The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-05
ROADS OPPOSE THE BILL.
OFFICIALS DO NOT LIKE TAXATION
on FRANCHISES.


Change From the Method That Has
PrevaiIed-HOw 1t Is Proposed to
ASSESS Systems That Are Not Con-
fined to This One Stakeholder Mat
tcrs of Interest to Railroad Men.
Railroad officials throughout the state
are interested in the bill pending before
The Legislature to provide for a new meth
cd Of railroad taxation The bill has
the condemnation of officials, all Of whom
so far as can be learned, judge the pro-
posed measure as radical in the extreme
and very unfair to the roads. The bill
has been read twice and will soon come
up again for discussion. Its progress win
be watched with great interest, and II
is not improbable that something like
an organized fight against 1t will be made
by the railroads. A little lobbying against
the measure may be looked for.
| leading railroad official was asked
yesterday about the bill. He would no,
discuss 1t at any length and asked that
even the little he said be printed, if print
| ed at ALL without the mention of his
name 1t is that gentlemans opinion that
the proposed bill is unfair to the roads be-
cause it purposes taxing their bonds and
| securities that are really without value.
Second and third preference bonds come
| in with the rest of the roads property 70,
taxation, and that should not be the case,
| the official insists, for the securities brine
| their holders no interest
| The present method Of taxation which
| consists In the roads sending in their re,
| turns to the controller al Atlanta and be-
ing there assessed, is regarded by the Of
| hcial as preferable to the substitute that
! is proposed He, however favors taxation
being imposed upon the gross earninsg of
| the roads believing that the fairest meth,
cd to all concerned. The roads would
mus be paying taxes only on their proper
| " that brings returns to the corporations
| The gentlemen said that the plan is fol-
lowed III many of the states and is found
very satisfactory 20 both the corporations
| and the commemorative.
The measure contemplates taxing the
railroads franchises Where a line ex-
ISIS IN Georgia solely, having no extern
sion into another state, the assessment
VIII embrace the realty Of the company
and all Of its holdings. With a system
mat traVerses other states than Georgia
Ihe plan VIII be TO assess the road for
taxation in Georgia on its franchise ac,
cording to the re.ation the mileage in
Georgia bears to the total mileage.
Inc street railways in the state come
within the scope of the new bill Just as
much as me greater lines. Their interests
| are 1eopardlzed, from the view of railroad
oHlclals, in Just the same way and IL 10
expected that some of the companies with
a lot OF hoating securities viii be very apt
TO appear in bit of lobbying to defeat
the measure
The business OF the Seaboard Air Line
at CheraW, IS. c., has been greatly increas
ed by the building operations that are in
progress in that vicinity. Until the ex
tension of the road from that place to CO.
lumbia TO connect with the Seaboard's re-
! cent acquisition, the Florida Central and
Ienlnsular 800 a week was about thA av
erage of the receipts at Cheraw for +ba
Seaboard 1t is said the receipts per vveelr
now run to the neighborhood of & OO0 Tba
extension work is progressing finely and
1t VIII not be long before CheraW will he
REACHED.
Mr. William Butler. Jr.. travelling pas-
Senser agent OF the Florida Central and
Peninsular Railroad, was in Jacksonville
yesterday
Mr. X b. Coleman, general manager Of
the Georgia Pine Railroad was in tbe cit,,
yesterday Mr.. Coleman makes his head
quarters at cambridge, from which Mace
ne directs the operation of the busy Utt,a
line that extends from Bainbridre fo Al
ington. " AL
The Southern Railway is about IN nm
dertake renoVations and improvements ON
IT'S passenger depot at Birmingham. II Is
said the cost win he $4,000
The Central Railroad is s,ou,l,, o.,t,,,...
business through the establishment Of =
slaughter house and a catiEe corral eoroa
-FOUR miles west of the city on The ure If
the road by Messrs Brooks & Eyn,eoD
| me trm buys up cat lie wherever n can
ma mem In the ate an I brings them n
IT'S establ shment ar this CITY to faIton
and XIII. The railroad brings in cars Load
ed with the heeves frequently.
1t is said the Louisville and Nashville.
Fafroad is shortly 10 inaueurnye an av
press business OF its own is contract
with the Adams Express Comranv evniras
before a great white and reDort bas =
that the road viii take the business mo
its own hands. - ~
The increase in cotton rates on the Cen
lral and the Georgia and Alabama fron,
lawson Americas and Albany to North
and South Carolina cotton mills becomes
eHectVe tomorrow The roads consider
ately postponed the date of effectiveness
on account of buyers who had h,ugbt
cotton with the expectation of shipDino to
the Carolina mills under the rates fhat
prevailed at the time they bought They
made kick at the time the advance in
The rates was announced, and the roads
were good enough to recognize il. Since
the explanation of the roads position that
was made by Traffic Manager Hinton of
the Central through the Morning News no
furi her objection has been heard to the
Increase In rates. 1t will be interesting 10
note IF the movement of the cotton from
the (TROFnfa nninfe To ba
continued, despite the advance in rates
from 81 to "A cents hundred pounds.
The Kansas City. Memphis and Birming-
ham Railroad has so advanced rates on
pig iron and cast iron ripe as to benefit
this port. Savannah viii be The gamer be
cause OF the road having raised the rates
on those products from Birmingham 10
points west OF the Mississippi and points
north of The Ohio and west of Pittsburg
The advance to the points beyond The Mis-
slssippi does not become effective until