The morning news., 1888-09-24
TO FIGHT HIGHER RATES
LUMBER MEN TO GO BEFORE THE
RAILROAD COMMISSION.

The Rate to Go into Effect Next Week
Seventeen Per Cent. Higher Than
the Present Rate How the Present
Rate Was Fixed-Mill Men Say That
They Cannot Stand the Increase at
the Present Low Prices of Lumber
The lumber men went up to Atlanta last
night in force with their attorneys, to ap-
pear before the railroad commission to-
morrow to try and get a revocation of the
order fixing an increased freight tariff for
the railroads on the transportation of tim
Der and lumber, which, it is announced,
will go into effect Oct. l. The delegation
was composed of Nessrs. W. b. Stillwell,
r. /. Kinsey. J. J. McDonough, NJ. w.
Dixon, Z. f. Foy. y. Frierson, and Sam B.
Adams, Esq. and L. G. du Bignon, Esq.
The lumber men claim that the tariff rate
fixed by the commission is II per cent net
higher than the present tariff, and will be
so burdensome that it must have very
discouraging effect upoa an industry al
ready embarrassed by the low prices which
lumber comman DIS.
3 THE PRESENT TARIFF.
1t is said that the railroads in 1888, when
they agreed upon the present tariff rate,
did SO with an understanding that when
lumber advanced in price there was to be
corresponding advance i'll freights. The
lumber men say that lumber hasn't been
lower for years than 1t is now, and that the
railroads had the commission fix the Octo-
ber tariff without notifying them of any
proposed change, and that it will cost the
mills thousands of dollars additional at
time when the lumber industry is depressed.
The roads, they claim, can afford to carry
lumber cheaper if anything, because the
prices Of Railroad iron, lumber, timber and
other railroad material are cheaper than
when the present schedule was fixed. They
believe that wher these facts are brought to
the attention of the railroad commission
the order will be revoked and the present
schedule will be retained.
HOW 1T WAS FIXED.
Mr.. j. J. Dale gave a very interesting ac-
count Yesterday of how the present tariff
was fixed, shortly after the organization of
the railroad commission. When the COM.
mission was organized it sent out circulars
calling upon the railroads for a copy of
their freight tariff schedules, and the rail
roads were careful to send their schedule of
the freight tariff on lumber, which was in
operative at the time, as they were then
carrying lumber at from 30 per cent to 40
per cent less than their schedule price.
Mr.. Dale said that when the lumber men
heard of this they met and appointed a
committee to wait upon the railroads to see
if they could not effect an agreement, and
avoid antagonisms before tho commission.
This committee was composed of MeSsrs.
Dale. Reppard and Bacon. The last named
gentleman waited on the officers of one of
the roads. and MeSsrs. Dale and Reppard on
the officials of the other road.
WENT BEFORE THE COMMISSION.
No compromise was effected and then
the committed, with Judge Tompkins and
associate counsel, went before the commits
sion, and when they had fully presented their
case the present tariff was the result Mr..
Dale said that there was no compromise or
understanding then as to increasing the
tariff with the advance in lumber, and even
if there had been, Mr.. Dale said that In his
twenty-five years experience in the lumber
business he had never known the prices to
be SO depressed as now. He thinks it possi-
BILE that the lumbermen on the line of the
Brunswick and Western then the Bruins
wick aud Albany and on the line of the
East Tennessee. Virginia and Georgia road,
may have had some such understanding
as to an advance in freights with an ad-
vance in the price of lumber, as they were
not before the commission, but he is salts
fed that no such understanding was had
then. as he was chairman of the committee
and gave the railroads hard tussle. ''In
fact said he, Ito use a cracker phrase. we
whooped EN- out. 1"
THE ARGUMENT TO BE USED.
Mr.. duBignon said last night, before leav-
ing for Atlanta, that if such an arrange
ment had ever been understood between the
lumber men and the railroads that freights
were to advance with the advance in lum-
ber, there would be no difficulty in showing
the commission that instead of an advance
in the price of lumber, there has been
sharp decline, and that lumber men cannot
afford to have freights advanced, especially
when it will add thousands of dollars to the
expense of prosecuting an industry already
depressed. The delegation will be in At
lauta the greater part of the week, expect
ing to be before the commission tomorrow
and Wednesday, if not for longer time
QUARANTINING AGAINST SIN.