Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-03-26


clusions," said Interstate Commerce
Commissioner Charles A. Prouty at
/the hearing of the complaint of the
California citrus fruit growers against
the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific
railroads yesterday.
Commissioner Prouty administered
this yelled rebuke to the attorneys and
witnesses following the continued eff
forts yesterday to elicit from Manager
j. S. Leeds of the Santa Fe Refriger-
ator Dispatch some definite informa-
tion relative to the profits and basis of
rates of citrus fruit shipments.
'Mr. Leeds has shown u.s." said
Commissioner Prouty, that he Is un-
able to throw any light on the sub
ject, so why question him further. We
must get our information from another
source"
The hearing yesterday was replete
with interesting developments and pc
cular situations-many of the latter
provided by Mr.. Leeds in his ceaseless
endeavor to avoid damaging admis-
sions, and in his laboriously deliber-
ated statements. and by the unex-
pected testimony of Thomas II. Phil
lips, traffic manager of the California
Citrus union and of the Earl Fruit
company, who made several statements
regarded as favorable to the railroads.
There was much commotion in the
court room during Mr.. Phillips eX-
animation. He stated that when the
railroads lowered the rate from SLIPS
to 81 it was with the understanding 1t
was an emergency relief rate, conceded
because of the many backsets through
which the industry had passed, and
that it was eventually to be raised
again to the former rate.
Rates Should Be Same
Mr. Phillips also testified he knew of
no reason why lemons should be ia
Vored, or why the orange and lemon
rates should not be the same. He de-
clared he believed the railroads should
do the proceeding.
These three points caused the rail-
road attorneys considerable satisfac-
tion, although Mr.. Phillips is the first
witness to give testimony directly sup
porting the contentious of the rail-
roads.
Mr. Prouty endeavored yesterday
afternoon to induce the railroad at
torneys to submit their evidence at
the present hearing, while the commits
soners are in Los Angeles, but as the
Southern Pacific indicated they would
submit their case only when they had
introduced all their best witnesses, or
experts who will testify as to the
various propositions involved in the
case following which the Santa Fe
representatives stated they would rest
their case on the showing made by the
Southern Pacific, as also will the other
roads, it became evident that the case
may not be concluded at the present
sitting.
Commissioner Prouty, who alone pre-
sided yesterday, stated that Mr.. Lane
could not be in Los Angeles Tuesday,
and that he (Prouty) had desired to
leave Los Angeles this evening. as he
has promised to be in San Francisco
Monday.
He stated that he might be able to
arrange to stay longer, however, and
will make a definite announcement this
morning. when the hearing reconvenes
at 10 o'clock
The Southern Pacific attorneys stated
they were anxious that the commits
sloners themselves. and not an exam
iners hear the rest of the testimony.
MIR. Prouty replied that he did not
know if this would be possible. owing
to other cases to be heard He stated
that the citrus case probably would be
argued in Washington before the en-
tire commission just prior to the ad-
journment which the commission will
take for it's summer vacation.
Must Cut Charges
The testimony yesterday brought out
that the railroads win have to cut
their refrigeration charges approXi-
mately in half or allow the citrus fruit
shippers to pre-cool and pre-ice their
own cars without the present addi-
tional and arbitrary charge imposed by
the railroads.
The railroads, 1t was admitted yes
terday, now charge $62. so for the re-
frigeration of a car to Chicago and $75
to New York. Testimony submitted
yesterday clearly proves that the citrus
fruit growers now perform the same
service for themselVes-and do it much
better, they claim-for $32,70 This
means nearly 100 per cent profit for the
railroads, or, to be exact $50 car
profit on all fruit which now goes east
ward from Southern California.
The Santa Fe railroad alone last sea-
son hauled more than 10000 cars under
refrigeration, which shows that the
Santa Fe made a profit of at least
$500, 1000, all of which. say the growers,
has been taken unfairly from the pock-
cts of the producers, and without any
service in return. This money the
citrus fruit growers would have kept
if they had been allowed by the rail-
roads to re-cool and pre-ice their own
cars.
Testimony presented yesterday indi-
Gated also that the present cheapness
of refrigeration is due to the recent in
yention of the preceding plant. The
Santa Fe railroad has one of these
plants, but evidence so far presented
Indicates they are not willing to take
the time or to go to the expense neces-
sary to pre-cool the fruit to a tempera-
ture of 33 degrees which operators of
Independent preceding plants say is
necessary to carry the fruit safely to
Chicago or New York, eliminating
thereby the extra expense of additional
reicing.
Likely to Rot
The Santa Fe pre-cooling system
also has been criticised as inadequate,
and testimony indicates that tae rail-
roads pre-cool in less time, but have
to reice the pre-cooled cars regularly,
and they pre-cool so quickly that the
fruit is not uniformly pre-cooled to the
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