The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-01
ThE RAILWAY COMMISSION
TAKES UP QUESTION OF REDUC-
ING PASSENGER RATES

sA1 Wv
fciais Requested To- Furnish List OF
PHss<s-No Action in the Cont~mpt Case
Especial to The Messenger.)
Raleigh. ", c.. January 2I.-The rail-
way commission net today and so
large was the attendance OF railway
in the state library in order to give
room. All the great lines in the state
| were represented. h to the
| officials directing them TO appear and
| show couse why passenger rates should
not be reduced.
There were present Tic Presidents
Andrews. Finley and Cannon. W. A.
Turk and Attorneys Fairfax Harrison
| and w. A. Henderson, of the Southern:
President Elliott and T. NJ. Emerson,
of the Atlantic Coast Line; Vice Pres
ident St. John. McBee, Glover and At
torney Watts, Of the Seaboard Air
Line; w. E. Kyle, of the Cape Fear
| and Yadkin Valley and A. F. Page. OF
the Aberdeen and Asheboro.
Finley was the first witness after
Harrison had read President Spencer's
reply to the commissions order. Turk
was the next witness.
| The railway commission showed a
! disposition to take ZACH system sepa-
| rately, bat the Southern officials OBJ
] jected and then St. John read his re-
| ply, which was also that of President
Hoffman. 1t was a fine paper. He
| said the rates are now lower here than
in many states with much larger o p
uIation; that the average profit for
carrying passengers one mile in North
| Carolina is only two-tenths Of a cent
and of carrying a ton of freight one
mile is one-fifteenth of a cent. He de-
clared that for the commission to force
h railways to carry passengers and
freight at less than reasonable rates
was to TAX the property of the rail
ways; that the right TO just compensa-
tion is a property right.
The commissioners asked St. John if
he had a list of free passes he had is
sued and if he was willing to let the
commission have it. He said he did
not know that there was any objection.
Traffic Manager Glover was asked a
number of questions.
President Elliott was put on the
stand. He made a very interesting
statement as to passenger earnings,
showing that the passenger traffic
does not pay operating expenses; hat
many passenger trains, put on for pub
lie convenience, are operated at a loss
of from 2S to so per cent, 50 far aas
passenger receipts compared with train
expenses are concerned. He wanted to
know if there We're any complaints by
passengers or shippers of excessive
rates and said the roads were in no
condition to stand a reduction in rates;
that people along the ines prefer the
present service.
The chairman of the commission ask
ed President Elliott if he had a list of
passes he had issued and if he minded
letting the commission have it, and if
called for could a copy be een Elliott
said he supposed so, provided it was
wanted for a legitimate purpose. The
chairman assured him it woul be used
for 10 other purpose than a legitimate
one. Elliott said he had violated no
law in issuing passes and would talk
over the commissioners request with
his attorney.
Southern railway people spoke of the
way in which the commission had re
quested ST. John and Elliott to let
them see "a lists, while demand for
them had been made from the South
ern.
The commission gave notice tina ex-
ceptions to the new fertilizer rates
would be heard tomorrw.
1t is commented by some of the rail-
way officials here that they believe the
commission had come determined to
reduce passenger rates.
Nothing is yet done in the contempt
Gas a painSt A RI An5reurS a nd o+fhorc