East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1911-09-27

commission tnen began the present
inquiry on its own initiative, taking
in the reasonableness of all rates on
wool from the western states to points
east.
Three Witnesses Heard.
Hearings have already been held in
Chicago, Albuquerque. Denver and
Salt Lake. The next hearing will be
in Phoenix, Ariz., and the final one
in Chicago, October "a.
There were three witnesses exam
ined this moTning-General Freight
and Passenger Agent w. E. Conan of
the S. P. & s.; General Freight Agent
Frank Robinson and Traffic Man
ager r. B. Miller, both of the O.-W
r. & n. company. Soon after the
Oregon commission began its inves-
tigation one of the concessions asked
OF the railroads was granted-a rate
was put in on sacked wool as well as
baled wool. There still remains, how
ever differential of 20 cents on the
sacked wool. According to the testi-
mony of the witnesses this morning
this differential is absorbed by the
road on which the traffic originates
for instance on a shipment from
Vale to Boston the O.-W r. & n.
company would absorb the 25 cents
If the wool were shipped in sacks, the
local rate and its percentage, what
ever it may be, of the through rate.
Tells of Competition.
Mr.. Robinson testified that here was
some competition between the O.-W.
R & n. company and the Short Line
for the wool business of Malheur and
Harney counties, though he admitted
no effort was made to have wool ship
ped from points west of Huntington
| to Portland so that shippers might
secure the benefit of the ocean rates.
He admitted, in reply to questions of
Mr.. Atchison and Mr.. Marchand that
/ he had hear growers in southwestern
Oregon carried their wool to Winne-
mucca, New, on the line of the South
ern Pacific, to take advantage of the
much lower rate to eastern points that
prevailed from Winnemucca than
| from points on the O.-W. r. & n. in
Oregon.
Mr.. Conan, when asked concerning
the effect of river traffic in forcing
competition with the railroads in
| hauling wool from eastern oregon and
Washington to Portland, said that the
com bination Of river and ocean rates
| thus affected was lower than the all
rail rate to the Atlantic seaboard. He
thought very little wool originated
| from points on the river west of The
Dalles and said he did not know of
any wool shipments made by water on
the boats operated by his company
More Testimony Coming.
! There is considerable testimony to
be taken concerning the reasonable
ness of mohair rates as compared
| with wool rates. Mr.. Conan testified
that less mohair than wool is ship
ped, that it is a more expensive ar
tice and that he considered it could
| carry a higher rate than wool.
Asked concerning the reasonable
ness of the 81 carload rate on wool
| from Portland to Boston, Mr.. Conan
testified that, in the opinion of the
| railroads, it was entirely too low, but
was forced by ocean competition. Out
of the 81 rate to Boston, he said, the
S P. G. S. secures. as its share. 1876
cents. 1t secures "a cents on the Chi
cago rate and 81 cents on the St
Paul rate.
Mr.. Robinson testified the wool
shipped last year over his line ap-
proximated 100000 pounds, of which
perhaps 90 per cent was shipped d.
rectly east.-Portland Journal.