Weekly journal-miner., 1922-02-08

states so that Arizona may be repre- sentcd in the rate hearing for the re- duction of all commodity rates ill the intcr-mountain district
 H. w. Prickctt of Salt Lake City, manager of the traffic service bureau of Utah, is representing this group in Washington.
 Lawrence c. Wilson, executive sec- rotary Of the Arizona Farm Bureau and director of the industrial con- gross, has been sent to Washington as a director in this movement to represent Arizona.
 Committee action has been ar ranged so that the state may have the benefit at this hearing of the fol- lowing committee:
 Lawrence c. Wilson, director Ari- zona Industrial congress; Amos A.. Bctts, chairman Arizona corporation commission; Roland Johnston, traffic manager Phoenix Chamber of Com mercc
 Mir Pricketts first report follows:
 Hearings before the interstate commerce commission, invoking the question as to whether railroad reFd- nucs would permit of further rcddc- tions in rates. and, if so, upon what class of traffic, began as per schcd- ulc on January llth.
 "The presentation of the railroads side of the case, including the cross examination Of their witnesses, was concluded on January 18th. The ma jority of the evidence offered by wit ncsses for the railroads was intended to show that no further reduction in transportation rates Should at this time be. ordered by the commission, and they cndcavored to support such testimony by voluminous statistical exhibits. These witnesses, however, did not appear to offer much ob- jcction to a proposal to reduce pas scnger fares six-tenths of cent per mile.
 MT Edward Chambers, vicc-presi- dent of the Santa Fc. was the princi- pal witness for the railroads opcrat- ing in the western district In con nection with his testimony, he pre- sented numerous exhibits showing many thousands of reductions in freight rates made by the railroads since August 26, 1920, the date cf- fcctivc of the last general increase in rates authorized by the commission. On cross-examination of MT. Cham bcrs, as to the reduced rates shown on these exhibits, developed from him that large number of these rates were reduced for the sole pur- pose of increasing the revenue of tho carriers.
 The shippers side of the case be- gan on January 10th. Testimony of shippers interested in coal and coke rates was heard on January 10th and Z0th, and on orc and iron and steel articles began January 2lst.
 Messrs. Vogel and Sandstrom of Denver placed ill evidence testimony of great value relating to coal rates from the Colorado and New Mexico mines to points cast thereof, and 1 went on the stand and cndcavored tc, portray the effect Of the present lcNct of high coal rates in force from the Utah and Wyoming mines. I
 "The National Goal association of fercd valuable testimony dealing with the effect of present coal and coke rates for the country as a whole The only testimony that has been, or will be, presented at these hear ings with respect 10 rates on ore carrying gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc, was that placed in evidence on January Fist by Mir A. G. MacKcn- zic. secretary'of the Utah chapter of the American mining congress, Salt Lake City. and myself.
 We endeavorcd to handle the ore situation for the states of Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Colorado New Mexico and Arizona, aud had statistics prepared showing as to these states the production of orc and the metals extracted thcrcfrom for each annual period, 1912 to 1921; inclusive
 MT Mackenzie went into the question of wages paid miners, com parativc prices paid for metals, and presented many other statistics, all of which indicated that the average wage and the average mine price of meals produced in the west arc prac- tically back to the prc-war basis. whereas the freight rates applicable to the transportation of ore and bull lion are on much higher than pre- war level Nlr Mackenzie ill his testimony clearly made the point that q reduction i'll the transportatiou