The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-12
RATES TO SOUTHERN PORTS.
TO THE INTEREST OF RAILROADS
TO MAKE THEM HIGH.


hut the Benefit to the Railroads
Would he QuesdonabIe-COmp
titiOn Cuts Some Figure.
Washington, July 1.-THE hearing Of
the Charleston rate case was continued
before the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion to-day
The Charleston Freight Bureau called
as witnesses William Campbell, general
freight agent of the Chicago and Eastern
Illinois Railway, and Il. A. Emerson, gen.
eral freight agent of the Southern Railway
in charge Of the Charleston route
The witnesses of the defendant carriers
We're Fl. w. B. Glover of Richmond, traf-
hc manager of the Seaboard Air Line,
and J. NJ. Cup of Washington, traffic
manager of the Southern Railway.
When Mr. Campbell was asked the at
utude of his road 10 the Southern rate
question. he replied that the business south
OF the Ohio was so small that il had not
commanded much attention. He thought
the rates as they stood were low enough
ana ne did not see much use in reducing
them.
AZ this Mr.. Bryan produced a letter writ
ten by Mr.. Campbell in March, 1888 to the
charleston Bureau of Freight and Trans
rates charged by the roads south of the
ONO as eNorbitant and nimical 10 the
business interests of The South. The let
ter said in part:
said Rates Were Too High.
ITO my mind the information you furnish
points conclusiyely to the fact that the Oi-
rect roads from this territory are losing
business which should accrue TO them.
As mater of fact 1 be
HeVe you viii agree with me that the rates
charged south Of the river as a rule, are
eNorbitant, and act as barrier TO the in
terchange of products between the West
and south. Undoubtedly, if the Southern
roads would open up and show the same
spirit to productive industries as is shown
by our roads and the roads of the North
west, the spirits of industry would be slim
ulated and the Southern roads in the end
would be benefited. As l
stated some months ago l viii favor the
proposition of reduced rates to Charleston
and run the risk of being charged with
grossly discriminating against interme-
diate and interior points"
The Letter Was Mistake.
Mr.. Campbell hastened to say that this
letter conveyed a wrong impression that
he knew nothing about the rates south of
the Ohio except through complaints that
had been made to him through certain
shippers He did not know how he came
to sign such a letter as the one produced
by Mr.. Bryan except in the press of sign
ing a large mail at the end of a hard
days work, when he had not time to
check the errors of his stenographer.
He said that he never heard of such
a proposition as that advanced yesterday
by Mr. Fulton to prorate The through
tariff to Southeast coast points and thus
reduce the rates. AS he understood the
proposition, it had been to readjust the
division Of profits between the roads north
of the Ohio and those south of it, not
to reduce the rates.
Commissioner Clements examined the
witness with some asperity as to the diff
ference between his oral testimony and
his letter, but Mr.. Campbell insisted that
his only object had been to get, if posi-
bic, larger share of the prorated charges
for his own road.
Reason for the Difference.
General Freight Agent Emerson of the
Southern was questioned by Commission
er Calhoun to find why his road moved
grain for ocean freighis from the West
through Charleston at from II to 16 cents,
and at the same time charged as high
as 80 cents on the same grain delivered as
inland freight at CharlestO ton. Mr.. Elmer
son claimed that this foreign bound grain
was handed at an actual loss, but that
the road used it as a lower hold cargo to
l6lD them Ildhe rates III lCdulHS COTTON
for export.
Commissioner Prouty also asked on what
principle witness justified a q cents freight
from Kansas City to Norfolk and charged
AZ cents in the same class to Charleston
Witness said that the rate al Norfolk
probably had been reduced by the great
er bulk of business and the competition
with the Northern trunk lines.
Mr. Bryan made the point that the
Southern. running through both Norfolk
and Charleston, ought to be abe to quot.
rates on the same mileage basis to each
place.
Mr.. GIOver's Argument.
II. w b. Glover Of the Seaboard Air
Line said that the all-rail rates from the
West were fair enough, because they
were lower than any competing form OF
land transportation. In support of this
he demons trated at some length that
freight hauled by wagon from Chicago to
Charleston would cost at least $3.50 per
hundredweight This, he said, was a fair
argument He said that if rates 10
Charleston were lowered to the level OF
Norfolk it probably would result in hand
ling an increased tonnage at Charleston
but whether the railroads would benefit
in revenue was problemauc Natural cor
ditions of population, wealth and produc-
tiveness, he said, prevented railroad rates
in the South being as low as those on the
big Northern trunk lines.
Questions by Mr.. Bryan deve opcd that
the Seaboard carried South into the Caro-
linas from Norfolk a large amount of grain
and packing house products In case
through a towering Of rates this freight
was brought into Charleston direct. the
Seaboard would get a very short haul or
none al all on the inland distribution Of
this freight.
And yet you say" continued Mr. Bryan.
"that your road has no interest in Nor
folk
Il repeat that we have no interest in
Norfolk per Sc returned Mr. Glover
"Our interest is to build up the community
with which we do business"
Mr.. Glover said that he would not con-
sent to a traffic Arrangement with the
Cly6e Line through Charleston, because his
road could not handle ocean freight |
brought in there as probably as they
could through Norfcfk.
MIR. CUP Of the Southern followed. maxi |
ing about the same points as Mr.. Glover |
against a covering Of the Charleston raies.
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