Arizona republican., 1911-10-03
Final Hearing of Long Ser
les Was Held Yesterday
in Phoenix Before Exam
iner Ward Prouty, of
Washington.
HEARING WAS AN
IMPORTANT ONE
A Great Deal of Testimony
Was introduced For Both
Sides and This Will be
Considered by the Com
mission.

The hearing of the investigation Of
rates on wool, hides, pelts and mo-
hair, conducted by Special Examiner
Ward Prouty, of the interstate COM
merce commission, was concluded yes
terday afternoon at o'clock and Mr.
Prouty, accompanied by J. T. Mar
chand, counsel for the commission,
left last night via the Santa Fe for
a short visit to the Grand Canyon,
after which they will return TO Wash
ington.
The proceeding ended the series Of
hearings recently held throughout the
west and was adjourned to October
| "a when the commission Will hear
testimony in the applications of the
railways for relief from the long and
short haul clause in relation to wool
rates. The commission will then de-
eide whether or not the coast terminal
rates shall apply from intermediate
points, and, regardless of its decision
in the matter, will proceed with its
determination as to reasonable wool
rates.
The testimony introduced yesterday
as to the Arizona rates, referred
principally to the rates on hides,
pelts and mOhair, the subject Of wool
rates from Arizona having been fully
covered by the Arizona railway COM
mission and the Arizona Wool Grow
ers in the testimony presented by
them at the Albuquerque hearing on
September y.
Attorney L. T. Wilcox of Chicago
representing the Southern Pacific Co,
II. c. Toll of San Francisco, assist
ant general freight agent of the same
line and f. w. Clapp of Tucson. gen.
eral freight and passenger agent of
the Arizona Eastern lines. left last
night for their homes and Attorney
Victor o. Johnson, in charge of the
complaint for the Wool Growers, left
for his home, Shoshone, Idaho.
The Arizona railway commission
was represented by Chairman w. P.
McNair. Attorney George J. Stone
man and Secretary Z. S. DePass. F.
W. Perkins of Flagstaff, secretary of
the Arizona Wool Growers association
was an interested spectator. T. W.
Brown of FL Paso, member of the
Finnegan-B Brown Hide Co, intro
duced tables Of comparative rates,
showing the unreasonableness of the
hide rates from and between points
in Arizona.
T. Hurley, a well known whole
sale and retail meat dealer of Phoe-
nix, was the next witness and testi-
fled that on account of the high
freight rates the price he receives for
his hides is much lower than it should
be-
F. A. Jones, secretary of the Mari
cOpa County Commercial club then
introduced a table of rates which COW
cred some Of the points made clear
by the tables already introduced at
the Albuquerque hearing by the Ari-
Zona railway commission. He called
to the stand II. II. Scorse. a wool
grower of Holbrook and f. II. Porter,
a harness and saddle manufacturer of
Phoenix, both of whom testified as
to the Increased cost of producing
wool and the unreasonably high freight
rates on that commodity.
f. s. DePass, secretary of the
Arizona railway commission, who has
been the principal adviser of At
tOrney Johnson and the wool growers
in traffic matters, was the next wit |
ness. He introduced tables covering
the entire western wool rate situa-
ton. These tables showed the rates. |
distances and tone mile rate on wool
from all the principal producing points
i'm the west to the eastern markets. |
The tables also showed the manner in |
which all these rates were constructed. |
and compared the revenues Of the |
carriers on wool traffic with the av-
erage revenue derived from all freight. |
This comparison was very much IL |
Eliminating and showed that in many |
instances wool rates are two or three |
times as great as the average revenue |
on all traffic.
z. p. Hastings of the 6. F. p. & p. |
and Fl. G.. Toll of the Southern Pacific |
testified in rebuttal. presenting tables |
and statements concerning hide and |
pelt rates and tonnage, designed to |
overcome the facts set forth in the |
tables introduced by the complain |
ants in the Albuquerque hearing and |
earlier in the day in yesterdays hear
ing. They made every possible ef- |
fort to demonstrate from their view |
point that the rates are just and |
equitable.
Asked what he considered would |
be a reasonable rate on wool from |
Arizona points to Boston. Mr.. DePass
expressed the opinion that 81 per cwt |
would be n just and reasonable rate |
He then went into detail as to his