Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1920-04-27

nittiilli1 t0Wn.
Tyrone, n. NJ, is cited as an example
of city that gets lower rate than
Deming, although the railroad has TO
pass through Deming to reach II. Pri-
vately Dening people say the connec-
ton between the Phelps Dodge COM
pany in Tyrone and the FL Paso 4 |
Southwestern railroad has something |
to do with It. The defense replies 10 |
this complaint by saying the rate
quoted is incorrect.
In making his specific demands. Mr. !
Bowman is backed by the state cor
poration commission Of New Mexico
and the Deming iohbTs who fathered
the complaint He does, however. offer
the interstate commerce commission an
alternative or two on behalf of his
complaining clients. II the federal
commission does not want to Amply the
Deming status quo ante October. 1919,
or let the commission raise III Pasos
rates In fact most anything that will
put a crimp In III Pasos competition
with Deming or give Deming what she
considers AN even break will SATISFY this
little New Mexico city.
Dcming firms continued on the stand
today The plaintiffs will end their
testimony today unless something I'M
expected happens. Yesterday was gen
orally regarded ms losing day for
Deming and the state corporation com
mission. due in large measure TO the
hand which the railroads took In the
ross-eNamina ton.
Elmer Westlake, San Francisco, at
torney and rate expert for hte Southern
Pacific. was the feature both yesterday
and today with his sarcastic and pene-
trnting questions, although II. c. Full
bright. who is acting as attorney for
the FL Paso chamber Of commerce, was
not far. II any, behind him. For in
stance, Mr.. Fulbright wrImg from Ed
win +. Coard. rate clerk for the state
corporation commission, and from
lother witnesses the admission that %
az the 30 commodity rates alleged in
the complaint To be in effect were err
lroneous and that some of the class
rates stated Ia be enforced were also
incorrect.
The admission also was made by the
Plaintiffs witnesses that they knew
VERY little about how rates were made
or what Influenced their making. Mr.
Mestlake forced one witness TO admit
that the city Of III .PaSo, with denser
population and n heave rtraffic and II
greater proximity to producing centers,
was probably entitled TO more consid-
forntion than peming
The interest that railroads are taking
I'm the hearing Is shown 10y the pres
enre of. 10 representatives Of various
roads and more are coming. Those who
are here now are W. G. Barnes, freight
traffic manager, II. +. \ ~ W, of FL
Paso; r. X. Minson, general freight
agent Of the A. 4 n. NJ, nj Clifton,
Ariz. Elmer Westlake, attorney, 5. p.
san Francisco; NJ A. Cummings, as
sistant general freight agent, s. F.. San
Francisco: b. +. T.. Marsh. assistant
general freight agent, Santa Fe, To
peka. Kans. W. NJ. Peticolas, general
solicitor f. =. 4 ). W.. III PNso, also
acting for Rock Island; w. II. Brown
vice-presidcnt, II. c., II. =. 4 $. f., III
Paso: L. II. Trimble. rate clerk. r. =,
x 5. W, III PaSO; and f. e. lden, at
tnrney for the Santa Fe, Albuquerque
In addition To other traffic men for
III paso concerns mentioned yesterday
~. II. Pierson of Momsen, Dunnegan
Ryan. and j. u. Nicely, Of Krakauer
York n Move, both of III Paso, are here
John McCourt. a salesman for the
Murray 4 IAyne Co. here, testified that
his firms sales in the towns of RodeC
and Hachta had fallen off as much as
81 500 Il month since the increase OF
outbound rates laN October. That
business, he said. has gone to FL PasC
wholesale grOcers mainly for the rea
son that III Paso'g rates were not in
creased and for that reason III PaSt
firms could underSell Deming firms IN
= order 10 keep M the volume OF bust
ness. MIR. McCourt said nc had to sell
Il at such low margin Of profit that on
= many commodities il did not pay. One
4 Of those commodities, he said was
y grape Juice. There seems 10 be great
G demand for grape juice In the South
i west and III Paso apparently has cor
h ncred the market, so much so that
!. Dcming isn't trying to sell any now.
q The mistakes which the plaintiffs
y admitted they made in the rate quota
i tions In their complaint were all
d against them. as In almost every case
d the actual rate to Dcming was found tC
o be- lower than the rate they quoted
o Mr. Coard and u. ID. Woodward, rate
+. man for Murray x Layne. were boil
4 considerably embarrassed when they
d were asked 10y Mr.. Westlake II they
Il didn't know the real rate. Mr. Wood
P ward admitted that he had found at
i the hearing that Dcming had somC
I. rates that were lower than he had
e ever known before and that he had
II been naying the railroads higher rat,
n all of the time.
r During a little humorous TIT today
between attorneys and witnesses. \
II L. Tndlock. Of the FL Paso chamber oi
# commerce. said that he would not op
l. pose a lower rate on bath tubs to Dem
# ing il the Demine people felt the,
N needed them badly enough.
r. Since the readjustment Of freight
rates in the Southwest last October e
Paso jobbers who have branches II
Deming have found il more pr0fitabl,
L "a detiver orders taken through thcll