The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-29
TO INTERPRET THE LAW.
HOARD OF TRADE TO HAVE DIS
PUTED QUESTIONS SOLVED.

fIIED QtESIIONS SUN Ed
1t Has Appointed n Committee, Em-
povvered to secure Legal Advice,
which VIII Get the war Taxes
Construed for the Benefit of Bus
mess Men-What the Railroads
Have Decided to Do in Regard to
BiIIs of LndinE.
The board of directors of the Savannah
Board OF Trade yesterday morning ap-
pointed a committee consisting of Presi-
dent D. G. Purse and AIessrs. / 3. Tede-
man and A. B. Moore. to go over the
new tax law and secure such legal ad-
vice as. may be necessary to get proper
construction of the various taxes levied.
There is some difference of opinion
among business men as to the meaning OF
different paragraphs Of the bill as enact
ed, and the Board of Trade VIII endeavor
TO have al points in dispute passed upon
by competent advisers.
Congressman Lester has been wired to
send fifty copies of the bill, which will be
placed in the hands of representative BUSH
ness men for careful perusal. This Will
bring out questions about any features
of the bill which may permit a double in
depreciation. The entire business COM
munity will naturally be benefited by this
course
The placing of stamps on bills of lading
is one provision of the bill that has given
rise to some misunderstanding. At New
Orleans, from advices received by Capt
Purse, the railroads hold that even dray
tickets must be stamped. Such view
IS not taken by railroad officials here. and
it is.probable that the Louisiana people are
entirely too wide in their scope of what
papers require to be stamped.
The question has arisen whether
stamp is required for every package con-
tanned in a shipment, a bin of lading be-
ing required for every package, or whether
one bill of lading may cover an entire
shipment, only one stamp being required.
The law, as 1t has been generally under
stood, makes it the duty of every railroad
or steamboat company, carrier, express
company or corporation or person whose
occupation is to act as such. to issue to
the shipper or consgner a bill of lading,
manifest or other evidence of receipt and
forwarding for each shipment received,
whether in bulk or in boxes bales, pack
ages, bundles, or not SO inclosed or in
cluded, and there is to be attached and
cancelled to each of the said bills of lad
ing, etc, a stamp of value of one cent,
provided that but one bill of lading shall
be required on bundles or packages of
newspapers when inclosed In one general
bundle at the time of shipment
GAS we regard It," said Traffic Manager
Hinton, of the Central Railroad, yester-
day, the law contemplates that a bin of
lading shall be issued for every shipment
made and that every bill of lading shall
bear one cent war revenue stamp. That
is our view of it, and il is on that line that
we viii proceed beginning with Friday.
AIR. Trezevant, as agent, will then sign all
bills of lading, and will see that bill of
lading is issued for every shipment We
viii stamp the original bill of ladlng al
our own expense and give it to the ship.
per. If he desires another copy of the bill
of lading it viii be made out for him, but
he must pay for the stamp on it. This sys-
TEN we believe to be generous and just,
and one that will meet with the approval
of shippers. For ourselves we win keep
a carbon copy of the original bill of lading
which viii not be signed, and which viii
be merely a memorandum for the billing
clerk 10 make his proper entries from. The
stamp on the original bill of ladlng is the
only necessary expenditure under this tax
unless shippers desire to have extra copies
and then ii is perfectly proper that they
should pay for the additional stamps
Mr.. Hinton was asked whether a bill of
lading would be issued on all goods as they
were received by the railroad, or whether
one bill OF lading would be made to cover
an entire shipment, even though it might
be received at different times.
''One bill OF lading will cover an entire
SHIPMENT" said he. eff wholesale groc-
cry house, for instance, wants to ship 100
barrels of sugar to Millen, and its dray can
only carry ten barrels at a time to the
receiving point of the railroad no bin Of
lad mil =,
hundred barrels have been received. The
clayman viii be given a dray ticket for
each load to protect him."
do you believe that these dray tickets
will be liable TO the stamp tax as the
New Orleans railroads are said TO con-
strue it? Mr.. Hinton was asked.
mo, / do nol," was the answer. II do
not see how a memorandum check, for
that is all it is can be considered in any
way bin Of lading, or by any interpre-
tation OF the law be made subject to this
tax
Business houses generally want at least
Z two copies of the bill of ladlng for any
goods shipped by them, so that IL is al
most a foregone conclusion that the rail-
road will have to furnish duplicate copies
and stamp them at the shippers ex-
pense.
The Central Railroad System win doubt
less put ia several thousand dollars worth
of the stamps for bills of ladng as soon
as they can be secured and carry large
stock at all times.
Stamps do not have to be placed on or
binary receipts. This was one of the feat
ures of the bill as IL went before the con-
ference committee of the House and Sen
ate. In their hands it was stricken out
after a long discussion and considerable
opposition. This would have proved one
of the most annoying features of the law
and its failure TO be incorporated in the
bill as finally passed is a source of much
= qualification to the business public.
STAMPS FOR KILOGRAMS.