The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-08-02

sponsibility. But under the pro-
posed bill the President of the Uni
ted States is expect TO select and
appoint seven men who can do this
superhuman work of final rate ma k
ing for the whole country.
At present it Is the business of
railroads of the South to see that The
South shall compete for all traffic 10
and from all domestic and foreign
markets possible. and this is done in
the faireat consideration of all con-
cerned, but of course the railroads
of the South never lose sight Of the
fact that their interests and RESPONSE
bilities are in the South.
Other railroads Of other sections
have similar ideas; hence cometition
is keen and active between the re.
spective railroads throughout the
country. If the Southern railway,
for example, finds that it cannot
place the products Of South Carolina
in certain new markets by reason OF
existing differences in rates, it
promptly endeavors, if practicable,
to adjust its rates so that the compe-
tition may ensue. This could no
longer be done under the Esch
Townsend bill.
In such. case as I have cited, if
the commission had fixed certain
rate to nothing higher, nothing low
er may be charged, and as no change
in the rate could, under the law,
be made without the consent of the
commission, then that competition
would be shut off, and that point,
that must be the exact rate; South
Carolina, and 20 the whole South,
must bear her loss Of trade extension
in that direction.
In time the seven commissioners
will have fixed all rates doubtless
upon strict mileage basis, and compe-
tition between railroads would cease.
There is nothing in the present
law stricter than the prohibition of
pooling, yet here we find the Esch-
Townsend bill actually fixing the
limitations of competition as the
commission may deem best, because
by saying the rate may not be chan
ged, not even lowered, these seven
commissioners do in effect pool the
traffic to that particular point, aa
they thus tend to contine that traffic
; to certain lines and to exclude GER
tain other lines, thus saying what
revenues In that respect shall 60 to
certain roads, and what sections or
localities shall be permitted to offer
their productions in certain markets.
Illustrative of the effect of such a
law, 1 happened to meet the other
day friend of mine who is a part
ner in the ownership of one of the
largest series of iron. furnaces in the
South. Germany, as you know, has
governmental control of railroad
rates. This friend informed me that
his partner had been over in Gel many
to make special investigation of the
working of the rate-makipg power az
cised by that government, and thai
be returned thoroughly disguised
with governmental control of rates,
, and he thought that the present
r American plan was by all means
the safest and best for this country
to follow; that necessarily frequent
changes in the quotations of ship
ments Of iron ore and commodities
of similar kinds require some
o prompt change in the rates, which
the present law of the United States
affords, whereas it was the opinion
q and observation of his partner that
+ change of such rate in Germany
, was wellnigh impossible; that over
= there, where applications for rates
> on account of towns just opening up
! certain industries and becoming es.
+ tablished as competitors with certain
other localities, the applications be-