The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-04-07

WASHINGTON, April 6..-The hearing
Of the petition Of the Southern Railway
Company that 1t be allowed to meet the
cut in rates recently made by the Sea-
board Air Line, by the grant OF permits.
sion to charge less for long than for
short distances for the transporta sion
OF passengers only, came up before the
Inter State Commerce Commission this
morning. Commissioners Morrison,
.Veazey, Yeomans, Knapp and clements
were present. Leslie Ryan represented
the Southern Railway Company 90 coun.
sci. L. R. Watts appeared for the Sea-
board Air Line, e. S. Goodman for the
Richmond chamber of commerce, and
e. j. Lockwood, for the Norfolk and
Western railway. Many Southern rail-
road men were present.
Mr. Ryan opened for the Southern by
saying that great injury had been done
1t by the Seaboard's cut rates, and after
he had placed q mass of railroad tariffs
in evidence, counsel for the Seaboard
opposed the application. The Seaboard's
action, he said, was dire .tly In conse-
=
rebates made by the Southern through
the agency OF ticket brokers and other
persons. He claimed further that the
Southern had thus been continually
violating the clauses OF the Interstate
commerce law, particularly those refer
ring to the long aud short haul clauses
OF the law The Seaboard, counsel said,
therefore asked that she Southern be
not permitted to do legally what it was
already doing.
Mr.. Ryan objected to the Introduction
OF any evidence in support of the allie.
cations Of the Seaboard as not being
german to the petition OF the Southern,
which, he claimed, had not made any
only asked for it's own relief.
Mr.. Watts replied that the Southern
had asked the suspension of the inter
stato commerce law because Of the
alleged rate cutting OF the SeHboRrd,
and he claimed for the latter road the
right to show why 1t had cut rates, and
to show further that the preaent situa-
tion resulted entirely from the actions
of the Southern, which had in equity no
right TO ask relief from results brought
about by it's own &C ton.
The commissioners held that the evil
derce in question might be submitted
a. the proper time.
Sol Haas. assistant president OF the
Southern, took the stand and assorted
that the present rates Of the Seaboard
for through business could not be main
tained at profit. He entered positive
denial Of the allegations that the
Southern had sold tickets through
scalpers at less than regular rates, hut
In answer to question declined to deny
that the Southern has sold tickets at
less than regular rhtes, saying merely
that he did not believe the Seaboard
could prove any such sale.
w. a. Turk, general passenger agent
of the Southern, and Mr.. Haas both de-
clared that as far as they knew no
efforts had been taken to prevent the
Pennsylvania from placing on sale the
reduced tickets of the Seaboard.
General Passenger Agent Anderson,
OF the Seaboard, testified that the Penn
sylvania, without notice, had with
drawn Seaboard line tickets from sale
and thus had compelled it to buy tickets
over the Pennsylvania from New York
to Weldon, N. c., where Seaboard tick
cts became good. He declared that one
principal cause of the Seaboard's out
(Which cut was profitable to 1t through
increased trsff1cs securely was that the
Pennsylvania gave the Southern special
facilities on through rates, and he tes-
titled at length of purchases made, he
said, by agents Of the Seabosrd, from
bca]pers Of reduced rate tickets over tho
Southern.
On CROSS examination OF Mr.. Amber
son, the fact was brought out by the
Southern that the tickets bought from
the scalptrs might have como INTO tho
latter's hand without collision of the
Southern and in spite of its opposition.
Mr.. Goodman, of Richmond, Then read
q communication from the Richmond
chamber OF commerce, requesting that
the petition of the Southern be refused
and that the Seaboard be ordered to
restore its rates to such amounts as
might be just and proper under the long
and short haul clause of the Interstate
commerce law, She opinion OF the
chamber being that Richmond had been
Disseminated against in the reduc-
tiono recently made by the Seabosrd.
Mr.. Haas. of the Sou thern, in answer
to Commissioners Morrison's inquiries,
said II the Southern would reduce It's
rates TO competition to meet non.com-
petition OF Seaboard, and also reduce its
rates to non competing points so as TO
obey the long and short haul clause of
the law, there would be heavy and
communal lose on all passenger business
II, on the other hand. tho Sesboard
were allowed to meet the cut on shrough
business to competing points and main
tain rates to non,conpeting points. the
Seaboard line could do o profitable
business. Passenger Agent Anderson,
of the Seaboard, said that the company's
trains now brought in $500 per coach,
while before the cut they brought only
$50 each. The lost of operating had
not been increased, and the road was
moro profitable now than under the