The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-01-22
I|S THERE
+. A LUMBER
COMBINE?
QUESTION RAISED IN
HEARING BEFORE COR
PoRATIoN BOARD
-~-----~
PRICES SAME DESPITE
LOWER FREIGHT RATES
tsi
Declared That Retail Dealers
Do Not Get Benefit Of
Reduction

1t developed today In the lumber
rate nearing before the corporation
commission that the lumber consum.
ers OF the state were paying as high
a rate for Oklahoma lumber as on
lumber shipped from Louisiana Tex
as and Arkansas mills. despite the
fact that the commission a year ago
put into effect new lumber tariff
which reduced the freight rate on the
! average, the state over Of fifty per
cent lower than the rates charged by
Inc railroads prior to statehood
The Long Bell Lumber company.
which operates retail yards al Ed
nlond, Alva, Woodward and Stillwat.
er, had a. number OF retail lumber
dealers here from those towns Ia tes.
tify that the lumber producing mills
In Southeastern Oklahoma, which
produce as good lumber as Is sold in
Oklahoma, would only name prices for
lumber delivered at destination, that
these mills would slightly undersell
the Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas
mills and that therefore the retail
lumber dealers did not get any adj
vantage OF the commissions reduced
rate on lumber
These Witnesses inferred that tie
sawmill and lumber producers Of Ok
lahonia had formed u combine agree
ment not to Sell only on destina ion
prices and to barely undersell the
mills outside OF the state m
Retail dealers testifying In the case
declared that no combine existed.
among themselves. although retail
dealer at Edmond admitted that ne
bought Oklahoma lumber at one dol.
lar per Thousand feet less than he
could buy II from mills outside the
state, and that he sold II at the same
ietaIl price. H
Declared implicated In Combine
The Long Bell Lumber company
was declared TO have been implicated
in lumber combine by the terrItor
ial supreme court prior to statehood
Commissioners McAlester brought
out from witnesses upon crDss.exam
iraton that farmers In Western Ok
lah0ma received the benefit of the re
duciion made by the commission on
fence posts, the retail price on that
commodity under the new rate hav-
Ing been very materially reduced
General Manager Holden OF the
Midland Valley road testified that the
freight rates on lumber from the Oh-
lahoma mills should be much less
Than the rates from the Texas and
Louisiana mills.
y. II. johnson, assistant traffic
manager OF the Rock Island road. tes-
titled that the rate from the Texas
mills to Central oklahoma points was
! "a cents per hundred and that the
/ rate on lumber from Texas moved
through Oklahoma TO Chicago was 20
cents per hundred, a difference OF
only two cents per hundred for this
/ 900 miles haul
Johnson also asked the commission
for 65 cent rate on coal for haul
of ten miles in place OF the 25 cent
rate Of the commission, after admit.
ting that his road IL hauling coal Ia
/ the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa
and Ohio, from Brazll. Ind. and Dan
Vile. H., distances up TO $50 miles
for G5 cents ton. lie also admitted
4 that his road hauled coal IN Illinois
from Westyile 10 Danyllle, n distance
of fifteen miles for fifteen cents a
ton.
Engineers Differ Widely
r. c. Satterly, valuation engineer
for the Rock Island in Nebraska ant
Oklahoma, today testified that th'
replacement yalne of the Rock lslans
branch line from Halleyyllle to Ard
: more is $4,000 per mile. but did no
: know the cost OF other Oklahoma line
The chief engineer OF the Rock lslant
system testified before the state tax
alton board year ago that the aver
are rpnlacqmput yalp Of the road n