| Show THE U JUST CHARGES TIiev InterState Commission HearsEvidence I Z 0u3T J THE COMPLAINANT Strong Cases Alatle Against Both the Union r clf and Rio Grande Western and Eastern Connections k Tho unjust discrimltiiitions against Salt Lake business men and manufacturers have at last come to trial and tbl august tribunal the Interstate Commerce couT mission has sent one of its members to this city on a tour of inspection to take evidence and enquire into the situation General W G Voazoy who was appointed ap-pointed in 1339 to succeed Colonel Walker as a member of the Interstate Commerce commission and who recently was elected commander in hief of the Grand Army of the Republic arrived in this city Sunday I evenlnr The other members of the commission com-mission aro Honorables Thomas M Cooley I chairman William ft Morrison Augustus Sehoomakor Walter L Bra g with EdwinA Edwin-A Mostly secretary Tao comniiision sits at Washington but to MIVG the expense of witnesses attorney aud complainants traveling that long distance dis-tance and to more thoroughly pet at the real grievances of different localities the I commission delegates its members to visit exterior points wore there is a demand for rouress from unjust discriminations AtU oclock jesterday morning General Vjdsoy opened court in tho room in the U ks building occupied by the real estate exchange Hon W R Kelley of Omaha assistant general solicitor of tile Union Pacific was present for tat company and its eastern connections white 1 udLc Hurkmss represented repre-sented the Rio Ghindu Western the Den vt > r Rio Grande and their eastern allies Hon If S Richards aud Hon James I Muylo in behalf of the I were present t11 com plainant tho Z C M I General Freight und Passenger Ai ent Bennett of the Rio Irando Western and J J E Munroe assist ant general truffle manager of the Union racidc line were on hand to testify for ttisir respective lines Members of the transportation committees commit-tees of tho real estate exchange and tho chamber of cOmmerce were also present including Coinniissioner W C B Allen icePrts dent Simon of the chamber of commerce George Osmond J W Whitehead White-head r G Mii Culmer and Judge Bow met were attentive listnets Two complaints were on tile one against the Union pacific the Utah Northern and the Chicago Milwaukee and St Paul oinpanies and the other involving the Rio Grande and the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe The two complaints are virtually tho same showing conclusively that both roads are a unit in their charges t this city COM1LAIiT AGAINST TIE U I The Zions Cooperative Mercantile insti tutionstate that on the 13th day of April 839 they shipped from Wincheudon Mass with freight prepaid theron to Chi cago l1t 100 bales of dernins cotton goods weighing 33200 pounds consigned to Salt Lake city The goods were transferred at Chicago Milwaukee aud St Paul and by it carried to Gouncri Bluffs Iowa or Omaha Neb where theyjwere transferred to the UniOn Pacific wnich carried the same toO to-O den Utah and there transferred to the I Utah Central railway which carried them to Salt Lake City charging as freight hereon from Chicago to Salt Lake SJOL per 100 pounds making SL1SSC4 while the regular tariff rate on demins from Caicatro t o San Francisco at that time was SI 93 per 100 pounds andthat in consequence of the overcharge the railway companies collect col-lect l frpm thei Z C M L the sum of 3j335 1 more than would have been charged to transport said goods from Chicago o San Francisco which is nearly JOJ miles farther a clear violation of section secton 4 of tho act to regulate commerce thus making tan unjust and illegal ille-gal discrimination against the said nstittttion to itsgreat loss and injury ando and-o its detriment as a manufacturer that has to compete wth tho manufactures of ho Pacific slonoj which have the advantasa Pacfc of 9G cents loOipounds in freight as well as the additional profit accruing from the employment of Chinese labor Wherefore tho petitioned prays that the defendant be requested to answer the charges and after due nearing and investigation an order be made commandinc the defendants to cease anddesist from said violation of the act to regulate commerce to restore to said coin oluinanttho sum of money illegally and Unjustly justly collected from it with legal interest thereon and for such other and further order or-der as the commission may deem necessary in the premises A similar package was shipped over the Rio Grande Western tho Denver Rio Grande and the Atchison Topeka Santa Pc The Rio Grande Western answers as follows Theron Geddes auditor of the Rio Grande ply Western malts the following re Upon information and belief it states that at hetime of the said shipmoatof goods the rates on the class of goods shipped were as follows Wicucndom to San Francisco lC per 100 ttis Wicbcudom to Salt Lake city a3J Chicago San Francisco 193 Chicago to Salt Lake city 800 Fort Madison to Salt Lake city 280 That said goods shipped from Wichendoai < which is a point near Boston and has the choice of water transportation to San Francisco at vatcnatcs and the proportion of the through rate to Salt Lake city for service east of Chi ciigo was40 cents per 10 pounds from Chicago to Salt LaUa city SJJO per 100 pounds when billed through but when billed to Fort Madison on the 1Issi8sipp river and thence to salt Lakt clS the proport n on the river was 11 cents and from thence to SaltsLake city S280 per IO pounds That the said coeds were shinpedfrom Jhicago 10 Fort Madison and thence billed t Salt Lake city at a rate of iWtiO per 10D pounds with back charges from Cli c igo to Fort Madison I Madi-son W283 dud no other bill accompanied the good That the fre gal amounting 10 illllyy vas collected by this defendant and retained as follows For back charges from Chicago to I Fort Madison 1 S Fort Madison to Pueblo 8379 Pueblo to State line 529354 and ret re-t lned by this defendant i231tO This defendant suites that the rate of J21 per 103 pounds horn Vinchen on to San Francisco Fran-cisco is low That between Winchendon and San Francisco there is competition by water routeb over which goods cfn be carried much cheaper than by railway There is also competition compe-tition to San Francisco by the Canadian Pacillc and a ratiO of Ucents or less between Chicago and the Atlantic coast enables enables the bhinpor to obtain rte of water transportation between extern points and San Francsoo A T reId jr assistant general passenger agent of the Denver A Rio Grande in his answer coVets the same points as arc included in the Kio Grande Western He claims that the circumstances cir-cumstances of the traffic to Pacilie coast com moh points and to Utah points are so unlike and db similar as not to afford any just basis of comparison com-parison between the rte of tho Pacific coast points and the Utah points The character of the country over and through which this defendants line 01 > no raiUvay runs and tho volume of tralUu carried warrants it in its charges To compel this defendant to materially lower said Utah rates would greatly ate t the net earnings of said roads and greatly embarrass em-barrass said defendants in paying its fIxed interest in-terest maintenance and operating charges if not render it wholly unable to do so scan be seen by tho above answer the I railroad company admitted the rates but madethe point that Winchendon was a few miles from Boston That between Win chendon and San Francisco there is competition com-petition by water routes route-s t Mr Kelley stated that his clients were not ready to submit evidences as to the car ryingcharges by water and would have to take this evidence in New York Mr Richards protested against being compelled to go to New York and it was finally agreed that the defendants should furnish the complainants with a schedule of water charges for their inspection and approval ap-proval before the commission Both parties agreed that for the hearing of these complaint Sat Lake and Ogden are common points tMr Kelly after some consultation with Judge Harkness prepared tho following to whiub Messrs Richards and Moyle whlh MOjle assented as-sented Plaintiffsdo not object to the rates to Salt Lake in themselves other than the fact that ratclq o SaltLake are higher than the rate to SanFrnccoIn thbr word this oomplalnt I l 1 11 L rI ftllSi tNi S t1fi I i 2 f Is I made upon the cb3 > Cc that the defendants under the facts have J vlofevC the 4th Section of the act to regulate commerce Alter securing assent to thoS iOVe Mr Kelley breatned freer ana gave exv ession t his feelings by saying this will greatly shorten matters J H Bennett was called and testified that his road could not do business and pay operating expenses by a prorating with tie other lines Between Denver and Salt Lake they pass over three mountain ranges with grades of 250 feet to the mile and others us heavy as from one hundred to one hundred and fifty He said that the transcontinental business of his line did not amount t more than u per cent of Its earnings Judge Harkness pressed the witness to say there was little wdy business west of I traud Junction 1 This in view of the fact that the point I was urgently made that the transcontmen tat business cut but a small figure in the I ompaiiys business did not seem to jibe I 01 Salt Lake pointsi inust give tho company I tie gieatest part of its earnings I J A Monroe admitted that the transcontinental trans-continental business of the Union Pacific mounted to about 20 per cent of its earn I ngs Ho proved a fluent witness and I talKed to the commission of the overalls in ustry as i he had not only worn jumpers nut made them Ho did not think that the i z U M I had treated his companies fairly claiming that they had no notice of any dissatisfaction nor request of a correc onot lates until the matter was brought t the attention of the commission Mr Kichards called the witness to time by turning to the tiles of correspondence abmittcd in evidence when a demand had been made on the company Mr Munroe went on t state that the discrimination when figured down did not mount to more than 1 cents on a pair ot overalls and that 17 reason that the complainant could not make overalls for all the trade in this section was the fact that tile local retailers did not want to buy from them for tho reason that their customers could call the turn on the C03t of the goods They therefore would prqfer paying a higher price in San Francisco or some other market where the price of the ar tide could not be traced He had met similar instances in his experience He explained that the tariff between Chicago I and San Francisco was divided as follows 5 per cent for Missouri river transfer 15 I per cent for Chicago to Council Bluffs 54 per > cent to the Union Pacific 46 per cent othe Central Pacific and 5 per cent Oakland transfer There being no more evidence the case rested either party to bo allowed to submit anv new evidence The committees appointed by the real state exchange and chamber of commerce I have prepared a very complete report bowing the unjust indiscriminations that exist against this city and will submit it to Commissioner Veazey at 9 oclock this morning at the Walker house |
