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Show PAYROLL Builders of Utah. D. C. Perkins, sec-retary sec-retary of the Utah Cereal Food company. ARGUMENTS I BATE OUESTIDNJPRIL 27 Taking of Testimony by the Interstate Commission Is Finally Ended. WASHINGTON", April S. Taking of testimony by the intcretato commerce commission on the application of eastern railroads for a 5 per cent Increase In freight rates' was concluded today, so fui hs the present phase of the proceeding Is concerned. Protestants against any increase in the Iake-anrl-rall rales closed their case with thp testimony of Julius II; Barnes of Du-luth, Du-luth, who urged that the Iake-and-rall carriers were not entitled to an advance in rates, because their service was antiquated an-tiquated and unnecessarily expensive to shippers. Arguments upon the .question as to the need of tho carriers for moro Income have heen set for April 27, and tho commission commis-sion expects briefs to bo In hand by that time. It Is probable no further proceedings proceed-ings will be held until tho commission shall havo announced a decision, on that question. Tf the commission should hold that tho added income is not needed, the caEe will terminate automatically. Great lakes packet boat lines, Independent Inde-pendent of the railroads, are making, according ac-cording to testimony submitted today, good profit on investment, although tlu?y carry less tonnage than the lines under railroad control. Tho intimations of witnesses wit-nesses for the shippers wore that the rail lines woro "starving" their boat lines through expensive management and the continuance of out-of-date -methods of operation, to divert traffic to tho rail lines. Julius 11. Barnes," cljalrman of tho' traffic traf-fic committee of tho Duluth Commercial club, maintained that the attitude of the railroads tended to reduco tho lake tonnage. ton-nage. "We challenge," said Mr. Barnen, "the whole policy of the operation by the railroads rail-roads of package freight lines on tho great lakes. It lias all tho disadvantages; of a monopoly and nono of a monopoly's advantages." Ho Insisted that expenses to tho shippers, Instead of being reduced, were constantly being Increased. G. R. Hall, traffio manager of the Duluth Du-luth Commercial club, criticised "the archaic methods" used by the laJce-and-rall lines in handling freight. |