The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-30
cHARLESToNs FREIGHT CUT.
THE FERTILIZER RATE REHEAR-
ING OPENED AT ATLANTA.

Suspicion That the Railroads VIII
Use the Testimony Obtained i'm an
Appeal to the Courts If the state
Railroad Commission Refuses TO
Rescind Its order for "A Reduction
of 20 Per Cent. in the Present
Freight Rates-An Imposing Array
of Railroad Men at the Hearing.
Atlanta. Ga, Dec. 29.-The rehearing Of
the fertilizer rate cases was begun to-day,
but not finished. 1t will take all day to-
morrow.
The decision of the state railroad com
mission will. in all probability. be reached
at once, as the 20 per cent. reduction or
dered by the commission some time ago,
which is now being fought by the roads.
IS dated to so into effect on Jan. /.
No hearing before the commission in
some time has attracted such an array Of
railroad managers and attorneys. The 20
per cent. cut, the railroads claim, will cost
them $4,000 or the movement of the fer
tilizer business for this season alone, and
hence they are strenuously opposing it.
There is report current, however, that
the rehearing asked for by the railroads
is more for the purpose of securing testi-
mony with which to pave the way for an
action in the courts to restrain the COM
mission from enforcing the cut, than in
the hope of securing a reversal of the for
mer order of the commission. If the COM
mission refuses to rescind or amend its
former order making the 20 per cent. gem
eral reduction. there is good reason to be-
lieve that this will be the result of the
hearing now in progress. 1t is said that
the railroads will appeal to the courts on
the ground that the showing they have
made before the commission does not war
rant the reduction ordered, and, therefore.
they should be restrained from putting 1t
into operation.
The Southern was represented at the
hearing to-day by General Counsel Hen
derson of Washington, D. c., Traffic Man
ager Culp and Vice President
Findley; the Central by v. P.
Egan, General Counsel Law
ton and General Freight Agent Winburn;
the Plant System by Traffic Manager Papy
and General Counsel duBignon; the Geor-
gia by General Manager Scott Freight
Agent Jackson and General Counsel Cum
ming; the Georgia and Alabama by Traffic
Manager Pope: the Tennessee, Georgia
and Atlantic by President Spaulding and
General Counsel Smith, the Georgia,
Southern and Florida by General Counsel
Hall; the Western and Atlantic by Traffic
Manager Brown.
Capt. d. G. Purse, commissioner of the
Savannah Freight Bureau, with a large
delegation of fertilizer men, who were
parties to the petition which was originally
brought by him were present.
Capt. Purse was the spokesman for the
compliments, and submitted to the COM
mission an exhaustive argument in sup
port of the former action of the commits
sion in granting the cut.
AS is already known the original request
fer the reduction was based upon the ac-
tion of the railroads in making a heavy
reduction In rates from Charleston TO the
interior, which the fertilizer men claimed
made ii impossible for them to compete
with the Charleston dealers in their own
territory.
The railroad men to-day claimed that the
general reduction of local rates would not
benefit the local manufacturers as long as
Charleston could lay down their goods at
basing points in this state, because they
would also get the benefit of the reduced
rates, and be practically on the same foot
ing with regard to competition as they
are now
me Iertlllzer men, however, believe that
il the cut is maintained the Georgia roads
viii be compelled to use their influence
TO have the Charleston rates restored
If that was done, Charleston's unfair ad-
vantage would be eliminated, and then
the restoration of local rates might not
be so strongly opposed. as it is this cut
from Charleston TO the interior that has
caused all the trouble, though the fertil-
izer men contend that the rate, as cut, is
still fair compensation FOR the service
rendered by the railroads. 1t was stated
TO the commission to-day that large or
ders have been taken by the fertilizer
manufacturers and are now on file in their
Office, these orders having been held UP
on account of the disturbance in freight
rates In fact, the fertilizer business is
completely blocked. If the commission
should undo its former work the democrat
ization would be much worse they claim.
NJ L. ~ n