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Show ASK FURTHER PROBE OP WESTERN ROADS Scope of Hearing Before Commerce Commission May Be Enlarged j CHICAGO Apr 1 8 A comp ete expos t on of the financial history of the forty one western rai road s stems which are pet (Jon ng for permlss on to Increase the r fre g t rates on ce ta n commod es was asked to&aj n the hearing of the western rate cae at the close of the presentat on of witnesses for the ai roads befo e W JI Dan e s Inter , state commerce con m ss oner j The request for nformat on came in 1 the ehape of th rty s x in e rogator es fi ed by Cl fiord Thorne cha rman of the Iowa rai road comm ss on and chairman of the special comm t ee representing sixteen western s ate comm ss ons op , posing the carriers plea for advances . In fre ght rates j The nterrogatorfes ask. enl ghtenment as to the d spos tlon of ra oad reve 1 nues in recent years specific data, on ce tain operat ng cos s as we 1 as the flnsnc al h story of the railroads The offic a Information we a e ask ng this comm ss on to requ e the ca riers to furn sh Mr Thorne aid in present ng the nterrogatories s n the ma n s ra ar to the data the comm ssion itself demanded in the ea ern rate ca e We cons der it extreme y important that the same character of information be supp ed n th s invest ga on One of the ques ons wh ch var es f om the eastern request for lnforraat on is S ate what sums have been expend ed in ra s ng the standard of your p op erty or in mak ng improvements add t ons or extens ons wh ch have been charged to ope at ng expen es dur ng each of the fiscal years from 1901 to 1904 inclus e Ra way officials in aklng the stand f ank y adm tted on cross exam na on that arge sums of money for add t ons and betterments lad been so expended and cha d to operat ng expenses but the compan es so far have refused to s ate the amount of money so expended Cons dera on of the Interrogate es was con nued un 1 tomorrow when C C Wr ght counsel for the railroads i said he wou d state the pos t on the ra ; oads wou d take in that regard |