The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-04-24
That Is Ruling of Commissioner PrOuty in Hearing at
 Boston BARS WRITTEN STATEMENT OF NEW HAVEN PRESIDENT B. &. NJ. Official on Stand to Explain Enormous Rental
 of Hampden Road

Boston, Aprfl 24.-COnnn1SS1ORer Prouty, of the Interstate Commerce Commission, refused to admit, this afternoon, n statement sent to the commission by President Mellen in connection with that body's probe in- to the financial transactions of the road. He ruled that If Mir. MeIlen had anything to say, he should appear in person.
 A defense of the construction of the Hampden railroad and of the leasing of it by the Boston & Maine Railroad was given by Edgar J. Rich, counsel fer the Boston S Maine, at today's session of the Interstate Commerce Commissions inquiry into the affairs of the New York, New Haven & Hart ford Railroad and it's subsidiary com panies
 The IIampden railroad now being built will extend from the outskirts of Springfield a distance of Is miles to Bondsville, where it will tap the Massachusetts Central Division of the Boston & Maine. The annual rental to be paid by the Boston & Maine will be about $12,000 a mile as against $S,- GOO the average rental of the roads g other leased lines.
 MT Rich read from the report of the Massachusetts Board of Railroad Com rnissioners to show that the board had approved of the project. He also said that the Boston & Maine could not be compelled to pay and would not pay anything more than Is approved Dy the railroad commissioners. He de- tended the financing of the Hampden railroad and said that the Boston & Maine railroad and the public would be fully protected.
 ". !. Hobbs, financial vice presi- dent of the Boston & Maine, resumed the stand and his cross examination was continued by Louis ID. Brandeis, counsel for the FoGton Fruit & Pro- s5r,ra FsxchanEe.
 Replying to a question by Commis- sioner Rrouty, Mir Hobbs said that the bonded indebtedness of the Boston and Maine was $43, BPS, ,00O and bills payable S24,5OO,OO0. Interest charged on these two items amount approxi- mately to S3.0Oo,o00. Other charges of S5 ,o0o, 900 for rental and $1, ,0oO,O 900 for hired equipment bring the total expenses up to $9,ooO,0O0. For 1912, the total gross corporate income was $9,615,oOo. The gross corporate in come for 1913, MT. Hobbs said, would be less than in 1912.
 Advances in wages would increase total expenses in 1913, MT. Hobbs said, but he could not estimate how great these increases would be.
 Robert HomannS, counsel for the Boston Chamber of Commerce, asked MT. Hobbs if he knew who called the attention of the Boston & Maine di- rectors to the fact that the Mutual Life Insurance Company. of New York. had for sale more than 30,o00 shares of the Worcester, Nashua & Roches- ter Railroad, one of the Boston & Maine leased lines
 The witness replied that he did not nor had he heard that the Boston & Maine directors had authorized the purchase before the stock was offered for sale.
 Replying to MT. Rich, the railroad man said that the purchase of the leased lines had been a profitable transaction for the Boston & Maine.
 Henry J. Horn, operating vice-presi- dent of the Boston & Maine, present. ed hgur es showing the charges paid on freight cars Belonging to other lines. MT. Horn expressed the opinion that it would be cheaper for a railroad company to own it's roads than to rent them
 At this point, Attorney Rich offered a statement from President Mellen which he said related to the Hamp- den railroad MT. Prouty refused to accept the statement, remarking that if MT. Mellen had anything to say he might appear before the commission as a voluntary witness.
 Arthur J. Corthell, engineer of the Boston & Maine, presented a long list of estimates for improvements total ling $73.OO0,0O0 and covering period of six years which he said had not yet been approved by the directors Among the items was $19,S5s, ,ooo for new main line tracks; S14, ,S20. .O0O for ter rninaI yards, $1o, o,757.oo0 for the elirni- nation of grade crossings; $2,62o, 1000 for new block signals, and $4,420,O0 for shops and turntables.
 The directors of the fruit and pro- duce exchange, at a meeting, today, voted that Louis D. Brandeis had no right to repr esent them in the pres ent New Haven investigation before the interstate commerce commission.