The hearing before the Interstate Commerce Commission and State Railroad Commission for abandonment of the Yosemite Valley Railroad continued all day and until nearly 6 o’clock Friday evening, December 1.

        The afternoon conference was carried on more or less in same manner as that which you heard in the morning.. There perhaps was not quite so much heckling on the part of the National Lead Company’s lawyer, or the Yosemite Valley Railroad’s lawyer, Mr. L. E. Tripp.

        The presentation by the National Lead Company’s manager from Los Angeles was perhaps the highlight of the hearing, for he was completely conversant with the Company’s problem -- not only of the transportation, if the railroad should be abandoned, but of all the various other features of their business -- regarding which the Yosemite Valley Railroad’s attorney questioned him quit intimately.

        The Yosemite Valley Railroad’s presentation by Mr. White was a very business like procedure, and he, too, was well informed. It was quite different from the testimony of both Mr. Bonsall and Manager Foster for the Yosemite Valley Railroad.

        At the closing, Mr. Justus Craemer of the State Railroad Commission said they would abide by the decision of the Interstate Commerce Commission, that being the ranking Department interested.

        Mr. W. J. Schutrumpf, (Schoe-trump) examiner for Interstate Commerce Commission, in closing stated that data would be typed and sent to Washington for the Commission’s review. The indications were that there would be no reply for several months.

        There were mixed feelings among the Merced group, but in general they felt that there had been a fair hearing.

Frank A. Kittredge,
Superintendent.