The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-12
RAILROADS NOT TO BLAME.
SAY THEY'VE NOT DIsCRIMINATED
AGAINST THEIR HOME PORTS.

River Traffic ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS New
er Heard of ANY Proposition From
the Ohio Roads to PrOrate Freights
With the Southern ROads-Why
Norfolk and New Orleans Are Able
to Handle western Frefghts-Reg-
uIar Steamship Lines the Main Es-
sentiaI and InIanI Water Trans
pOrtatfon and Long Rail Lines the
Next in ImpOrtance-Why Ameri-
can Business Houses DO So Little
Trade With the Spanish-American
Countries.
The account in yesterdays Morning
News of the hearing of the complaint of
the Charleston Freight Bureau against
the Southern railroads on account of al
legged Determinations against that port
was doubtless read with interest by many
people who remembered the hearing of
similar complaints by the Savannah
Freight Bureau before the Interstate Com
merce Commission in this city a few
years ago In this case, however, Charles
ton was the favored port complained of.
So far as known, nothing ever resulted
from this hearing unless it was in the
moral effect due 10 the scare which Capt.
Purse "trun" into the railroads with his
photographs of letters relating to rebates.
The most interesting portion of the
Charleston report was the testimony of
Secretary Fulton of the Ohio River Cen
tral Traffic Association to the effect that
the roads north and west of the Ohio had
for ten or twelve years maintained a
standing offer 10 prorate the through
freight charges to the South Atlantic ports
with the railways south of the Ohio on
a strict mileage basis. He laid
the blame for the high dis
elimination in freight rates against the
South Atlantic ports upon the Southern
Railway Lines and said that the roads
of his association had been quite willing
for long time to turn a part of the At
l2ntc seaboard traffic through the Ohio
river gateways, but that they had receiv-
ed no announcement to do so from the
roads south of the river.
The statement is interesting because of
the fact thai Savannah is equally affected
with Charleston by whatever discrimina-
ton exists against the South Atlantic
ports. Western business is something
which Savannah and the other South AT
iantic ports have been seeking for some
time, and which the Western trade cen
tiers have also claimed to ardenuy desire.
The question was raised in the discussion
before the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion when that body was at Savannah,
but without any satisfactory conclusion
being reached as TO the exact nature Of
the difficulty.
Traffic Manager e. II. Hinton of the
Central Of Georgia Railway who is one
Of the best posted traffic men in the South
was seen yesterday in reference TO Mr.
Fultons assertion. Mr.. Hinton stated at
once that the offer referred to was news
to him.
u was surprised" said Mr.. Hinton. "at
the statement attributed to the secretary
of the Ohio River Association. 1 have no
Knowledge of any such proposition. Still
the statement as quoted may be mislead-
ing. An offer to prorale does not neces-
sarly mean a reduction in the rates. The
rate might be pTorated and still the vol
ume of the rate remain the same. 1t is
the volume of the rate which would have
to be reduced in order TO attract any great
additional amount OF traffic from the West
10 The South Atlantic ports"
Mr.. Hinton said that the charge made by
the secretary of the Ohio River Associa-
ton that the present high rates are lue
10 the Southern rates will hardly hold
good on a strict mileage basis. he said
the rates on the roads south of the Ohio
river were, if anything, a little less than
on those north of the river. The roads
north of the Ohio river have shorter ha
ana a greater volume Of business than the
Southern roads and could better afford to
make concessions.
IAN agreement TO prorate rates would be
advantageous to the roads on both sides
the river If entered into on a fair basis to
all parties" said Mr. Hinton. 1T might
result in some reduction in the present
rates and would be more convenient to the
roads and the shippers in the matter of
through bills of fading"
1T is not the fault of the railroads that
a greater volume of business is not drawn
from the West 10 the South Atlantic
ports" said Mr. Hinton. The roads are
always eager 30 increase their business ana
if anything are willing to make greater eff
forts in this direction than the cities
themselves. The trouble does not
lie with the rates Regular
steamship lines from the ports are the
first requisite in obtaining such traffic
as that referred to and through rail lines
and water transportation are necessary to
secure a large volume or such business.
New Orleans has an advantage because
she has water transportation by the
Mississippi river from the center of the
grain region and through lines of steam
ships TO foreign ports. This enables her
10 handle grain TO advantage during a
large part of the year. ON the north lake
and canal transportation give cheap trans
portaton to the Northern ports which
are also well supplied with regular steam
ship lines. Norfolk Is able to do a large
business with the West because she has
regular steamship lines and through rail
lines reaching into the Western territory,
Under the present conditions it would be
useless for the railroads to lay down
cargces of grain at Savannah or Charles
ton, for the reason that without regular
steamship lines it could not be handled
with a profit"
Vice President Egan, who was present
remarked that the trouble with Charles
ton is that she had handled a few ship
meuts Of gram last season and found it
losing business, ana tnat this is the
motive OF the appeal TO the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
Mr.. Hinton said that a regular steam
ship line from Savannah would undoubt-
edly help TO develop business with the
West, though even then the other ports
referred TO would have the advantage In
the way OF inland water transportation