The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-03-14
WILL HEAR COMPLAINTS HERE.
INTERSTATE COMMERCE. COMMITS
SION TO MEET IN SAVANNAH.

Commissioner Purse of the Savannah
Freight Bureau notified by Com
missioner j. c. Clements That the
Commission VIII Convene Here
April for the Purpose of Hearing
the Complaints Brought by the
Bureau Against the Railroads,
Charging Discrimination Against
Snvannah-Three Complaints to He
Disposed OF.
The Interstate Commerce Commission
will be in Savannah April for the pur-
pose of hearing complaints made by the
Savannah Freight Bureau, through its
commissioner, Capt. d. G. Purse.
The commission will probably take up
other business arising in this section at
the same time. letter was received yes
terday by Capt. Purse from Commission
er Clements, announcing the intention of
the commission to meet here. Capt. Purse
preferred an urgent request to the COM
mission some time ago to fix date for
a hearing at Savannah of the complaints
filed by the freight bureau, and he was
assured that if the commission could con-
veniently do so his request would be
granted. The complaints preferred by the
freight bureau have been pending for
some time, and there is great interest
here in the decisions which will be made
by the commission
There are three complaints. The first
and most important is that against the
Louisville and Nashville railroad on ac-
count of determinations practiced against
Savannah and other cities east of the
Chattahoochee river in favor of Mobile
Pensacola and New Orleans. The griev-
ances of Savannah merchants on account
of these Determinations have been fully
stated by the Morning News. BY reason
of the Determinations, the merchants of
Savannah, and of Brunswick and Jack
sonvlle as well, are entirely shut out of
a valuable territory in Western Florida
and Southeastern Alabama, and the worst
of it is the rates were evidently made with
this object in view.
The merchants and others In that Sec
ton are especially DESTROYS of trading
with Savannah for the reason that many
of them have business connections here
Numbers of naval stores operators. who
were formerly located in Georgia, are now
settled along the line of the Pensacola and
Atlantic. They desire to ship their prod
uct to Savannah and to secure their sup
plies here, but they are debarred from do
ing so by the existing rates.
The authorities of the Louisville and
Nashville railroad were appealed to in
vain to arrange their rates upon a more
reasona bic basis. and the only resource
OF the freight bureau, which had taken
the matter up, was to give an idea of
the discriminatory character of the ra tes
to state that it costs as much to ship a
barrel or carload of naval stores for ak
miles In the direction of Savannah as it
does to ship the same amount the entire
distance to Pensacola. There can be only
one result of the hearing of this case,
and that is that the Pensacola and At
Iantic railroad will be required to re-
model its rates upon a more equitable
basis. The Savannah, Florida and West
ern and the Florida Central and Peninsu-
lar railroads are made parties to this suit.
but this is only a matter of form, they
being connecting lines of the Pensacola
and Atlantic
The second case from Savannah ia The
complaint in behalf of the fertilizer men.
which charges discrimination in fertilizer
rates against Savannah, and in favor of
Charleston and Wilmington by the rail-
roads, every railroad in this section and
the two steamship companies of this port
being included in the complaint The
complain is chiefly directed against
the Plan system, the Central
of Georgia and the Georgia
railroad, the others being included
as connecting lines. The railroads are
charged with making lower rates propor-
tionately to points in Savannah's terri
tory on shipments from Charleston and
,f,,oea tI,,v.
some instances making the same rate
from Charleston as from Savannah. 81
though the distance is lis miles greater
from Charleston
The third complaint is against the
Charleston and Savannah railroad. which
is charged with discriminating against
Savannah, and violating interstate COM
merce laws by its passenger rates be-
tween Savannah and Charleston, the rates
from points on its line to Savannah being
proportionately higher than to Charles
ton. The fare between the two cities is
also in excess of the amount which the
railroad is privileged to charge under the
laws of the two states
Capt. Purses complaint against the rail-
roads, on account of their cotton rates
is still before the state railroad commits
sion After being heard by that body II
will probably be necessary to take the
complaint before the interstate commerce
commission.
The sitting of the commission will bring
to Savannah an imposing array of legal
counsel, representing the railroads. Capt
Purse has gathered and compiled all the
information which he considers necessary
for the support of his charges. He has
engaged Mr.. w. w. Gordon, Jr., TO pre-
sent the law points Of the complaint. The
interstate commerce commission is quite
distinguished body, being composed of
men prominent in public life before their
appointment to the commission. 1t con-
sists of Hon. William r. Morrison OF TlIi-
nos. chairman, Hon. w G. Veazey OF
Vermont, Hon. NJ. A. Knapp of New York
Hon. Judson c. Clements of Georgia. and
Hon. James d. Yeomans of Iowa. MIR.
Edward II. Mosely is secretary and MIR
Martin Decker is assistant secretary.