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Show COMMISSI CUTS FEES MENSES Costs of Receivership and Reorganization of Western West-ern Pacific Reviewed. SAN FRANCISCO, July 13. Approving Ap-proving reorganization of tho Western Pacific railroad, sold recently under foreclosure for $18,000,000, the California Califor-nia railroad commission in a decision today termed as "extravagant" the fees asked by attorneys in the receivership receiver-ship proceedings, the largest of which is that of $172,000, presented by John 8. Partridge of San Francisco, counsel for the receivers, for services coveriug sixteen months. "It seems to be entirely too usual,' says today 's decision, 1 ' when a railroad rail-road or other utility passes through receivership re-ceivership for everybody connected therewith, lawyers, bankers, reorganizes, reorgan-izes, committee officers and special masters, to regard the unfortunate corporation cor-poration as legitimate prey for the most exorbitant claims claims that would not be presented by a rational person for similar services to a grow ing concern." The claim of $7000 asked by Francis Krull, United States commissioner, who conducted the sale of the road at auction, auc-tion, was also referred to as extravagant. extrava-gant. Regarding this claim the commission com-mission says: "The services of the special master for which $7000 is asked, consisted of reading the notice of Bale of the road to the people assembled in front of the Oakland railroad station and accepting the bid made by the purchasers." In cutting down the expense the commission com-mission eliminated $350,000 from the $2,350,000 asked to cover the expense of receivership and reorganization. The costs of receiverships and reorganizations re-organizations in general came in for a drubbing in the commission's decision as too costlv under the present system, as a substitute for which the commission commis-sion suggested the control of defunct railroads by the interstate commerce commission, or the state railroad commission com-mission in the case of an intrastate utility. |