The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1898-08-02

Il-lI IL blAhts@
crease of profits is to be followed 10y an
effort to cut them down:
But our exceptions insist that we nave
not had the equal protection Of the laws.
Onr rates are reduced, while the North
Carolina road and the Raleigh and Gas
ton road are not touched. The Inning
ton and Weldon uns through no such
nrosperous country as the North Carolina
road. BY the report of 1897, the gross
earnings Of the Wilmington and Weldon
were 81. S14,S13.65; Of the North Caro-
lima Railroad Company, S1.o92.2lI.33;
Of the Raleigh and. CASTOR Railroad Com
pany. $500. 3O4.23.
The Wilmington and Weldon receipts
from passenger service were S39O.494.'6;
North Carolina Railroad Company. 1896
S61.O5; Raleigh and Castor Railroad
Company. 42.G36.S4.
This gives gross per mile of road: VII
mington and Weldon Railroad, S3.124.Oo;
/ North Carolina Railroad. $4,000; Raj
eigh and CASTOR Railroad. S3,6S2.0O.
In the light Of these figures | submit IT
is not lust and equitable TO reduce
| rates on the Wilmington and Weldon
| road. and leave them as they are upon
the other roads. Why he Wilmington
and Weldon should be reduced on a busl-
| ness of $3.124.OO per mile, while the North
I 5arOIlla goes Tree III IL buSlntSS VI -.
1890 per mile? The reason assigned IS
the remarkable one that as it is leased, 4
| proportion of its rental. instead Of APP
! nearing on its credit side, should be put
down as a loss.
appeal to Your sense of justice. gentle
| men. | do not mean to say that the
! rates on the other two roads should be
| reduced. do not think they should be
| But | DO say that if ours are reduced.
theirs should be-all should stand togeth-
er-be fed out Of the same spoon. | APP
| peal to YOU in the name of that even
handed Justice, which sooner or later
works out its own vindicatiOn.
| nov of no process OF reasoning
which can justify a reduction OF our
| rates. while those of the North Carolina
| road are untouched while it stands with
Il rental of 100000 in its hands. clean
| and free of taxes and representations
a dollar OF debt or an hour Of trouble to
earn it.
Acur. the son of Jakeh. said: There be
three things that be too wonderful for
| me. yea. four which | know not: the way
of an eagle in the air: the way of q ser
pent unOn a rock: the way of Il ship IN
the midst of the sea: and the way of a
| man with a maid. Had he lived in these
days he might have added Il tlfth-tlle
| process Of reasoning which reduces the
Wilmington and Weldon rates, and
leaves the magnificent North Carolina
road untouched.
col. HINSDALE'S ANSWER.
Col. John w. Hinsdale, counsel for the
| State. replied to Mr.. Burton and said:
The counsel for the railroad company
| has said nothing new. lie has simply
| ra-i}aratp6 old ARGUMENTS. His tI9urGS
are prepared upon an erroneous basis.
| They assume that the whole of the local
passenger receipts are involved III the
| proposed reduction. whereas the railroad
| company reports show that its average
! receipts per passenger per mile. are nov
DO, cents and the proposed order re
! duces only to the average rate Of %.
The counsel objects that the Whining
| ton and Weldon.is singled out and IS dis
| eliminated against. Not so. The Ran-
| road Commission have not ordered that
the rates shall not be reduced on the
Raleigh and Castor railroad. And the,
| have held~in favour of the North Caro-
lima Railroad. only on account of its
lease. which. as held by the Commission
| distinguishes it fEom the case of the WI
| mington and Weldon Railroad.
In reply to Col. Elliott he said that
| it was impossible for the reduction Of
local passenger rates on the Wilmington
| and Weldon to affect such rates on the
| North Carolina Railroads AS at no point in
| either Of them. did they come in compe-
tition with zach other in respect to local
passenger travel.
"A company with a present net in
| come of nearly S1.OOO.0OO q year IS
| making too much fuss Over an insignih-
cant reduction of So. 900 or less in its
| inco,,o Thnr formal aZcpntiOOS which
have ben filed have already been maturely
| considered and overruled. 1t is now IN
| order to overrrule them again. and let
| the case go to the courts where it be-
longs
Mr.. Douglass. of counsel for the State.
| understood that this case had been heard
on its merits and settled. If one man
| Gains Il law suit and another loses. that
fact does not. reoDen the case of the
| loser. The Wilmington and Weldon lost.
| the Southern won. The cases are differ
| ent and each stands on its own bottom.
Colonel Elliott. President of the vii
+ minyton and Weldon railroad. closing
the discussion, said that his road had
not been furnished with the reasons for
the discrimination against 1t, that they
came before the Commission with per
feet confidence in their case and in per
/ ltt I'll ~ L tIlC hslS
furnished their reasons continued Col
onel Elliott. "they might rave convinced
us. As it is We are in the dark He
suggested that in view of the fact that
the Commission having decided that tbs
southern could not Justly reduce rates,
if the order aS' to the Wilmington and
Weldon reduction went into effect. the
Southern would have also to reduce a
competing points. This would work az
injustice to the Southern. and Colonel
elliott presumed that the Commission die
not desire to indirectly cause a reduction
which it had declared could not be done
directly in fairness. He said that through
rates were based on local rates. and il
the Coast Line must haul at 9 and 81
a mile and the SeabOard and Southern
charge 81 and 234 they would be forced
of their own account to come down to the
Coast Line rates or lose business.
Chairman Caldwell said that the point
roicad nv Colonel Elliott woS ono FL,