Show CLARK SECURES MURI Interstate I Commerce e Commis Commission Commission Commission sion Inquires Into Coal Shortage at Pueblo I LOCAL DEALERS PAY MORE I ALLEGED DISCRIMINATION DI NATION NOT EXPLAINED Pueblo Colo Cob Dec 3 United States Commerce Commissioner E E Clark assisted by Attorneys Thomas and Marchand this morning began an in iii investigation h of alleged land frauds and the relations between common carriers to the production of coal and oil and the transportation If f same This was the way the commissioner explained his visit to Pueblo It Is understood that a large number of wit witnesses witnesses nesses will be examined today in con connection connection connection I with the coal land Jand holdings of the Colorado Fuel and Iron company compan the Denver Rio Grande the Colorado Southern and Santa Fe railroads for forthe forthe forthe the purpose of securing data which will willbe willbe willbe be submitted to congress for definite action Should the investigation bring out facts to warrant it however the matter will be brought to the attention of a special United States grand and jury called for the purpose of oC indicting those against whom charges may be preferred Pueblo a Coal Center The hearing in this city was held ow owing owing owing ing to the fact that it is the distributing distributing distributing center for the thc vast coal fields at Canon City Trinidad Walsenburg and the entire southern portion of Colorado and the commissioner expects to gather some valuable information Within the past few weeks the general land office at Washington has caused to be with withdrawn withdrawn withdrawn drawn from fr m entry more than a million and a half acres of land said to con contain contain tain thin coal in the Pueblo P eblo district to pre prevent prevent prevent vent monopolization of the coal indus inus industries industries tries of the country by railroads and other corporations Rate discrimination in other lines Unes of I I business may also be looked hooked into I Ithe At the conclusion of the hearing here the commissioner will go to Denver to continue his investigations along simi similar similar lar Jar lines Unes The morning session was devoted to the examination of Denver Rio Grande local officials I II I The Tiie principal evidence was the al alleged i fact that the Colorado Fuel Iron company pays pa s a rate of 2 a ton I for coal from froni Crested Butte to Pueblo while the small local dealers pay 4 t per ton I Another piece of alleged discrimination tion in favor of the Colorado Fuel Iron company was shown in il ii the matter of the rate on coke from Walsenburg being 75 15 cents a ton for the Colorado Fuel company or about half haf the amount charged the general public Great Discrimination Under rapid fire questions shot mer mercilessly mercilessly mercilessly by J T Marchand one of the attorneys for the commission witnesses admitted that while the freight rate on coal from the Trinidad fields to the I Pueblo coal dealers is 1 t per ton the I same service costs the smelting com corn company I pany but 75 cents per ton a difference of 25 2 cents which was unexplained and undisputed The 1 rate is the published tariff applicable to the public The smelting company compan pays 1 per ton freight on coke from the Walsenburg Colo Cob district while the published tar tariff iff is 2 according to testimony Coal from Canon City costs the Colorado Fuel J Iron Ir company cents per ton freight while the public pays pa s 75 cents per ton toe The nominal charge in freight to the fuel company for certain classes of coal from the Walsenburg district Is la per ton but the revision clerk of the Denver Rio Grande charges but 56 cents per ton the evidence developed today These damaging admissions were from a Rio Grande who said that the cut in rates to the smelt smelting smeltIng smeltIng ing company was made pursuant to a aletter aletter aletter letter received from Fred Wild Jr gen general general eral freight agent of the Uie le road who made it clear that the communication was of a confidential nature The bill blU billing blUing ing clerks were not notified of the re reduction reduction reduction Effort to Explain There was no effort on the part oC ot the Rio Grande attorneys present in incourt Incourt Incourt court today to explain these alleged discriminations E N Clark one of oC the railroads legal representatives merely made a futile fume attempt to have haye the tes testimony Umon of the witnesses stricken from the records on the ground that it related to shipping within the state of Colorado purely and could not be considered within the scope of the interstate com corn commerce commerce merce commission Commissioner Clark refused to strike out the evidence ex ox explaining explaining that under the lespie joint resolution of o congress such matters are proper subjects for inquiry Accordingly there was no of consequence and an l no evidence in refutation Alleged Combination The commission made a rather ex cx extended extended tended inquisition into the alleged com corn combination combination of retail coal dealers of Pueblo which Is said to be detrimental to the interests of the consumer outside of the corporations named None of the deal dealers dealers dealers ers ers subpoenaed would admit that such sucha a trust existed although they did not deny that the prices on certain kinds of coal are arc always cautiously close as be between between between tween different dealers One witness said that ninety per cent of the coal handled in Pueblo comes from the Colorado Fuel Iron company and the Victor Fuel company although he said he knew of no orders implied or other otherwise otherwise otherwise wise applicable to the scale of rates to the The commission will sit in Denver to tomorrow tomorroW tomorrow morrow |