The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-22
SERIOUS QUESTION
DO PRESENT RATES DIsCRIMINATE
 AGAINST NORTHERN MILLS.
Hearing Before Judge JudsOn c. Clem- ents Of the Interstate Commerce ommission-Northefn and Western Interests Make
 Complaint.
Atlanta Constitution.

anu 1NcW
 Northern and New England mill, claim that they are discriminated against in this matter and want tho freight rates from Southern mills in. creased. On the other hand, the South ern mills state that the rates prevailing in the South at present do not discrim. mate against the mills of New Eng land and the North. More than this they claim that the rates are equitable and also that as the output of the Southern mills Is directly in competi- tion with the mills of the North and New England, the raising of rates in the South for Southern mills would make 1t impossible for the Southern mills to compete with those of the North for Western trade as they do at present.
 For the settlement of this question Hon. Judson c. Clements. of the In- terstate Commerce Commission, pre- sided at a hearing held in the Federal building yesterday. The case brought up for the settlement of this alleged discrimination in favor of the Southern mills was that of the Reliance Textile and Dye Works. of Covington, Ky, against the Southern Railway and oth- CT roads operating in the South, in which 1t was claimed that the Clear "atSt otCaIhCIy CyC WoE hS, Hcdt Augusta, Ga, and the Lanette Bleach cry and Dye Works of Lanette. Ala, just across the State line from West Point. were enjoying freight rates to the West such as discriminated against the Covington mills.
 Experts on the stand.
 In the discussion of the case many expert mill men and some of the lead ing railroad officials were called to the stand and the end Is not yet, which means that this case will be continued today.
 E. P. Wilson and J. J. Hooker of Cincinnati, are counsel for the Coving- ton company and during the late af- ternoon some of the questions put to the railroad officials were such as brought out some rather abrupt an- swers that were most pertinent.
 Traffic Manager T. c. Powell, of the Southern Railway. was on the stand and was asked, after he had given much testimony to the effect that rates on cotton goods to the West from the mills were just ard equable, where he had secured this information and if he was an expert. This question was in re- gard to the statement made by MT. Powell to the effect that the products of the Southern mills was of the kind that was in direct competition with those of the New England mills in the Western market.
 T am in possession of expert testi- mony which I receive from those in a position to know" replied Mir. Powell
 State from whom you secured this information" said MT. Wilson of Cin- cinati.
 T secured this information confiden- tially." replied MT. Powell.
 Can you give or can you secure a statement giving the statistics of ton mage of the various kinds of cotton goods shipped from the various South ern mills and of the New England mills. such as would show that the southern mills are in direct competi- ton with the products of the New Eng land mills in the West?"
 T have not that information, could get 1t if you would pay the expenses. should say that 1t would require the work of dozen or more men for a month." answered MT. Powell
 Then 1t was that the counsel from CIncinnati stated to the commissioner that he thought the burden of respon. sibility of proving this competition between the Southern and New Eng land mills rested on the railroads.
 Teil me what you want and just what you want" replied Mir. Powell.
 TO Prepare Statement.
 The matter was settled by the coun- of just what they wanted in the way of statistics which would be presented at the hearing today
 Vice President Wynburn, of the Central of Georgia. was the next wit ness on the stand. He stated that some years ago information had been brought to him for consideration al tn1r hn h. between the Southern mills and the West made 1t impossible for the South ern mills to enter into competition with the New England mills in the western market. At that time the matter was gone into carefully and 1t was learned that as direct competi- tfon on cotton goods between New western market equal rates were es- abolished and these rates in effect to- day were equable and just
 Mir. Wynburn admitted that he was not an expert on cotton goods al- though he had learned much natural ly in the making and consideration of such freight rates as would make possible the entering into competition by the customers of the Central. the Southern mills in Georgia and Ala bama
 We are getting too much glitter ing generalities What we want is specific facts and figures, such as show whether or not the Southern cotton mills manufacture such goods as are in direct competition with the pro- ducts of the New England mills" This from the counsel of the Coving- ton mills.
 This counsel further objected that the railroad officials were not giving these specific facts and figures. In reply Mir. Wynburn smiled and stated that he was giving them all he knew This seemed to be corroborated by Judge Clements, for when counsel asked MT. Wynburn to get up a state ment showing many details regarding all the outputs of Southern and New England mills. the different grades and in what way they competed with the New England mills, Mir. Wynburn laughed and appealed to the judge. It was then that Judge Clements said that while unquestionably the facts in the case as to whether there was between the mills of the two sections were essential. MT. Wyn- burn having stated all that he knew, could hardly state more and that 1t was hardly right that he should be made to get 1t.
 Judge Baxter. of Nashville, Is again roads. Claude Nortnrop was also present
 Thomas H. Barrett. president of the Clearwater bIeachery and dye works, was the first witness. In a straight forward and impressive way he tes- tified with facts and figures that so far as the freight rates on cotton goods were concerned, the Southern mills enjoyed only such rates as were