The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-11-18
FERTILIZER RATES.
RAILROAD COMMISSION
AGAIN TO CONSIDER
THEM.
Commissioner Thomas Gives HIS
Vi;sws on the Subject. The CON-
missioa lnuites Everybody
Interested to be Present.

InEefcS e(t 20 OG L TSSSUt
The Railroad Commission is again
to hear the railroad men and others
interested On the question of fertilizer
rates. The hearing will be held some
time in November. the date not hav
ing been decided on.
The Commission held meeting
yesterday at which Commissioner
Thomas introduced the following
resolution and made remarks upon it,
which are published below:
t.I move that the Board Of Railroad
Commissioners invite the traffic
managers of the several railroads and
the fertilizer men from each Of the
mills in the State to assist us in FIX
ing a Just and reasonable rate, max
ing such adjustment as commercial
charges require to preserve our terri.
tory to our factories and. mines and
give the people the benefit ofa healthy
and equitable competition. !"
Upon this Mr. Thomas said: Mr.
aChairman: There is an old adage
"tbat thing is never settled until Id
is settled right" / protested against
the fertilizer rates made by the ma
jority of this Board last year and
have the satisfaction in the rate COM
ing rp again after a fair trial of say.
ing to you gentlemen, 81 told you
so.'' The rate against which | pro-
tested was in my opinion unjust and
illegal In order to show this | beg
to review the whole matter
The demand for reduction insths
rate came first from large mercan-
tile frn in Anderson who manufacture
aud handle fertilizers extensively:
they asked for reduction Of 25 per
cent in the interest Of the farmers
Then comes DR.. Robertson of the
Globe Phosphate Works in Go.
lnmbia, and asks for 50 per cent
reduction, on account of his great
interest in the farmer and because
cotton seed enjoyed low rate. DR..
Robertson advertised for petitions to
be sent into the Railroad Commis-
sioners' Office asking for reduction.
His advertisement filled one quarter
page in each issue of the Cotton
Plant sor nearly, if not quite. ayear
and not single petition ever came
IN this caice except from one mer.
chant at .sHonea PATH and a resolu
ton from meeting Of the State Alli-
ance asking that the rate between
fertilizers and cotton seed be equali-
zed. This proves that there was no
dissatisfaction with the old rate,
which had been fixed by agreement
between the Commission of 1891, the
traffic managers of the railroads and
fer fertilizer manufacturers, after days
of discussion in the effort to put all
sections of our State on parity, the
one with the other, and the fertilizer
business had adapted itself to that
rate.
The old rate was 'ssjust and reason
able" as the law required in proof of
this. In making rates we classify all
commodities that are related to each
other in regard to weight. bulk and
value. Compare corn. grits and
meal in bags with fertilizer in bags
These commodities are practically of
the same weight, bulk and value
The rate on corn, grits and meal in
bags for the average haul IN this
State, which is 10 miles, is $3.50
The rate on fertilizer in bags 70 mile
haul, was reduced to 81 go.
Fertilizer was giveu the 81 10 rate
and put in class by itself. because
the consignor aud consignee do the
loading and unloading, for which the
Commission allowed SO cents a
ton.
tried to find out the motive for
reduction and offered a resolution
"Tbat this Board give reasons for
the extraordinary cut Of rates on
fertilizers since fertilizers were then
below parity with all analogous
commodities /" See page As, No
vember, 9th, minutes.
The resolution received no second
and the chairman of the Board OBJ
jected to it's being spread on the
minutes, saying it was a reflection on
the Board. ! replied that meant no
reflection, bat simply offered one of
the wise rules of the interstate Com
mission, rule which gives publicity
and prevents the Board doing any
arbitrary or unjust act under cover of
darkness I found fault with the
chairman of the Board for letter
written by'himself, on page IA. in
our letter book, to the fertilizer firm
in Anderson, giving this firm infor,
nation that the fertilizer rate would
be reduced b sfore the reduction was