The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-01
WHAT THE COMMISSION WANT
PRESIDENT CONFER TO Go BEFORE
THAT BODY JUNE IL.

4
Falling on of the Peach Crop, But
There VIII De "A Splendid Crop of
PIums-Increased shipments OF
Phosphate - Savannah Getting
Good share Railroad Traffic
/ Light at This Season.
/ When President H. n. Conner Of the
/ Central railroad returned to the city yes
/ terday morning he found on his desk
/ notification from the Georgia railroad com
/ mission citing him to appear before that
I body on June y, and TO bring with him
/ the minute books of the reorganization.
( or if they do not show the individual
/ holders Of the stocks and bonds Of the
/ company to bring any other books Of the
] company thar will make that disclosure.
! President Conner. when seen by a
I representative of the Morning News,
/ said he had received such a notice, and
/ that he would appear before the commits
/ sion at that time. Further than this he
would not discuss the matter. When ask
\ ed as to what he might say with regard to
/ the ownership of the stock Mr.. Conner
I only said:
! well, the roads there, and we're run
/ ming it. Isn't that enough?"
This is the second effort on the part of
/ the railroad commission to get at the
/ ownership Of the stock and the bonds of
/ the Central There is a we'll founded be-
I lief that the Southern practically owns
and controls the property, and the idea
/ Of the commission is TO set at the owner
ship, so that In case 1t is the same as
that Of the Southern, it can make rule 1
! applicable.
Under the rules of the commission, and
rule 1 especially rates over TWO lines
of the same company, or two lines of
/ the same ownership, whether operated
/ separately or not, are lower than if the
/ two are separate and distinct companies
/ The Central is being operated entirely in
/ dependehuy, and Of course the higher
/ schedule of rates from the Central to the
| southern ana vice versa Is in effect
Il appears that the object of the com
| missions investigations is to get at the
/ Southern railways holdings in Georgia so
/ as to find where it can enforce rule l.
and put the lower schedule of rates into
The matter is being watched with con-
/ siderable interest in the railroad world
The case Of the Georgia Southern and
| Florida, along the same lines, was argued
/ 3eIore the commission a few weeks ago.
| but that body has not yet rendered any
| decision in the matter. IL seems the fact
/ that the TWO lines are managed by differ
/ emit directories is the technical point that
/ is giving the railroad commissioners some
| trouble.
President Conner when In Macon talked
/ with several Of the prominent fruit grow
/ ers of the Fort Valley and Marshallville
! section. From information gathered, it has
/ developed, he said, that there will be only
| about half the peach crop this year there
was last year Mr.. Rumph of Marshall
! vile, who owns the largest orchard in that
section. gives this estimate of the crop in
| the portion of the state south of Atlanta
/ IL was expected month or six weeks
/ ago that the crop would be az least three
/ tourths as large as that of the year be-
/ fore, but since then many of them have
/ fallen off. Mr.. Rumph, and other promi-
| nent growers Of fruit attribute this falling
/ of 70 cold weather early in the spring and
| 70 the recent long Dry spells. Inc fruit
1 promises 10 be OF hne quality, however,
| and there is no doubt it will bring good
! prices all over the country.
There is promise of the finest crop of
/ plums Georgia has ever produced Or
/ chardmen throughout the fruit section
/ have begun lately, raising fine varieties Of
/ Japan plums. and It Is said these are now
/ growing in luxurious abundance. The 9TH
/ er fruit crops too, seem to be thriving
/ well. The fruit men and the railroads are
! on perfectly friendly terms now. Their in
| terests are mutual and it is not likely any
/ material questions of difference will spring
up between them this season.
The railroads are doing. perhaps
| larger business in the phosphate line
than they have had in some
time before, While about sixty
! out of the ninety principal
mining concerns In Florida are not operat-
| ing now. still the shipments are larger
/ than they were last year, and especially
Is this true of the shipments through
| port for the first five months of this
! year nave run UP to something like
$4,000 tons or an average of about 5000
| tons per month. The increase in the
| monthly shipments through Savannah is
! plain when il is known the total ship
ments through the port last year were
The total shipments of hard rock
! through all ports this year Is running any
/ where form 20000 to 10000 tons per month.
| They would undoubtedly be even larger
! than this u prices were better. The
/ price now averages about 1925 per ton at
| the mines, and IL costs about 50 to get it
| out. so a miner hardly feels It worth
! while to get it out for that figure, unless
| the price of mining can be reduced. Sew
/ eral causes have contributed TO the
/ reduction in the price. one of them par
/ ucularly being the operations of a couple
/ of practically irrespons. Bile German
firms, who have been making contracts
| at all sorts Of prices some Of them be-
/ ing as low as g per ton at the mines.
! Within the year they have sold about
| 10000 of the 100000 tons mined. A re-
/ duction in ocean freight rates operated
/ in their favor and they were enabled to
| come out on top though they aided in
| bearing the market to quite a low fig
IRE. The shipments OF phosphate rock
! been heavier than al any time during the
| year.
Things are unusually quiet in the rail-
road world just now, both in the freight
| and passenger departments. 1t is just be-
tween seasons. so to speak. The sum-
! mer weather has cut off all but the ex-
/ cursion travel except 10 points in higher
! ATTITUDES where the breezes blow with
/ more uninterrupted frequency. 1t Is be-
/ tween seasons TOO, with the freights. and
/ there will be little moving until the
fruit crop is ready and the cotton be-
! gins TO be harvested The crops along
/ the line of the Central and Southwestern
/ railroads. and also in Southern Georgia,
are in fine condition, and the prospects
! before the farmers are rather bright.
1IICKVA IsRAEL's SUNDAY SCHOOL.