The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-06-18
THE AFTERNOON SESSION.
Railroad Men Reply to the Argu-
 meut,

hailroao Men HepIy co tne Argu-
 ment.
 The afternoon session was opened by Vice-President J. M. Culp of the South ern Railway. in a short address which he devoted almost exclusively to the finan- cial condition of his company.
 Mir. Culp said that the total earnings of his road on all business transacted in Alabama was $4.667, ,36S. .o2. Out of this. he said, came the operating expenses of the road, amounting to $3,676, .22, leav- ing a difference of $99,i2GT. This amount, he said. did not pay the interest on the roads bonded indebtedness, nor leave anything to pay dividends to the stock holders. On the intra-state business, MT. Culp read figures to show that his road sustained deficit of $45,759.1 IS. His road. he said, would show a deficit if all It's business was considered, or if only its intra-State business was under consider alton.
 MT. Culp declared that 1t ought not to be necessary for his road to make any further showing. The Alabama rates. he said, if combined and averaged, would show a low rate. because the rate on min- erals was so low. Because Alabama was so near Georgia was no more reason why the Commission should insist on the same rates than 1t was that the Alabama Com mission should put Into effect the Mis- sissippi rates. His road. he said, ought to ak for an increase in rates and might do so yet.
 As to a statement made by Mir. Conner, Mir. Culp said that he wanted 1t under stood that he had never expressed sat- isfaction with the Georgia rates.
 F. M. Powell, Freight Traffic Manager of the Southern, asked permission to sub init a few figures as to the agricultural conditions in Alabama and other South ta aAA tA hoe tad by Mir. Hines The figures quoted by Mir Powell showed a ste,Cy increase in the valuation of farms and larm products in Alabama. Tn the past decade, MT. Powell said that the value of farm pro- ducts had increased in this State S4 per cent. while in Georgia the increase had only been IS per cent.
 MT. Wickershar Helped.
 Tn semi-humorous but effective speech President c. A. wickersham of the Western of Alabama Railroad helped out the cause of the railroad men. He had recently, he said, had occasion to buy fifteen bushels of cowpeas at Notasulga for his farm at College Park, Ga, and he found that the freight on the peas was 93 cents. He went he said, to his office and was on the point of writing a letter to The Atlanta Journal. a paper which had appeared in these proceeding as ex parte authority. protecting as a farmer against the excessive freight rate. On his desk however. he found a voucher awaiting his signature from Carnegie, of library fame, for '$1OOO00, for new steel rails which the progressive Western Road was going to put on It's roadbed. This great improvement. said MT. Wick ersham, the Western was going to put down without the hope of getting an additional dollar of revenue for it. Af- ter thinking the matter over he decided that 1t would not be the proper thing to make his protest against the freight rates of the road.
 Mir, Wickersham said that only 2 per cent of the gross earnings of his road was made on the intra-Sti.te hauling in Alabama. Mir. Wickersham praised high ly the remarks of MT Hines. whom. he men to say.
 A Statement Submitted.
 General Freight Agent G. R. Knox of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad, had his remarks in writing and after reading them he submitted the pa- per to the Commission.
 An examination of the affairs of his division of hIs road which was in Ala bama, would he said. show that 1t had been run each year at deficit. This de- 6cit he said. was larger In some years than in others but each year the deficit was there. The deficit In the last two years. he said. had been reduced but in sDite of the most careful and conserva- | tive management, the deficit had not been | removed The road was operated at a | loss he said, and the loss would be much greater if any reduction was made in l rates.
 The officials of his road. he said. had taken up the matter of lowering the rates