The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-12-22
PROCEEDINGS OF THE DAY.

| Hearing Of the matter of reducing class
| rates having been resumed before the rail.
road commission this morning. Mr.. c. f..
| Byers, on behalf Of the Houston jobbers
| and manufacturers, approved Of the pro-
| posed reduction. Houston, he said was
not seeking any advantage over anybody.
The REIMBURSEMENT under consideration Will,
if madc. operate for the benefit OF the
whole State Il will simply widen the field
| OF operation for every iobher and manu-,
factuger In the State without giving amy
particular one the advantage over the other
| The point was, Mr.. Bycrs said, that tine
consumer pays the freight and that any
rcadJUstment " reduction OF freight rates
that facilitates the movement of freight
eventually dement's the consumer. Hous.
ton had no complaint to make against the
railroads or no desire To InlSrepresout them
or its competitors. All 1t wanted was m
opportunity to go out and con- pete on some
thing like a parity with the outside Tor
Texas business beyond It's Sidewalks. with
regard to the threat OF a reduction Of IN
terstate rates, 1t was a bugaboo, more ef-
fectlve In Imagination tltan in fact lie
considered Texas in a position now where
It's rates aud its business should be CON
sidered and provided for without reference
TO the outside. liz conclusion Mr.. Byers
insisted that the demand for the proposed
reduction is general, With regard to the
question Of revenue, he said that he had
studied the reports OF the different raft
roads and 1t appeared to him that the bust
ness they are doing now is profitable and
that their revenues are such that they eau
stand a reduction in class rates.
General Freight Agent Dunlap OF the
Houston and Texas Central Insisted upon
the necessity Of betterments keeping up
with the volume Of business done By
railroad and was sure that If the proposed
reduction is made the railroads will not
earn enough to pay for the improvement
that should and must be made. Inc
patrons of the railroads he said insist on
good service, good dcpots ana good coup
ment, and 1t costs moneY TO furnish tLehF
money that can not BE- earned except with
compensatory rates.
Assistant General Freight Agent John
ston OF the Santa Fe addressed himself 10
combating the idea that reduction oil
rates inures 10 the benett Of the consuhlet.
Take the reduction in the sugar rare. Tor
Instance. he said That did not change tAe
price Of sugar to the consumer, ne Wa5
informed no more than did the reduction
in the lumber rate change the price or
lumber to consumer. This ne admitted,
however, might be because OF trust cohlt9i
of lumber and sugar. The hardware people
who werg here advocating the proposed lc-
ducticn might be In a trust, though, lot an
he knew. They were here rcpfestutt}t ,'t
a president aud n secretary, be sNld, when
was evidence nf nm organization that might
be strnlg enough to absorb any reiHcuou
In freight rates that might be done y
looked 10 him as II this was nm eH"rt OF
tina big town jobbcr 70 freeze out inc lilIe
town tohhers with regard 10 resisting
possible reduction in interstate rates ilRt
might follow a reduction or Stats FUtrs,
he said suppose tne Interstate ms
should rptaliatc by Withdrawing thelr car
load commodity rates In retaliation where
would the Texas iOhhcrs Der NnrIe Nou'i
they ect anything 70 iohF continuing, NE
argued that the Texas ichhcrs SAlst 80 n,
nv the grace OF the interstate lines ipI IL
those lines should Withdraw from existing
divsl0u agreements and insist on seiiluS
Texas on rate that would .br the ct'1glha'
tion via the gate"a avs the IeA"S !opengDsrd
would have to close mp shop IN reg3rI
20 the time being oprortune Tor lnahl5
reductions, Mr.. Johnston said that w
profits the roads had made within the past
year were legitimate and not rs great az
the profts that people In other I.@s, OF
business hud made during the same perlGl.
Part OF the Increase OF Tonnage shoNh ~
the Santa Fe was ne sall, ~ u n ~ ~,
in so far as that road Is nov
concerned. its prospects are, be clalheG;
FOR A deficit for each month 70 come uhui
,he next crop begins 10 move. with re
gord TO the comparisons that had been or
fered showing that rates in other states
are lower than In Texas. he asked that u
n was not unfair TO comnare the tftflI99tts
west OF Fort Worth and San Antonio Win
lis small population, with Georgia or III
nOls say. S,u,r,Is-
.tanar Maydeld. however Mr., Johnston
aid that IN the commissions tariffs were
modified SO as to eliminate the requirement
N certain distance haul before the w |
nlirhtion Of differentials can apply IN or
ferentiaI territory. his objections 70 those
tariffs would he modified. Mr., Johnston |
VAS not he said. enamored Of the common
point system. His line was on recoIu -
IN do was TO earn enough 70 furuis9 E9ol
service within the scope OF It's eainihss
In answer TO Mr.. Eilers. an Austih ery'