The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-11
CHARLESTON WANTS TRAFFIC.
DETERMINATIONS MADE AGAINST
SOUTHERN PORTS.


in Which Rates Are Made-Ncithcr
Did Fitzgerald Know the Theory
OF Rate NaLing-Fulton Put the
Blame On Southern Roads.
Washington July 10-The Interstate
Commerce Commission to-day began the
hearing of the discriminating freight rate
case in which the Charleston Is. c. Bu-
reau OF Freight and Transportation APP
pears as complainant against the vari-
GUS railways lines connecting Charleston,
Norfolk and Wilmington with points west
and south.
There are about forty individual roads
named as defendants, including the South
ero. the Atlantic Coast Line the Seaboard
Air Line and the Baltimore aud Ohio.
The charge is the long-standng com
paint of Charleston that discriminating
rates are made by the railways in favor
of Norfolk and against Charleston, both
on products from the West and for for
! eign and coastw'se shipments and for rail-
way distribution from Norfolk to other
Southern points
The hearing began to-day before Com
missioners Clements Prouty and Calhoun.
There appeared for the companants J,
p. X. Bryan, counsel and John A. Smith,
manager of the Charleston Freight Bu-
rcau. Counsel for the defendant carriers
was Edward Baxter.
Among those present az The hearing We're
William Campbell. general freight agent
of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Rail
way; j. NJ. CUP, traifc manager OF the
Sou.he'n Railway, and H. W. Glover
traIllc manager OF the Seaboard.
Chairman ParrOtt Testlhcs.
The frs, witness v.os F Parrott
cbafrp,an of The SortboosIorr t5roil,ot A.
scLiotion tTis e>a,nirotton deveIo1a6 he
fact maj this ,esooiatio, vas he success
sor of The goutbern Statae Froiebt Aseo-
ri5tfon ana tbis i'm t,,rn az tho IA Soutb-
cTn T}aUUav ana Stnarshin Associatioo
AIr. Parroft said that a GOOD many ar
r9neomants of the Iatter assoctation wore
s,iii in forca as ~ th., rafas iron, mo Nyest
10 e,outbeaete,,n eeahoard noinfs lie was
NOT fullv conversant win tho wav these
rates had been made Changes I'm rates
we're usually discussed at The meetings Of
The asosciation. althouch II ala not under
lake 10 make and enforce them.
" II rffzgeralJ commissioner of the
Virpinia Railway Assoc ation. was called
but added very lttIe ia tbe knou5Ieage of
/ how rates 10 South Atlantic ports were
! made his association he said consist
! ea Of the Atantfc Coast Line and the
Southern Railway. the Seaboard Air Line
! having been q member until about three
years ago. His office. however. had moth
! ing to do with western through rates.
merely publishing ana compiling the rates
given it by the individual roads.
CouId Not Get tbe Tbeory.
counsel Tor the charleston frelght Bu-
Ieau ehuenVoreq 70 llld on Wnat pIihclple
e .Ie rates lHlo CnaI IIe7ton were mace put
M f'IIofalo' "Itel an hour question:
lus' e0uld onIy say thal they were com
aIlf, T. e. '''i' V''0 ''0 ''''
Witness said he gave no Instructions as
| to how the compilation should be made
/ and did not review the work after it was
done. If the work was not satisfactory
| to the Individual roads they could call
| attention to it, Otherwise the clerks com
| pilations stood
| Mr.. Fitzgerald at first said that II would
be impossible for the Southern railways
| to reduce the Western through rates to
! South Atlantic ports without reducing the
! local rates to interior points. as il would
interfere with the long and short haul pro-
! vision established by the Interstate Com
| merce Commission. He afterward admit
/ ted however, that the fact of water com
! petition by the Great Lakes and Atlantic
! coast steamship lines applied to Charles
| ton. Wilmington and Savannah as much
Mr.. Bryan said ne begged to call the at
! tention Of the commission to the fact that
! none Of the railway people would give
! any explanation of the theory under which
! rates were made to favor Norfolk and dis
! criminate against other Southern ports
/ although The freight schedules showed fbis
! state 10 exist
/ Mar. Flt7a,rald said that white he did NOT
| know inst how the rates were arranoed
| he fe1l sure they were orraneed o,, a fotr
! ana eouitabla basis with no v.eu to mir
ing Cbarlaston
| e..,. r,
y" h''eH'
| The last witness of the day was c. S
| Fulton secretary Of The Ohio River Central
| Traffic Association. lie furnished the sur
| prise Of lhe hearing by shifting the whole
rates against the South Atlantic ports to
W. 81 thq Htio bo5 el tl y -, az
wears maintained q standing offer to Dro-