The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-10-20
ANCIENT TkRlEFS KNITTED
Georgia Railroad Commission Reveals
Some Interesting Racts Regard
ing Old Standard Of Rates.

Some interesting figures have been
prepared by Hon. Joseph M. Brown,
of the Georgia railroad commission,
going to show that the standard tariff
which was fixed by the commission
some twenty-five years ago, is really
not now effective because the rail
roads themselves have cut and slash
ed it to suit the. occasion and their
purposes. ..'s,.<. '"
Commissioner Brown takes, for OK
ample, q. series Of important rates.
those which haye. figured largely i'll
the rate contest now going on before
the commission in behalf Of Atlanta
and other points in the state,
For instance. the standard tarif
fixed by the commission between Sa-
vannah and Atlanta is as follows:
Class l, 81; class 2, 81 cents; class 3,
73 cents; class 4, GO cents; class 5,
48 cents; class 6, Al cents. But these
are not by any means the rates in
existence from Savannah to Atlanta,
the railroads having made g. schedule
Of their own, which is as follows: Class
l, CO cents; class 2, 65 cents; class
3, 81 cents; class 4, 43 cents; class 5,
35 cents; class 6, 33 cents. It will
be seen that these rates are from 20 },
OF 40 per cent below those fixed by s
the commission.
In the reverse direction from Attain.
Ia to Savannah the discrepancy is
even greater. In other words, Atlanta
can ship to Savannah cheaper than
she can get goods shipped from that
CITY, The standard tariff made by
the commission is the same in both
directions. but the difference is made
by the railroads. The standard tarih
on the first six classes from Atlanta
to Savannah is the same as that Civ
en- above from Savannah to Atlanta.
But here are the rates charged by the
railroads from Atlanta to Savannah:
Class /, G1 cents; class 2, 81 cents;
class 3, so cents; class 4, 46 cents;
class 5, 80 cents; class 6, 80 cents.
Many other examples might be Civ
en- The commissions tariff between
Savannah and Rome is on class J,
$1.10; the rate charged by the rail-.
roads is "a cents. The commissions
rate between Savannah and Athens
is >1; the railroads charge G9 cenis.
The commissions tariff from Savan:
nah to Columbus is 9G cents on class
l.; the railroads charge 69 cents. From
Savannah to Macon the commissions
tariff is SO cents on hrst-class; the
railroads charge 81 cents. 8
Discrepancies Of this kind might
be multiplied ad infnitum, but they:
are sufficient to show that the rail-
roads have manipulated the standard
tariff as fixed by the commission to
suit their own conveniences. And YET
every time the question Of rates comes
to the front the cry is Let the stand
aad tariff alone"
And SO it was wh IN the Savannah
committee urged that the standard
tariff should be let alone, Commis-
sioner Brown presented these and oth-
er figures to show that the railroads
themselves had not let the standard
tariff alone. s
The railroads. Commissioner Brown
said, were created by the state of5
Georgia. Shall it be held that the cre-
ator cannot do what is permitted 70
the created? II the railroads can re-
duce the standard tariff at will and
make it suit their own purposes. cam
not the railroad commission order re-
ductions in that same tariff where, TO
it's mind, the occasion for them arises?
The railroads do not seem to think 4
so: hence the contest that is now in
progress between tnem and the state
in the United States court: