Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1915-04-13
Wholesalers Fight
Proposed Advance
Continued From Page One.)

NNOhlIHucu from rage OnG,)
manager of the Chicago, Rock Is
land & Pacific railway.
Mr.. Johnson had listed consign-
ment of goods in the southwest ter
utory on which the advance is rates
are proposed, and valued the ship
ment at 500 hundred pounds. wit
ness Smith told Commissioner Dan
iels that the Johnson list had evil
IDENTIFY been made by a person not
familiar with the dry goods business,
as his exhibit, following as far as
possible the items listed by johnson,
had value only Of $27.65 a hundred
pounds.
Railroad Prices Wrong.
The railroad list shows that tho
compiler took the high an dthe low
prices of different fabrics and missed
the grades of goods i'm which the vol
ume Of the dry goods business is the
greatest said Mr.. Smith.
Ilckings, denims, Ginghams, lin
lnsS cotton flannels and calico were
displayed and the average price and
volume OF business in each explained
by the witness.
"lf we could sell our cotton niece
goods at the prices presented i'm the
railroad list we would make over one
hundred per cent profit" said Mr..
Smith.
The Smith exhibit was presented by
counsel for the shippers to controVert
the contention of the railroads that
the expensive nature of dry goods
shipments justified the advances
sought in freight rates. In the case
of dry goods In the Kansas City and
omaha territory. the increase asked
amounts to cents a hundred pounds.
Both Mr. Smith and the next wit
ness, Thomas Pyrne of Byrne q Ham
mer' Omaha, dry goods jobbers, testi-
lied that the proposed increase in
freight rates would have to be alb
sorbed by the jobber If It was al
lowed as it was too small to be added
to the price per yard of goods.
Mr.. Byrne testified that dry goods
consigned to his company were
loaded and unloaded by the COM
pany without expense to the railroads.
He complained that the proposed in
crease would be an additional burden
ON jobbers between the Missouri and
the Mississippi rivers in competition
with other districts
Burden on Manufacturer.
John A. Mcdonald. manufacturer
Of mems working clothes at ST.
Joseph, Mo-, testified that the pro-
posed Increase in freight rates would
De PAID by the manufacturers as his
product had a fixed retail price.
"Overalls uniformly sell for 81, and
shirts for 80 cents" said the witness.
The retailer don't want 10 handle
any other kind"
Counsel for the railroads, with
much questioning, brought out that
all overalls selling at 81 a pair cost
The manufacturer 81 y cents.
commissioner Daniels said to the
There is one point I would like
TO clear up. This morning a Texas
of cotton fabric said
The manufacturer would have to pay
the increase in rates. this afternoon
jobbers said they would have to pay,
ana now you will have to. How is
hiatt"
81 don't buy any material from
Texas" replied Mcdonald 81 only use
,olored fabrics, which they do not
make Both jobbers declared that
hey bought practically no goods from
Texas
A reply TO the objection OF the rail-
roads to answering thirty-six inter-
rogatories touching the financial con-
1ition of the roads was filed with the
by Clifford Thorne
chairman Of the shippers commit
zee. Mr. ThOrne insisted in his reply
hat the request was reasonable and
would entail little expense 10 the rail-
roads. and contrary to the views of
he objectors. the questions were not
isked out Of curiosity. but were vital
70 the case.