Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1925-10-07

'SLaClng Cnat 1t was good. None
had any complaint of service to
offer.
7. S. kirkpatrick, of Houston, chief
engineer of the Gulf Coast Lines, told
Commissioner Woodlock that for every
4.85 square miles of irrigated land IN
Hidalgo and Cameron counties the Gulf
Coast Lines maintain one mile of main
line track
He was the fins witness for the Mis-
souri, Pacific Railroad System, which is
obJecting to the application of the Sou
thern Pacific for authority to extend
the San Antonio & Aransas Pass line
into the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
A few moments previously J. R. Bell.
of Washington, commerce counsel for
the Southern Pacific, had fired part
ing shot at the Missouri Pacific, which
today began introduction of its testi-
mony designed to show there is not
enough business into the Lower Valley
for two railroads.
In August, 1908, he told the commits
sioner the S. A. & A. p. secured an
build the proposed extension and in
fact did construct about foureen miles
of it. In December of the same year ne
asserted, the Southern Pacific by court
decree was. compelled to relinquish its
control of the S. A. & A.iP and in JuE,
1904, St. Louis, Brownsville & Mex
leo rait5ad. principal artery of the Gulf
Coast Lines, entered Brownsville He
did not presume, he said, to connect
| these incidents with the protest now
before the commissioner. *But,'i he
said, "the court can draw its own lcon-
clusions."
Mr.. Bell also introduced table OF
figures as an exhibit in the casey show
ing the return on the property invest
ment. material and supplies and cash
of the Southern Pacific's lines in Texas
| to have averaged 2.76 per cent in the
four years ending in 1924. The ST
Louis. Brownsville & Mexico railroad
an exhibit introduced yesterday, Shove 1
made 1888 per cent in the same period.
Mr.. Kirkpatrick's testimony apparent
ly was intended to lay the foundation
for its objection to the S A. G. A. p
extension. He explained the significance
of number of maps, which thowed,
among other thingsg. 503,000 acres OF
irrigable land in the Lower Valley;
the sand or probable unproductive, area
contiguous to the proposed extension
and the number of loading stations in
Willacy, Hidalgo, Cameron and small
portion of Starr county. His maps in
| dicated all irrigated land in that sec.
tion. except for a small portion, wai
mithin a minimum of five and not ia
exceed seven miles Of existing or con.
templated loading facilities.
The maps and accompanying explana.
tions, under the direction of Frank An
drews, Texas attorney for the Missouri
Pacific. bristled with data but failed tc
fire the fancy of the audiences which
had dwindled considerably from the
first day of the hearing when the dis.
trict court room was filled to capacity
J. H. Tallichet, Houston, general at.
torney for the Texas lines of the Sou
! thern Pacific. cross-examined Mr. Kirk
ceived to, be errors in some of his cal
culations, including the amount of ir
rigable land in the Lower Valley
Commodore Cobolini said, that he j,
/ in-the wholesale fish business. and has
lived here for Is years. He said thai
he ships about half million pounds Of
fish a year. and that he has found rail
road service to be satisfactory. Exami-
nation was by John A. Mobley of Hous-
| Continued on Page Tw9)