Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-12
BROWN HEARS BIC RATE CASE
Commerce Commissioner Examiner
Sits as Judge.
CREAlrEREs PROTEST SCHEDULES
Several Are Represented In suit
Brought Formally by CONNER
ctal Club Against the BsIti-
more q Ohio Railroad.

Special Examiner George NJ Brown Of
the Interstate Commerce Commission is
presiding at the hearing OF the case Of
the Omaha Commercial club against tho
Baltimore Ohio railroad In the matter
OF rates on carload shipments Of butter,
eggs and poultry from Omaha 20 New
York.
While the case is brought In the name
Of the Commercial club against the Balti-
more & Ohio railroad, yet the Fairmont
Creamery company the Farmers Cooper
ative Creamery company David Cole
Creamery company, Kirschbraun s. Sons,
Incorporated, the Omaha Cold Storage
company, the Waterloo Creamery COM
pany and the Alamito Sanitary Dairy
company are the real complainants and all
the rairoad companies centering In Omaha
and numerous eastern railroads are joint
defendants
The case OF the Commercial club is
looked after by =. j. McVann, while the
railroad companies are represented by G.
b. Fernald Of Chicago. attorney for the
Pennsylvania lines; F. A. Lynde, general
attorney of the Northwestern at Chicago;
J. e. Kelby of the Burlington, c. c. Wright
Of the Northwestern OF Omaha and a host
Of other attorneys representing other lines
Lineup of Examiners.
Tho principal examinations are being
The principal examinations are being con-
Quoted by q. ]. MoVann and +. A. Lynde
and Fernald, while Kelby and c. e. Spens,
freight agent Of the Burlington at Omaha
are doing some Of the questioning.
The first witnesses examined were j. H.
Rushton. president OF the Fairmont Cream
cry company, and d. c. Eidredge, vice
president Of the Farmers Cooperative
creamery company OF Omaha.
The question at issue as presented by Mr.
McVann Is the excessiveness OF carload
rates OF 50,0V pounds or more, ON creamery
products from Omaha to New York which
materially exceeded the rates charged for
other perishable products and contention
is that the commission should establish
joint and through rates for this class of
freight.
1t was disclosed by Mr.. Rushton that the
rate on carload units from Omaha to New
York was S22O which rate had not been
changed In the west and of which Omaha
was the great central point. The rate on
other perishabIe products such as meats
and fruits, was but tIN.
Mr. Rushton was Of the opinion that $50
would be fair and adequate rate when
taking into consideration the economic SER
vice the oreamerles rendered the railroads
in preparing their products for shipment.
which eliminated the liability Of claims for
damage. A reduction OF the rate TO about
the figure proposed on the basis of IS. 600 900
pounds shipments would mean saving to
the oreameries or the Fairmont creamery
particularly of 10000 annually he said, and
a saving would be divided between the
producer and consumer Mr.. Rushton said
that about 65 per cent Of the shipments for
Omaha were to points east OF Chicago. He
claimed also that other classes OF perish
able freight were moved with greater ce-
lerity than creamery products. 4 p
s" d. c. AEldredse Of the Farmers Co-opera-
tive Creamery company simply bore out the
testimony Of Mr.. Rushton.