The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-28
Hearing on Santa Fe Car Ca
pacity Case Today.
Conference for Purpose of Re-
lieving Car Shortage.
PLENTY OF MOTIVE POWER
j. R. KOOntz Says Santa Fe Has
Locomotive Service.
Would Cost $4O,OOO,OOO to
Handle All Grain.

The Kansas public utilities commits
sion is wrestling with the case started
by the Santa Fe railway to increase
the minimum weight of car load ship
ments of grain products and other
commodities which take up only about
a third of the car capacity under the
present schedule. The purpose of the
case, as stated by J. r. Koontz, gen.
eral freight agent of the Santa Fe, is
to relieve the car shortage which is
acute about four months every year.
A feature of the case at the forenoon
session which was noticed and COM
mented upon was the absence of law
yers, the only attorneys in sight be-
ing Judge Helm and Mr.. Marshall of
the utilities commission. The hearing
is more of a conference between busi-
ness men than a law suit, with the
commission as an arbitration body.
All the other railroads operating in
Kansas Joined the Santa Fe in it's p
plication for an increas sed minimum,
and several traffic men representing
various lines were present this morn
ing, although the presentation of the
railroad side of the case deVOlVed upon
Mr.. Koontz.
The case was called at ten O'Clock, sl1
the commissioners being present w.
P. FEEDER, secretary, read the formal
application, and then Mr.. Koonez
presented the case from a railroad
viewpoint. He pulled his chair up to
the end of the long table behind which
the commissioners sat, and made a
talk; not a speech. He gave permis-
sion to any of the half a hundred men
present to ask him questions as ne
went along, and several were asked.
Motive Power in Good Shape.
One question asked by Judge Helm
was answered with considerable en-
phasis. Helm wanted to know If the
Santa Fe's motive power had anything
to do with the car shortage.
Absolutely no. declared the freight
man. The Santa Fe has motive pow ar
second to none in the United States. Is
the judge trying to muddy the water %
II am only trying to get the facts,''
the judge replied.
81 have given them to you," Mr..
Koontz said.
Mr.. Koontz gave great mass of fig
ures to show that the railroad have
plenty of equipment to handle all the
traffic offered for from eight to ten
months of the year, but that for
period of from two to four months
of the year there is a shortage of
equipment. He read a statement by
H. U. Nudge, president of the Rock Is
land Lines, to the effect that the west
ern railroads would have spent $40,-
900, 900 for new equipment last year,
had they been required to meet the
demand for cars during the peak of
the Kansas loading. Mr.. Koontz read
a statement from President Ripley of
the Santa Fe, showing that the Santa
Fe spends SO, 100000 annually for new
equipment.
Mr.. Koontz said that the railroads
would not ask a heavy increase, but he
expressed the belief that an increase
from $4,000 pounds, the present mini
mum, to 10000 pounds, for eight months
in the year, and full capacity loading
for four months during the rush, would
be fair. Such an arrangement, he said,
would increase the car supply 20 per
cent.
Objections From Flour Men.
Mr. Koontz said that the only OBJ
lection to the increase that he had
heard of was from the retail handlers
of flour and other grain products,
through the millers. He expressed the
opinion that trade conditions were so
good in Kansas that the retail dealers
could well afford to stand the slight
increase in the minimum to help out
the farmer, who is vitality interested
in getting cars in which to send his
grain to market. Mr.. Koontz said that
the railroads would not ask the increase
in the minimum if it would tend to hurt
sion to make a careful inquiry into
trade condition before taking action
in the case.
Mr. Koontz will offer some more fig
ureS at the afternoon session, and then
the millers will give their side, which
is the side that has to do with trade
conditions. The millerS present are:
Henry Lassen, Wichita; c. W. Wal
lace, Winfield; J. B. Nicholson, Topeka;
F. E. Goodrich, Topeka: Emmett Hoff-
man. Enterprise; c. H. Herbert. Nc
Pherson; ]. c. Fullerton, Topeka: David
Page, Topeka; J. N. Smith, Salina H.
F. Brooks, Salina; ]. Lynch, Salina;
E. A. Coburn. Mcpherson; c. V. Top
ping, Wichita.
Emerson Carey and Frank Vincent
of Hutchinson. are present in the in
terest of the salt industry.
NJ. E. Castro of Wichita, T. NJ. Pot
ter of Peabody and L. A. Pribble of
Salina are interested spectators.
Besides Mr.. Koontz, the railroad men
at the conference are: H. G. Kaill I'm
ion Pacific; Fred Smith, Rock Island;
D. R. Lincoln, Missouri Pacific, and j.
W. Allen, NJ. K. & T., all freight traf-
fic officials.