided for In
snacisl rates, so that the demand on
Us Angeles no longer is so heavy.
last year, he said, the Pacific Fruit
1,vnress loaded on an average 1857 cars
zenith. but there was wide variance
between months. The average daily
movement in April was 1873 cars, and in
Octobe, only 1874 cars. In 1908 his COM
nanv handled 14,35S cars of citrus fruit,
IF which 143 per cent were lemons.
Tn 1909 his company handled 1886 cars,
5of which 1928 per cent were lemons
The payroll of the company last year
was S15937261.
MIR Mortesen described the move
nlents of refrigerator citrus car from