The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1898-08-17
THE WAR TAX AND TEL
EGRAPH AND EXPRESS
COMPANIES.

between tho railroad commissioners auu
representatives of the express and se!e
graph companies doing business 10 'h''
State.
This conference or hearing will be
for the purpose of deciding who shal
pay the war tax on selegrans and ex'
press bills of lsding, and it seems like
~ that the telegraph and express com'
paoies will have to pay it.
OnlY since the last session OF ths
legislature have the rsilroad commis'
sioners had jurisdiction over the tele'
graph and express companies doing
business in South Carolina, and afsel
SEVERAL conferences With the represen'
tasives of these corporations the CON-
missiopers have recently adopted che
following rules governing the telegraph
business in this State
/. No telegraph company shai
charge or cellecs more than "a cents
for any message of 10 words OF less'
exclusive of date, address and sigma.
ture, between any two points within
the limits of this State, 90 it's lines,
nor more than 2 cents for each
additional word on day message,
nor more than cent for each addition
al word on night message; and nc
additional charge shall be made for re-
peatipg message (; that is, telegraph
ing back to originating Office for com
parison.
2 No telegraph Office where mes
sages are received and transmitted for
the public shall be discontinued or aboi-
;shed without first obtaining the COZ
sent of this com mission upon an appll-
cation duly filed BY the said company
desiring such discontinuance. wherein
shall be stated the reasons therefor.
3. Whenever message is sent over
two or more telegraph lines owned,
ooStrolled and operated BY separate and
distioct corporations or individuals,
the joint rate shall not ezceed the
sum of 40 cents for such message of l0
BODY words or less. exclusive of date,
address and signature, between sny
two points within the limits of this
State, nor more than / 1.2 cents for
each additional word.
4. On or before November /. 1898,
the telegraph companies shall make an
annual report Of their operations, in-
oluaing receipts sod expenses, for the
year ending. June 80. 1898. and that
IN all succeeding years this report shall
be filed With the commission 90 or be.
fore the 3lst of August of each year.
5 No telegraph company shall be
allowed to charge for the delivery of
it's messages without the consent of the
railroad compissiou has been obtained
By order Of the board.
ID. P. Duncan, Secretary.
As to the tax on express orders
and bills of ladipg. the following let
ter will show the stand taken by the
commissioners:
Cbss. l. Loop, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Dear Sir = On the 23d of Jolly we
addressed you communication, en-
closing a tariff to be operated by ex-
press companies doing business in
this State We have been awaiting
your reply ss to your views on this
tariff. and if you had any objection to
the operation of the same. In the
meantime it has been brought to our
attention that your company has ad
vanced your tariff rates TO the amount
of the internal war revenue tax that
has been placed on your company by
the government We had on the 9Th
of July given it cut as the opinion OF
this board that the express companies
were liable for the tax, and that it
should not be charged to your pat
rons Since the ruling of the assist
ant United States attorney general IN
Washington that the express com
panies should pay this TAX, we are
more firmly convinced that we were
correct in our decision in the matter
The board will be obliged TO you for
an early reply as to the tariff submit
ted, aud also to state it 1t IS the De
termination of your company to re-
quire the shipper to pay the revenue
tax. thereby increasing your rates to
this amount. Such action on the
part of your company is in violation
of the statutes of the State OF South
Carolina. and it becomes our duty to
notify you that your company Will he
held liable for the penalties attached
to tie violation of the law.
By order of the board
D P Duncan, Secretary
The following letter is sample oi
many others received by the COM
missioners asking them TO act on tax
matters
Darlington, august 6. 1898