Arizona republican., 1912-09-05
Corporation Commission Is Busy With Complaint Against All Railroads Do ing Business Within the State
AGRICULTURE IN
 COCONINO COUNTY
It Is Contended That Prop
 CT Freight Rates Will Bring Thousands of Acres Under Cultivation to Sup ply Needy Home Markets

ply Needy Home Markets
 The corporation commission yester- day resumed the hearing of the com I.laint filed by the attorney general against all the railroad companies doing business in Arizona. in respect of freight rates on potatoes, onions and other vegetables and fruits Though the rates apply to various commodities there is special refer Cuce to potatoes and onions as it k felt that a vastly increased ton mage of those vegetables could be grown and disposed of in the home markets if the freight rates were not discriminating in favor of ship ping points in distant states such as san Francisco, Portland and Denver.
 The railroads were represented in the hearing by: E. W. Clapp, general freight and passenger agent of the Arizona Eastern system, with his chief assistant. H. c. Hallmark; R. e. Stubbs. assistant general freight agent of the Southern Pacific at Los Angeles: P. P Hastings of the Santa Fe system. and F. P. Cruice. acting general freight and passenger agent of the s. R. P. X P; R. K. Minson, general freight and passenger agent os the Arizona & New Mexico line from Clifton to Lordsburg, and Will liam c. Barnes, assistant general freight agent of the F. P. & s. w. the rate expert of the Southwestern system. from Fl Paso. The state is represented by Assistant Attorney Lewis T Carpenter and Secretary c A. Smith of the corporation com mission.
 When the case was first taken up some time ago the commission issued a schedule of proposed new rates which was presented to the railroads and their purpose yesterday was to point out if possible why the pro- posed rates should not be made eff fective The day was mostly spent Fy the commissions side of the case, showing why the proposed or some schedule of rates should be adopted.
 The proposed rate is on mileage basis and runs from a charge Of U cents per hundred for 10 miles up to A. cents per hundred for $50 miles or more the distance between the most widely separated points in the state The secretary of the commits sion. C. A. Smith, who had prepared inc rates after careful study, was on the stand the greater part of the day. In comparing the proposed rates with the present rates he quoted the present rates from many points in distant states to many points in Ari- zona. and from those distant points to other distant marlIes.
 In this way he showed that the rate from Denver to New Orleans l436 miles, is 5S cents per cwt; Den yer to Chicago 1034 miles is 45 cents: Denver to St. Louis. 40 cents and Denver to St. Joe, G21 miles, B cents.
 Then in comparison he gave rates between Arizona points among which are the following: Flagstaff tc Douglas. 800 miles, $1.09 per cWt.; Flagstaff to Yuma, 451 miles, 9s cents: Flagstaff to Gila, BPS miles, q cents: Flagstaff to Benson, 421 miles 90 cents; Flagstaff to Florence, 30% miles. e cents; Flagstaff to Flor enCe, 0bo IiIltos Ut NChINf i''S''N'A to Bisbee. 4S5 miles, $107 These showed a wonderful difference ir mileage charges as compared with the eastern rates above. But Arizona al the present time secures most of hel potatoes from California To show the advantage of doing so the rates from Fl Paso and the west were ouoted as follows: From Fl PasC to Yuma, 563 miles. 53 cents; Stock ton to all points in Arizona, 75 cents; San Francisco to Douglas, 1899 miles 91 cents: San Francisco to Bisbee 1O84 miles, S8 cents; Portland tC Yuma, 1874 miles, 75 cents; Portland to Phoenix, 1874 miles, 75 cents; Denver to Phoenix, Yuma, Benson, ar average of HOO miles. 75 cents.
 James Kennedy of Flagstaff who il engaged in both merchandising an( farming, was a very interesting wit ness, representing as he said thu farmers and merchants of Coconin' county He said that Coconino cal produce as fine potatoes as can b grown anywhere but they cannot b. successfully marketed on account O the competitive rates from distan states. He said there are now SO acres in that county devoted to tn raising of potatoes, but that if tn crop could be marketed there is al area of 150,000 acres of good pOtat land available for cultivation wit natural rainfall He said an acr would produce approximately sacks of potatoes, 100 pounds to tn
 sack. By calculation it was easy t
 see the profits that would be repre-