Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-04-23
TEXANs0BJECT TO
PAYING H|GHER
FREIGHT RATES
Witnesses Declare That Fruits
and Vegetables Are Charged
All That the Traffic WIN
Bear,


Chicago. April 22.-Fruits and veg
etables raised in Texas now pay then
full proportion OF transportation
charges. according TO growers and
dealers from that section. and the
proposed advance IN freight rates on
these commodities would, in the opin-
ion Of the same persons. retard the
development OF the agricultural re-
gions there and diminish the volume
of freight for the carriers. These
contentious were advanced today By
several witnesses before W. VI. Dam
iels. interstate commerce commits
sioner in the hearing of the western
rate case. in which forty-one western
railroad systems are seeking adj
vances In freight rates on certain
commodities
On direct examination and on cross
examination. ;. =. c'2Tiea q Browns
vile. Tex. manager OF the Rio Grande
railway. an electric line in the Rio
Grande valley repeatedly declared
that the installation Of the advanced
freight rates on cabbages onions and
ether farm products would retard the
Development of the farm lands in the
Rio Grande valley
Farmers Need Encouragement.
Ills last words before leaving the
witness stand were:
II have 70 complaint with the rail-
road service. except that the railroads
are making mistake I'm raising tn E
rates from the Rio Grande valley.
Those people need encouragement
They went out there and settled on
small farms. led BY the expectation
fFos fhnts gat.l1 ftnprns-a fhetr rom =
ton. They are mostly poor, with their
all invested In their farms. They have
furnished and are furnishing mag
nificont tonnage 20 the railroads and
their needs should he considered"
II p. Byars. of Fort Worth. Tex,
secretary of the Texas Wholesale
Fruit g. Produce Dealers association
introduced exhibits TO show that in
comparison with Louisiana. Texas was
now paving higher rates for trans
porting its products 70 the north. He
also declared that confirmation Of the
proposed advances in freight rates
would be disastrous to the Texas
farmers
Vast Freight Tonnage.
Mr. Byars testified that in many
cases the freight rates were higher
than the value az the produce shipped.
tie estimated tho tonnage Of Texas
fruits and Vegetables annually trans
ported as 2.6SS,056 tons.
G. +. Childo, com missioner of the
Sioux city Traffic club. objected to
the proposed iucreass Ia Texas rates
on the ground that their Installation
would burden Sioux CITY in It's COM
petition with omaha. On cross-ex-
animation he took the position that
the dealer would have 10 pay the adj
vance
OF course he said If the grower
pays the advance that is altogether
another matter"
\. A. Mullins. OF Oago, Tex. object
cd To the proposed advance in rates
on potatoes. which product, he said.
was now heavily burdened with ship
ping charges.
J. r, SPENCER, Of Simenton, Tex.
another potato grover. presented a
group Of exhibits showing the losses
OF potato growers IN his neighborhood
over period Of years lie declared
that the grower would have to absorb
The proposed advance.
Onion Growing Difficult.
p Middleton. president OF the Busi-
ness league Of Eagle Lake, Tex.
vegetable wholesaler told Of the diff
f'culty which he said was now expe-
rienced in meeting competition from
other states
Capt J. G. Minus. from Asherton.
Tex told Of conditions in growing
and shipping onions and le .uce. and
declared that on many shipments the
grower was unable to make profit.
lie said that 5000 acres IN the Laredo
district We're planted with onions
9 bout one-half of the onion acreage
Of the country
Testimony that tire Texas railroad
commission had been asked to in
crease the Texas state freight rates
was introduced IN rehutta ~ the rail-
roads az the close at session.