Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1925-10-08
MP WITNESSES
UP PASHEARINC
NEARS FINISH
Service is Good and No
Second Road Needed
Woodlock is Told;
Hold Night Session

| Entering the last lap OF it's struggle
! to shut the Southern Pacific Railroad
out of the Lower Rio Grande territory,
the Missouri Pacific placed witnesses 5
on the stand at the Interstate Commerce
Commission hearing here today tending
to show that present railroad service is
adequate and that some of the territory
which would be served by extension of
the Southern Pacific's San Antonio &
Aransas Pass Railroad into the Valley
is not suited to agricultural develop
ment.
Caesar Kleburg, of Norias, Kennedy
ranch, told Commissioner Thomas F..
Woodlock that the several hundred
thousand acres of the King properties,
can be used for little except cattle
raising. He did not think his section
would be ready for another railroad for
ten years.
Raymond Slaughter, manager of
lumber yard at San Benito, said he
"did not care about any more rail-
roads"
j. A. Brown, of Houston, freight
traffic manager Of the Gulf Coast-Inter-
national Great Northern railroads, both
controlled by the Missouri Pacific
System, covered existing and contem-
plated loading facilities at points in
the Valley, which he said are adequate;
and explained the method of handling
vegetable and fruit shipments. He was
on the stand all morning and covered
the traffic situation in elaborate
| fashion.
j. r. Bell, of Washington, commerce
counsel for the Southern Pacific, intro
duced exhibits showing average re-
turn to Southern Pacific Texas sub
sidiaries from 1921 to and including
1924 For the G. H. & S. A. it was $40
per cent; H. & T. C. 4.20; 7. & N. o.
2.9 per cent, including a deficit for
each of the first three years; H. E. &
w. 7. 1877. The returns were figured
on property investment, material and
supplies and cash. They were produced
in response to Missouri Pacific demand
after the Southern Pacific had pre-
viously introduced an exhibit showing
the return of the ST. Louis, Brownsville
& Mexico. as 1888 per cent in like
period and based on the same items.
Commissioner Woodlock, who hoped
to end the hearing today announced a
night sessional to be held. His sched
ule calls for his presence in Washing
ton next Monday at the semi monthly
meeting of the commission.
G. H. Mattingly, attorney for the COM
mission, will leave tonight for Amarillo
to hear testimony in the application of
the Rock Island Railroad for permi ssion
to extend its line from Liberty to Am
arillo.
The San Antonio & Southern Railway
Company, more commonly known as the
Artesian Belt line, beginning at point
on the International-Gre Northern
and extending south to Simmons, today
filed an Intervention, apparently merely
to protect any rights it might have in
any subsequent effort to dispose of the
| property. 1t brought total interven-
tions to 18.
| Explaining the table of figures re-
| lating to earnings of Southern Pacific
| Texas roads, Mr.. Bell said that 1924
earnings of both the G. H. & S. A. and
of the H. & T. c., which respectively
were shown to have been 5.71 and 5.15
largely were due to oil field develop
ment. In curious contrast, it was shown
that the I. & N. o. lost money from
1921 to 1925 and enjoyed a return of
only 90 per cent in 1924. Except for
Mr.. Bells explanation, the exhibit drew
no comment.
Caesar Kleberg asserted sufficient
loading facilities in the vicinity of the
King ranch for handling cattle ship
| ments.
j. H. Tallichet, Texas counsel for the
| Southern Pacific, brought from the
witness the statement that he used a
free pass on the Missouri Pacific line but
Mr.. Andrews, counsel for those lines in
Texas, countered by asking if it did
not come to him by virtue of being a
member of the Texas Livestock Sanitfry
Commission and to which he, with other
members of the commission, is entitled
1t did, the witness said.
Mr. Kleberg thought that construction
of another railroad into his part of the
state would be like placing two hotels
side by side.
You do not see any use," Mr.. An
drews suggested, "in duplicating trans
portation service where it already is
adequate and letting the people pay the
bir."
Mr.. Kleberg agreed with the state
ment
! lcontiaued on Page Two)