THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. . 771 



governed by the principle of "charging all that the traffic will bear," 

 raised the freight tariff from $1.00 to $1.15 per hundred pounds. The 

 lemon growers of California, under the leadership of G. Harold Powell 

 of the Citrus Protective League of California and the late Judge A. 

 P. Call, appealed to the Interstate Commerce Commission and secured 

 several hearings. As a result of these hearings they obtained on 

 June 11, 1910, a decision from this body that the amended rate was 

 "unjust and unreasonable." In September, 1910, the railroads filed 

 a complaint with the United States Circuit Court for the District of 

 Kansas, alleging that the Interstate Commerce Commission in this 

 decision had exceeded its powers, as it favored the growers of Cali- 

 fornia as against the interests of the growers of Sicily, and deprived 

 the railroads of a reasonable and just compensation, and was con- 

 fseatory. This court in February, 1911, granted a preliminary in- 

 junction. The case was then referred to the Commerce Court for a 

 hearing. In October, 1911, this court filed an opinion, overruling the 

 decision of the Interstate Commerce Commission. The ground for 

 reversal was that the decision of the Interstate Commerce Commission 

 was unfair to the foreign producer of lemons. It permitted, however, 

 a rehearing of the case. In November, 1911, the Interstate Commerce 

 Commission reopened the case, and as a result again ordered the rail- 

 roads to fix a rate not greater than $1.00. Again the railroads asked 

 for a preliminary injunction which was refused, and the $1.00 rate 

 took effect February 15, 1912. The case was again argued before the 

 Commerce Commission in Los Angeles, and the request for an injunc- 

 tion was denied. The railroads then appealed the case to the United 

 States Supreme Court, and this body confirmed the decision of the 

 Interstate Commerce Commission, holding that a rate greater than 

 $1.00 was unreasonable." 



G. Harold Powell states that this decision will save to the lemon 

 growers in an average season $200,000 and will materially aid them in 

 the severe competition with Sicily in furnishing our markets with this 

 necessary fruit. 



Wh?t is more, this advantage is retroactive, extending back to 1909. 



There is much that is encouraging in this decision. Ranchers are 

 coming into their own. Even the railroads cannot always rule with 

 a hich hand. There is hope that even with the tariff reduced the 

 lemon interests may not wane, but increase until we can supply our 

 home demand froiji our own groves. — A. J. Cook. 



