The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-04
QUESTION OF FREIGHT RATES.

Synopsis OF opinion nanueo uoNH ny
Judge Emory Speer Tuesday morning,
July l, 1902, in the case of the Interstate
Commerce Commission, VS.. Louisville
and Nashville Railroad Company, Flor
ida. Central and Peninsular Railroad
Cclrrsny and the Savannah, Florida
and Western Railroad Company.
The suit originated as follows: The
Savannah Bureau of Freight ami
Transportation and nine other COM
plainants who described themselves as
general merchants, naval stores man
Ufactme els and cotton shippers, made
complaint tC the commission against
the defendant companies. The COM
claimants allege that they and all other
shippers CT cotton and naval stores
from points on the Pensacola and At
lantic division of the Louisville and
Nashville Railroad had been subjected
TO undue and unreasonable prejudice
and disadvantage because of the freight
rates charged.
Before the Interstate Commerce
Commission. it was complained that
the freight rates charged upon ship
ments from stations on the Pensacola
and Atlantic division to Savannah,
We're unjust and unreasonable in them
selves: further that such rates were
relatively unjust and unreasona BILE
when compared with the rates charged
from the same stations to Pensacola,
Mobile and New Orleans. Consequent
ly it was alleged that the complainants
and all shippers of like situation were
subjected to unjust discrimination, and
were made to suffer undue and unreal
sonable prejudice and disadvantage;
that this redounded to undue and un-
reasonable preference and advantage
to the mercantile communities of Pen
sacola, Mobile and New Orleans, and
TO the Louisville and Nashville Rail-
road Company
Upon consideration of the evidence
submitted to it, the commission found
that the respondents were violating
sections one and three of the act to
regulate commerce. To arrest these
violations the commission ordered that
the respondents should desist from
charging a rate to Savannah of 1890
per bale of 500 pounds of uncompressed
cotton from any station on the Pen
sacola and Atlantic division, and
should not charge from the stations
mentioned a rate to Savannah which
should aexceed by more than % cents
per bale the rate charged from the
same stations to New Orleans.
Relative to naval stores the COM
mission ordered that respondents
should desist from charging on ship
ments of carload lots of these prod
ucts from the stations mentioned to
Savannah rate of 24A cents per hun
dred pounds of rosin and 3S1a cents per
hundred pounds of turpentine, such
rates being declared to be unlawful.
The commission also ordered that the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Company desist from charging on car
load shipments of rosin from the sta
lions mentioned via River Junction to
Savannah any higher rate per hum
dred pounds for its service to River
junction than at the same time II
charged or received for the transpor-
tation of carloads of rosin to Pensa-
cola for approximately the same dis
tances. The commission further or
dered that the Louisville and
Nashville Railroad should de-
sist from charging on for its
service to River Junction any
higher rates per one hundred pounds
on shipments of turpentine in car load
lots from Messy Head and other west
erly stations on the Pensacola and At
lantic division via River Junction to
Savannah. than it contemDoraneously
charged for the transportation to Pen
sacola. of turpentine in car loads for
approximately the same distances.
From the report of the commission
it appears that it is 259 miles by the
line of the Savannah Florida and
Western Railway from River Junction
TO Savannah. Between the same points,
by the line of the Florida Central and
Peninsular Railroad, the distance is BAT
miles. From River Junction to Mobile
is 265 miles and to New Orleans i06
miles. The Pensacola and Atlantic
division of the Louisville Railroad eX-
tends from River Junction to Pensacola
a distance of 161 miles. The country
served by it is sparsely settled. The
rates complained of are those charged
on uncompressed cotton and on naval
stores. The term naval stores" in
cludes rosin, turpentine, products of
crude turpentine, tar. and rosin oil,
but rosin and turpentine are the only
products involved in this controversy.
There is but one grade of turSentine.
1t Is shipped in standard barrels
weighing when full about 420 pounds.
There are fifteen grades of rosin known
to the trade. These are designated al
phabetically and also as window
glass" and water white. Rosin is also
shipped in barrels and is sold on the
as weight barrel of $50 pounds. The
casks actually weigh 450 to 500 pounds
each. The value of a barrel of rosfn
depends upon its grade. The highest
price being water white. The prices
of the Savannah naval stores market
control the price of naval stores in all
the markets of the United States. Al
Pensacola the price of turpentine is al
ways a half cent less per gallon
and the price of rosin 10 cents
less per barrel of $50 pounds than the
daily closing quotations of the Savan-
nah market. Eighty per cent. of the
naval stores shipped to Savannah is
exported and only 20 per cent. is ex-
ported from Pensacola. 1t follows that
lower export freight rates are obtain
able at Savannah than in Pensacola
and lower rates of marine insurance
At Pensacola there is only one firm
dealing in naval stores. 1t is con-
trolled by S. p. Shotter, a dealer In
naval stores at Savannah. 1t is en-
abled to absolutely control the market
at that place. 1t takes all the turpen-
tine and rosin shipped to Pensacola
at a smaller rate than the Savannah
market, without any regard to the ac'
tiVity of the demand at Savannah
At Pensacola there is no provision fol
inspecting naval stores. Savannah, or
the contrary, has provided guager'
who are sworn to the performance Of
their duty and who act under bond
1t is their duty to acertain the num-
Der of gallons in each barrel of tur-
pentine and to detect any adultera.
ton. Each barrel is also examined
weighed and given its proper grade
There is also a supervising inspector
appointed by the Board of Trade upor
the recommendation of two-thirds OF