The Savannah morning news., 1904-10-07
WANTED HEARING
ON RATES TO-DAY
COMMISSION WIRED MAYOR.
SHORT NOTICE GIVEN SAVANNAH
IN RATE FIGHT.

Mayor VIII Wire Protest to CONF
mission and Call His Committee
Together TO-day-If Commission
Puts Rates Into Effect Has
Been Threatened, the Matter win
BE Carried Into the COurts-If City
Attorney Garrard Is In Atlanta,
He VIII Be Asked to Appear Be
fore the COmmissiOn-savan
Not Even Given Chance of Hear
ing.
After o'clock yesterday afternoon
Mayor Myers received a telegram from
the secretary of the Georgia Railroad
Commission, notifying him that the
commissioners would give the Savan-
nah committee a hearing to-day on the
alleged rate discrimination against this
city. On such short notice it was, of
course, impossible for the Mayor TO
get his committee together and get to
Atlanta in time to appear before the
commission. He will wire the COM
missioners to that effect this morning
and ask for a hearing one day next
week.
The committee will be called together
some time during the day to consider
the situation. In the first letter from
the commission the Mayor was told
that as the rates were not to be put
into effect until after the case brought
by the Central Trust Company of New
York, is settled, there was no need for
hearing. So the telegram giving such
snort notice was a surprise to the
Mayor.
Will Keep the Wires Hot.
The wires from here to Atlanta will
he kept busy to-day until the decision
OF the commission is learned. After
the secretary of the commission had
written the Mayor that the rates were
not to go into effect until after the
case now in court was settled it was
learned here, through the Atlanta cor
respondence in this paper that the
commission proposed to try to-day to
put the rates into effect on all lines
except the Central Of Georgia, that
road being the only one in which the
trust company is interested.
On top of this disclosure the short
notice that has been given the Savan-
nah committee would tend to show
that the commission is not going to
pay much attention to Savannah's
kick. However, every peaceful means
will be used by the Mayor to try to
keep the commission from putting the
rates into effect. If these fail the mat
ter will be put up to the committee as
a whole and war in the courts will
undoubtedly follow.
Garrard May Appear.
81. of course. could do nothing on
such short notice. said the Mayor
last night. Il will wire the commits
sion that the notice given was entirely
too short. and ask for a hearing one
day next week. I will wire Col. Gar
rard, and ask him to appear before the
commission tomorrow. if he is still
in Atlanta. 1 am afraid, though, that
he is now on his way back to Savan-
nah. We certainly should have been
given more time. l will call the COM
mittee together to-day, and we will de-
eide about the matter then.
IF we had been given more notice
we could have gone to Atlanta tonight.
/ will do all 1 can to-day to get the
commissioners to give us a hearing. If
they go ahead with the rates anyway,
the committee will have to decide what
course to pursue"
There is no doubt as to what course
will be followed. The committee will
undoubtedly go into the courts. When
the resolution authorizing the appoint
lnenl OF the committee was passed Dy
Council, it provided for the spending
of money out of the city treasury to
fight the case in the courts, if neces-
sary.
Given Four Hours Notice.
1t was less than four hours from
the time the telegram was received
here until the train for Atlanta left.
Such notice amounts practically to no
notice at all The few business men
who learned of the telegram were in
dignant. They are determined that the
rates discriminating against Savannah
in favor of Atlanta shall not go into
effect. If the commission is success
full in getting the court to allow the
rates on all roads, but the Central,
because that is the only road in which
the trust company is interested, they
say they will enjoin the commission