The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-05

stood by us and kept down their rates to level that has stimulated the pres ent great development of the cotton mill industry of the south.
 Southern Rates Lower.
 "Our rates now are as low or a little lower for all central and western terri tory than those from the eastern mills. In fact this is great cause for complaint among the New England mills and the New York jobbers who have seen the products of the southern mills eneroach- ing on territory that they would like to retain exclusively for themselves. Un- doubtedly one of the first complaints that would be made if the interstate commerce commission were given control over rates would be directed to destroying this al- legged advantage of the southern mills. Therefore, the proposed legislation, giv- ing rate-making power to this commits sion or any similar body, contains a seri- ous threat to the prosperity of cotton manufacturing in the south, for we could not continue to do business without fav- orable rates. The northern mills have other advantages which we do not pos sess. They are nearer the local mar lxets, such as New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore and they can obtain money at a lower rate of interest. A distance basis of rates might hurt them but 1t would destroy us for we have no large nearby market such as they have but must depend upon distant markets for our prosperity. These are abundant req sons in the minds of the thoughtful cot ton mill men of the south for opposing anything that looks toward government rate-making.'
 Frederick B. Gordon, president of tho Georgia Industrial association, which in- cludes the big cotton manufacturers of the state in it's membership, expressed the same ideas as Mir Jordan.
 Our opposition to every scheme of hard and fast rates fixed by federal author ity," said MT. Gordon, "comes from no particular fondness for the railroads on our part but from an appreciation of the danger to our own prosperity and our very existence which such a plan in- wolves. While the rates that we now have on our products seem to us to be fair in most cases there are some that we think might be improved. For eX- ample, we would like to have an allow ance on the raw cotton shipped here for manufacture and going on to market in finished form, something like the milling in transit rates on wheat in the west. But we kMDw that there Is much better chance of our obtaining any reasonable concession when dealing directly with the roads than there would be if we had to deal with a federal commission and if the matter were one of sectional controversy, with a section that is likely to be politically more powerful In ap- pealing to a politically appointed com misson.''
 George w. Pratt Talks.
 In Alabama the same sentiments seems to prevail among the manufacturers. l to1 ra1 rrith Pratt nraSt0ant of the Pell City Manufacturing company, among other representative mill men. MT. Pratt's company is the largest producer of cotton goods and the greatest consumer of raw cotton in the Birmingham district. It has in operation TAO automatic looms and 25,0O0 spindles with an output of 100000 pounds of finished cloth a month. MT. Pratt said that three years ago when he came to Pell City 1t contained fifty-seven persons. Now his mill employs a popula- tion of over 2000 and representing an in- vested capital of about million and quarter dollars.
 "All this has been made possible by the intelligent cooperation of the railroads, said MT. Pratt, "a thing which would be made impossible if the railroads were to be subjected to a government rate-making power which would practically control their incomes. l did not come here for my health but to make money. The railroads have enabled me to do 1t. found them ready to grant reasonable rates and Pel City became a shipping point l did not attempt to dictate rates to the railroads I could no more tell how much it costs the railroads to carry my goods a mile than they could how much it costs to make a yard of my goods. To fix rates so as to meet the special conditions of business can be done only by the man who handles the traffic.
 'I think that any government inter- ference in rate-making Is decidedly un- wise Moreover I am opposed to cen tralization of power In any way and that is what fixing rates by government commission means man appointed through political influence, as these com missioners would be. would know about as much about making rates as I do of running a menagerie. l believe the rail roads are entitled to a fair income on their investments. I have no kick coming.
 "As an instance of the readiness of the roads to cooperate with the manu- facturer I may mention that most of the cotton machinery is made In New Eng land. and that the railroads give very good rate on all such machinery. It is now 51 cents a hundred from all New England The railroads have shown a disposition to assist industries by build ing side tracks, advancing money and the like don't see what more the roads could do for the cotton mills down here than they have done"
 Prominent cotton manufacturers in the Carolinas expressed views similar to the above. The rebate evil apparently does not exist to any extent in the handling of southern mill products. A few manufac- turers complain of local rates on either the raw or the finished product but prac- tically all of them agree that through rates are fair and favorable. The consen- sus of their opinion appears to be that the cotton mill interests of the south have nothing to gain but possibly much to lose from government interference in the making of transportation rates.