The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1902-06-03
FRIDAYS SESSION.

| SESotO0
Fridays session convened at 8:
80 a. m. being held 1t the opera
house, as circuit court had re-
convened and the court house
could not be secured, Mr.. Hay
den Miller, general freight agent
of the Mobile and Ohio roilroad
was the first witness placed on
the stand, and was first examined
by Mr.. Williams. He said that
during the first quarter of the
present year his line carried one
hundred and ninety million
pounds of freight into Mobile,
while to all the cities Of the
Aberdeen group only about sixty
seven million pounds were han
died. A statement setting forth
this fact was filed with the COM
missioner. Defendant also filed
a tariff sheet showing a compari-
son OF the rates of the Mobile and
Ohio railroad with tbs rates of
other lines operating in the same
territory. The fifty first and last
annual report to the stockholders
was also filed. Witness said
freight rates were largely regu-
lated by the volume of business
end thatamoSnt of competition.
Cross examined by Mr.. Allen
Mr.. Miller said that the earnings
of his road were greater now
than they had ever been, but
that the increased earnings were
not bought about by increased
freight rates. Mr.. -st-siler, when
asked for the number of cars
handled in and out of the station
composing the Aberdeen group
for any one year, could not give
it, but said he would finish it lat
er. Said that part of the freight
included in the statement show
ing the receipts of Mobile was
for export. MIR. Allen asked Mr..
Miller why it was that if popula-
ton and volume of business con-
troll freight rates that Starkville
and Columbus have the same
rate, while the population and
volume of business is three times
as great in the latter town as it
is in the former. Mr.. Miller
could give no satisfactory an
swer to this question. Mr.. Mil
Ter said, when asked what under
standing there was about res
toration when the rates to the
stations of the Aberdeen group
was made, that he did not
know, that the reduction was
made by President Russell and
that all the freight office had to
do with it was to announce the
reduction. Witness said the
maintenance of uniform rates did
not have a tendancy to destroy
competition. Mr.. Allen intro
duced taliff sheets of other roads
tending to show that freight rates
on the Mobile and Ohio were
much higher in comparison than
were the rates on other lines.
On being questioned again by
Mr.. Williams, Mr. Miller said when
the freight rates were reduced
more than year that the tariff
association of which the road is a
member, was in existence.
Questioned by the commission
ers Mr.. Miller said that the re-
duction of rates made by the
Mobile and Ohio railroad in jan
urary, 1901 were not agreed to
by the tariff association, but we're
made regardless of their wishes
in the matter.
The tariff sheet of the Mississip-
pi Valley Transportation Co. was
filed with the commissioner to
show the rates Of river transpor-
tation.
At this junction the hearing
was adjourned until 2 80 p. ~.
On account Of the fact that
there was q rehearsal in the
opera house Friday afternoon the
hearing was transferred to the
parlor of the GiImer hotel, where