| Show PUTS PUIS BLAME ON RAilROADS fOR FORIN fORi IN i ANT PRICES OF COAL 1 I r f f Ir J Expert Before Interstate Com Commerce merce Commission Declares T Profits of Local Dealers Are Fair but Those of Roads and Mines Excessive f FIVE CENTS A TON SATISFIES EASTERN MINES r. r 2 Those of U Utah tali and Wyoming Have Margin of 1 1 J Besides t t e r 1 Paid for Freight Commission Adjourns t. t tSi Si J to f Meet 11 et N Next ext in III 0 Denver enver 1 g i. i I a The session o ton Ion of or th the Interstate Com Corn F. F t t orce commission was a adjourned r yesterday a afternoon to meet In Den Ien- vcr ver Thursday D an and although yester- yester r dRY lays days 8 session was short the A. A tf lion n of several witnesses es brought ou oua out 1 a fund Cund of information lc regarding Jh the lime railroad coal bu business of oC Utah am and V Wyoming Expert testimony Introduced Intro Intro- was to the effect that the t oJ r of holding up tho public of oC Salt Sal f Lake for Cor coal to the tune tunc of oC a aton aton ton when It H could be delivered delI nt a al l fair tah profit for 1 Jl to 2 a ton less Is IsI q r d due e to the HarrIman coal companies I and railroads rather rathor than to s exee-s- c f. f I e profits demanded by the local loca p coal dealers The attorneys for the commission r L. L I were vero not able to show any positive e connection between the tho Kemmerer rr Coal company compan un and the Union Pacific Coal company compan or the Union Pacific Railroad company The neatest nearest approach ap ap- approach t to showing such a connection was when the commission lon asked d P P. J J. J vice president and general manager for Cor the tho Kemmerer company If he had an any objection to showing the pa pay rolls of his company compan Here Parley Parley Parley Par Par- ley I. I L. L Williams attorney for fOI the Oregon Oregon Oregon Ore Ore- gon Short Line railroad l Jumped to his Ids feet excitedly and entered a vehement vehement ehe ment protest lie He did not explain wh why r he In his capacity of oC attorney attorney- for COl the Harriman railroad should be afraid to have the books of the Kemmerer 1 company compan produced before beCore the commission com corn mi mission lon b but t he did lid td fa say errs that It would be beJ bean bean J an aTI unreasonable and ob- ob e to proceeding Inter tnt p Gomm mm r rc com om nl 11 T l tb r caul iq lr tf u J tit t. foo J t X lY lr l y V nor Prouty Proul said the corn com r had no authority ity to compel the company company- to produce its books booVis unIe unless unless un un- Ie less it could show how that It was connected connect connect- ed with the railroad company HP lie said I he would be glad to see them however however how how- ever In order that the th commission might a n whether nether I there were an any railroad on tho the pay rolls of the company compan The fhe extreme solicitation solicitation solid solid- tation of the railroad attorney for Cor the rights of the coal company compan and his needless excitement were all for nau naught ht as the pay rolls roll of the Kern Kem- company when shown to the commissioner later showed no connection con con- with the railroad Mark Hopkins a mining engineer of Y 1 Salt Lake was a willing witness before the thc commission and showed a 0 vast vast fund of or information concerning the tho 1 mining and nd handling of coal His testimony tes- tes told old the following story to th the t commission commission- ion Mr Ir Hopkins came Vest West In 1880 1886 ast as t t assistant to D D. O. O Clark then general superintendent of ot the Union Unton Pacific Coal company During his experience In tn tho the business he has had char charge e of coal producing properties In Rock flock RockSprings Springs tl Grass Gras Creek and other points In Sn Utah and Wyoming and amI for 18 of the months was superintendent Cumberland mine r Costs 80 HO Cents Cent ill ut lI C I Mr 11 Hopkins said eald the cost of putting putting put put- ting coal on n the ClI cats cars at the mine In Inthe i. i tho the Western field was on an average r about SO cents a ton an and he said that I from his long and varied experience experience- I in the business he believed coal should not cost more Ulan than 1 a n. tun ton at the mine allowing the tho mine owner a aL ai L i t- t reasonable profit Mr 1011 Hopkins said saM he believed that in 1902 D. D 0 O. Clark had a blanket rate of one halt cent per mile tulle for all freight and supplies pent cent ent to him over the Harriman lines and that a rate of or one cent mile was made f 1 0 for transporting miners to the tho proper prop prop- r er ty A mine about four tour miles southwest ri I of the Cum Cumberland erland property properly had ad to It pay puy regular rates for tor Its services from t the tho Union Pacific Commissioner Prouty asked why It jt t was that the Union Pacific company I had such extensive holdings of coa coal 10 lands and yet yot had so BO few min mines Mr II Hopkins sal said most of or the coal was of oC low tow grade Going to the lice scientific Hideo side Hide o of the question the witness explained that In order to operate a n. I acre GO-acre tract of or coal such as ml most of ot those In Wyoming the veins must he be near and parallel with a railroad Commissioner Commission Commission- er Prouty said he ho had learned that tha coal operators In tho the anthracite fields I In tn the line East Enst wore were satisfied with a profit of 5 G cents ai fIllon ton and this was compared com corn pared with the Jl S1 profit on each ton made mado by tho railroad-coal railroad company combinations In audition addition to the profits from transporting coal which were regarded regarded re re- as extremely good at ot the rate rale to Salt SaIl I lake Extremely i l Good Mr 0 h Hopkins said sold the loss 1088 to Individual Individuals Indi mill vidual who stored coal was a considerable consid consid- considerable erable item but hut to large larse corporations they able to u use e etho It was wal slight as tho time slack for tor steam purposes He aid mine Cumberland to the the tracks were put nut in before he wont to that superintendent but he had hadn company In a track as Jt at 1110 where the Union Pacific pal paid one half the and the coal company compan one one- expense I hair half The track he said was ted Pacific lJ tho the Union by Commissioner Prouty said saM D. D O. O Clark had testified before him al at Omaha Oma Om-a. effect that the Union Paha Pacific Pa Pa- ha t to o the chic Coal company had an aera average c I cent cont In slag slack This Mr 11 15 95 of or loss lass per pel 6 estimate estl- estl Hopkins said paid was too toe high nn an ono one mine min mineo e said BallI there thele was mate mat lIe He o owned by br tho the Union Pacific company Q 9 where the loss logs was vas was 50 per cent hut but time average would he bo loss less than titan 45 per percent cent cont High ln From Standpoint In answer to a n. question as to lo whether he thought coal prices In Salt SaltI I k were too loo hl high h. h Mr 11 Hopkins bro J brought ht a n. general en ml laugh h by Inquiring Inquiring- whether th the commissioner meant from froma a buying or selling standpoint He lie HeId said Id for tor the consumer Salt Lake prices were certainly too high Castle Gale Gate can put coal on cars cais for Cor 1 a ton and make a R. profit he said ERld and amI about 3 nulls mills per pea ton per Tr mile wa was the actual cost of the Iho railroads in handling coal I The rhe attorney for the commission ion asked askell Mr Hopkins if he lie thought a profit of for fOI Salt Lake dealers s was loo too much and he said he h believed be be- the tho lit dealers made madl a clear profit of oC about 00 GO cents a ton after pa paying mg for fOl hauling and maintenance of oC their the I yards ar 8 and losses of coal In transit as aswell aswell well as oth other oilier r shrinkage He said the Union Pacific controlled the coal market mar mar- I ket of oC V Wyoming and Utah Ulan although It sells only about aboul 25 per cent of the I coal consumed In Utah He lie said this business of the Union Pacific was enough to lo enable it to regulate res prices and the scale for Cor Utah Is fixed by the Union Pacific and followed b by the Rio Grando Grande Western companies on the principle that It Is not good business practice for COI them to cut prices It was developed that the control of this market b by the Harriman lines hues was cl demonstrated when prices were advanced advanced advanced ad ad- at the tho mines from 2 to lo 2 25 ln and through fear rear of public public- opinion when the facts were made mado known E E. H. H Harriman pel pe personally or ordered cred a re- re r d nto j s ii v 4 y 1 i Hoth 1 H ht lD a ug ng t 1 k c el l 1 v ut x g 1 cu coal t waR vas said that thed the railroads reply that the they can not got get Ct the coal and anti the mine operators bR say thc they can not liot get Jet cars Mr lr Hopkins Hop Hop- kins said both were rl right ht P. P J. J vice pr president and general manager for the Kemmerer foal Coal company tried to make the commission commission commission com com- mission believe he J knew new nothing about shortage shortage- of oC coal or of cars cats lIe He dented denied that F. F G G. Wheeler purchasing agent for or the Oregon Ore Short L Line Lne ne was nn m the payroll of ot the Kemmerer company compan company com com- pany pan although the railroad was a customer customer customer cus cus- tomer of or the company to the extent of or r several hundred tons Ions a week He lie Hetal t-al t said the Kemmerer company compan sold coal In Salt Lake Lale and In Omaha and paid regular rc tariff rates for transportation When hen asked what arrangements he had with the Union Pacific for foa tracks IP to the mines he hl sai said In Iii consideration a tion Uon for fol the Union Pacific giving Ivin me connection with Ith Its It track the Union Pacific built bunt the spur at my expense He lIe said he had reciprocal relations with the Union Pacific regarding coal and antl sheep Couldn't Handle the Coal Cual In answer to a n. question whether Mr AIt knew v o of any Instance where the Union Pacific refused to tomake malte make track connections with coalmines coal coalmines coalmines mines he said ld a man named Beyer had told him that the Union Uno l Pacific refused to put In a u spur for the reason reason rea rea- son given by the railroad that It H could not handle all the coal on its Mlle line from mines already opened lie was asked It If the Union Pacific was generally friendly ly to coal operators and replied by saying saying- the road was friendly toward him He lie said he understood understood understood un un- th the railroad was against tho the opening opening- of ot new mines for the tho rea reason on that the road roud was short of equipment to handle hand Ie coal Mr Mt estimate of or the cost of mining mining- coal and putting It on cars curs at the mines was WIlS as high as The witness was asked If he knew of any shortage of coal cars or of oC coal coni famines In the district supplied by bythe bythe bythe the Union Pacific railroad and he lie replied by asking If IC any anyone one had ever evel suffered from lack of coal He also admitted that the Union Pacific had granted his mine a n. rate rute of ono one cent centa a n. mile for transporting miners Just after he had said he knew k of no serious serious seri serl- ous shortage of cars carR he was asked If he knew the Union Pacific could furnish furnish fur fur- nish only cars a day for the trans- trans portion of coal when the needs of the demanded cars curs a dayI day Ho llo said ho he believed that statement was true I Couldn't Make fluke w ul-w Arrangements In reply to direct questions the witness witness wit wit- I ness admitted that he had opened a on Oil Pa Page PaRO o Two o. BLAME RAILROADS FOR EXORBITANT PRICES Continued From Ia Page One Olt coal coal mine just west or of the he present mine hine of his company and ancl could not make arrangements with wih the Union Pacific to have track connections le He lie said salti the railroad collected coal bills In some semi In instances from flom his hits company but was ivas unable to tn say sy whether this was done dono by hy the Union Pacific so that thaI It might keep keel track of the time production of the Kemmerer mines and amid the tho prices price nm maintained i mm ta i Thomas mine superintend superintendent S ent emit for fol time the Diamond Coal Cual Coke company was another old ohl of that company who hue did Ild not know lie tho tl name name of the president or oi secretary of the organization About all he hue seem seem- d to know linow about the tho company 1 he lie was working for forUS was US that J. J W. W White hUe was superintendent of the time company lie He- le ledill did dill not know who his Imo paid wages but the cashier got the lie mone money from roam Ana Ana- conda a. a S. S Cant Can't Get Gel Cars or O Men Mr 11 said alc the dai daily production ion tion ton of the Diamondville Je j mines amines was I Ibo t 2000 ton ton and 75 per cent went to the Anaconda and Butte smellers Some Sonic coal went to the Oregon Oregon Oregon Ore Ore- gon Shor Line Lne and the rest went emit to 10 Utah Nebraska li and amI Idaho He Ht said alc the mine was behind orders because it could not nol get men or om- cars eams The Time Anaconda smelters smellers furnished his company com coma pany with twenty cars ears to U use t 01 transporting coal to ute anti and Anaconda Ana Ann conda Regarding the time cost of mining coal the he witness ss said It J could be he placed on cars cas at the Diamondville mines tot for 01 85 cents to a a. ton thC h higher I her cost bel being ngo a ami mine ne where water Interfered with wih Its Js operation Ship Shil Crude Oil N V. V Taylor a lawyer of Snit Salt Lake Lale and amid genet general manager er of 01 the Salt Lake Lako Oil 01 company compan said hl his compan company com coma pan pany had about acres acrs of oil oi land under lease In In Spring Valley The Time company he sId said had seven V l wells ar varying in imm pi production from rom roam 10 lo to 50 barrels banels a a. da day clay This oil oi oil he lie said was I of nC the lie finest linest grade Jade found in time the United Unice Unit Unit- Uni- Uni ed ce States Slates ami was about 1 1 I 73 7 a barrel barel The company had shipped sIx carloads to Florence Colo Cole at a arat arl rat rl of if 30 cents cent a hundred pounds pound This rate rato he hue did not re regard ard as ex- ex cOlu considering dering the time distance but Lul it was wa-s prohibitive pm to 10 the oil 01 company He lie said the time United Oil 01 company a n branch of the lie Standard was waR tricky in bum running down time the I g gravity of oC the ni oil and amid h he lit did not nol like to lo do business with I It He ITo had never tried t to get Jet rates for shipping oil 01 to California but his company company company com com- pany was now building a refinery i atIs of at Is Its own on tho time field feld No more inure witnesses were ere present when the session was resumed ester yesler- da hay day aftem r Pout Prouty asked ell Parle Parley L L. Williams and John W. W Yo Lacey Laccy attorneys for Cor the Harriman lines If ir they desired deshell to 0 make an any statements before the lie commission and andon andon on thou thel declining the Salt Sail Lake Iko wits was brought to a close |
