Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-03-27
DETERMINED TO
GET FACTS, l.C.C.
TOVISIT PLANTS
Commerce Commission
ers Decide They Must
Force Matters
NEW WITNESS DEFIES
Santa Fe Official POurS Oil
on Accusations Of
Growers
T N ORDER to ascertain for himseir
+ba 1a1na of the pre-cooling system |

TN ORDER to ascertain for himselr
the value of the preceding system
n of shipping citrus fruits, lnteIs'aoo
Commerce. Commissioner Prouty, ac-
companied by representatives OF the
growers. will visit the plants or tne
railroads and at least one of the plahIs
of the growers today, leaving Los An
geles on the 9:05 train for Cotton
The feature OF the hearing yesterday
was the grilling cross-eXamlnatl9n %
which Henry Chambers, assistant tiaL ,.
hc manager of the Santa Fe, was SUP
jected by Attorney A. +. CALL repie
senting the growers. -,.a
on direct examination Mr.. Chanpers
questioned by Attorney Norton or tne
santa Fe, traced the history OF the
citrus fruit industry in California IroIn
its beginning in 1888, When the Iirsl
tariff, with shippers mostly using ,, IhI,i
own cars, was set at $l'lo rom - 70
fornia points to the territory east ood oa
the Rockies, with a minimum of 200oo
nounds to the car Six years later tne
minimum was increased to z4OOO
mounds for refrigerator cars under ice,
the minimum for cars under Ventilation
being increased to the same hgure on
January q, 1899; In November OF tne
same year the minimum on 20"
classes was increased to $4,000 pounds
The first change in the tariff occurred
ON Tune 1. 1895, when the growers OF
Seeding oranges claimed that the COM
netition of the navels made their busi-
ness improbable, and they were
granted a temporary reductloa 10 81
hundred pounds, when eNplreu on
September l Of the same year. 1ne .i
same request was preferred by the
Seeding growers the next year, Dut the
witness. after investigation, recon-
mended that 1t be not granted, and the
tariff was not changed again until De-
cember 2. 1902. when winter reneI
rate" of 81 a hundred, for the beneht
of the lemon growers, was put Int, INTO
eject to expire on April 30, 1903. This
rate was later extended to June l. 1908
and the following season, commencing
December g 1903, the same rate was
nut into effect, to continue until June
8, 1904.
Would Champion industry
On November 1. 1905, the Santa Fe,
according to the witness, decided TO
come to the rescue of the growers, VINO
had not only to combat the Sicillan
lemon in prices, but lacked the pre-
cedence of quality for which the can
fornia lemon is now noted, ana aIter
n conference with representatives, OF
the growers the Santa Fe put into Ell
feet an all-year rate on lemons Of 81.
Later in his testimony Mr. Chambers
insisted that all the parties to the low
ering of the rate understood that the
lower rate would be Increased 10 'es
former level when the growers had
established a market for their fruit,
although Attorney Call, for the com
plainants read into the evidence let
ter written by Mr.. Chambers at that
time, in which he spoke of the new
rate as a permanent one.
In Justification of the increase OF the
ec 10 n naaAfnhRr
g. 1909, Mr.. Chambers, under questions
from Attorney Norton of the Santa
Fe. pleaded that elimination of com
petition among the California growers,
better handling of the fruit and the
establishment of grades by the pack
ers, having established the lemon
growing industry on firm basis, the
railways felt that the time had come
for the equalization of the lemon and
orange tariff. Accordingly the tariff on
lemons was raised to $1.15, the tariff on
oranges having been lowered to that
figure from SLIPS in 1907.
Carefully led by Attorney Norton.
Mr. Chambers gave his views on tho
present condition of the lemon grow
9 ing industry, pointing out that, owing
to improved methods of handling, the
fruit at present is handled with a loss
of only per cent decay in storehouses
and per cent decay in transit, as
against 25 to 40 per cent decay loss in
1902; that concentration of the packing
in the hands of few packers has re-
suited in the improvement OF the
grades marketed, giving the California
lemon a prestige in the market, and
that since 1905 the acreage of the
lemon groves had greatly increased.
Had to Fight East
Coming back to the rate question.
Mr. Chambers said that the Santa Fe
had great difficulty 'in inducing the
eastern roads to accept the lower rate,
and that the question had to be fought
out at every conference of the traffic
men, although he admitted that the
$1.25 rate was not fixed by the cost Of
service, but by competition. He said
that he regarded the present rate as
being very low.
Mr.. Norton endeavored to have the
witness make the point that the divert
ing of cars and postage stamp rout-
Ing were devised for the special bene-
fit of california shippers, but the wit
ness would not make positive state
ment on this point, merely stating that
shippers from Florida and other parts
of the United States did not enjoy the
privilege to the same extent and that
all eastbound California freight had
the same privilege Witness regarded
the service today as highly satisfac-
tory, and Mr.. Norton took occasion
to state that, aside from buying the
refrigerator line inaugurated by pri-
vate parties in 1890, the Santa F'e had
spent 900 in purchasing new re-
frigerator equipment.
Mr. Chambers explained that the
charge of $62.5O for icing not only in
cluded the cost Of ice and inspection
along the route but the extra cost of
supervising the routing of cars, and the
numerous repairs which were necessary
ON cars of the refrigerator type which
could not be considered as provided for
in the hauling charge,
After this soothing explanation Mr..
Norton indicated his desire that the
witness explain the arbitrary charge of
sso which is demanded ON each ventil-
ator car, not iced, aside from the haul
ing charge.
The surprise of the compliments and
their attorneys was only equaled by
the surprise of the witness at this un-
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