The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-04-06
HOW IT WOULD WORK.
A Small Raise Would Hurt Alabama
 Mill Output,

Mill Output.
 The lumber men in the yellow pine section of Alabama are taking a special interest in the present race for Presi- dent of the Railroad Commission. and are lining up solidly against Conner" said a prominent mill man this morning. Corners song and dance about the Georgia freight rates simply makes us laugh, for when 1t comes to selling lum- Der in the big markets along the Ohio River and in the territory beyond where the freight rates are based on the Ohio River. we have got Georgia beat mile
 ''The freight rates from all the mills in Alabama south of Montgomery and Selma to Cincinnati, Louisville and Evansville are from one to two cents per hundred pounds less than the principal mills in Georgia have to pay, and with this advantage in freight rates. Ala bama controls the market wherever Alabama and Georgia lumber comes into competi- tion. That shows why the lumber men don't want Conner at the head Of the Railroad Commission <,
 If he should be elected and attempt to carry out his promises about reducing the local freight rates. the railroads are going to make 1t up somehow and about the only thing they can do is to increase their interestate rates, and this will work a direct injury to the Alabama lumber industry. If they increase the inter state lumber rates even two or three cents per hundred pounds. the present situation will be reversed and the Georgia mill man will run us out of the Northern market.
 "A two cent advance in our rates would do away with all the advantage we now have over Georgia. and we would be forced to cut down our prices to make up for the difference or else get out of the market. The prices we are getting now won't stand much cutting down, and most of us would simply have to lay down and let the Georgia mill man walk away with the business. To show how the thing would work out, the present rate to Louisville from all the Alabama mills south of Montgomery and Selma is q cents per hundred pounds, while the rate from the principal Georgia mills those located on the Georgia Southern and Florida road between Macon and Valdosta and on the Atlantic Cost Line between BainbrIdge and Waycross-is one cent higher, or 9 cents per hundred pounds. That difference enables the Ala bama man to sell his lumber in Louisville for about 45 cents a thousand feet less than tho Georgia man. ,''.
 But suppose Conner Is elected and the railroads advance their interstate lunn- Der rates even to the small extent of , cents per hundred pounds, you can easily see that our rate from Alabama would be cent higher than Georgia and the Georgia man could undersell us to the extent of about 45 cents thousand feet. If the Alabaam rate Is advanced three cents, then the Georgia mans advantage over us would he 90 cents a thousand
 ''The territory along the Ohio River and in the States of Indiana, Illinois and Ohio Is our biggest market, and we can not afford to lose It; and with this pos sibihty staring them in the face, the Ala bama mill mon are not going to support MT. Conner. They know that the wonder full things he Is promising will not only not do them any good. but on the other hand will very likely deprive them ot their principal market for lumber. They believe that all this agita ton and turmoil that Conner is creating are hurting the best interests of the State. In fact, some of them have very deepsuspicon that Conner simply wants the office in ordor to further his own interests at the ex- pcnse Of the railroads, regardless of how the other business interests of the State may be affected. He is not concerned about the rest of the people. He is out for Conner, first, last and all the time."