The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-07
MIR. COMER TOO ILL TO GO ON
 WITH RATE INVESTIGATION


 T want to say also, Mir. Sanders, that I believe you all did wrong yes terday when you tried to force this question on me. There Is general not believe we should go into the gen. eral revision at this time. ask 1t as a favor of you, gentlemen, as l am not at all well now, to postpone this meet ing" in opening the meeting that he had been greatly fatigued by the % WoIk oi that he had not slept fifteen mnutes Wednesday night as the result of his sick condition. He would De willing. he said to name any date the first part of next month to suit the convenience of the gentlemen present.
 Commissioner Sanders was about to move for an adjournment when there was an interruption which resulted in the chairman's arising and making a final statement of his position with reference to the general revision Of rates and tariffs in Alabama.
 Asks for Georgia Rates.
 The chairman said that to show the gentlemen before him that he was not "czarish' or a 'wrecker of rail- roads," as had been charged against him, he would simply ask them for the Georgia classifications to apply In Ala bama He declared that as the rail roads professed to be fair they should make the classifications for this State.
  State of Alabama has no uniform tariffs The chairman also promised the officials that If they would agree to adopt the Georgia classihcations in this State he would personally consent to allow them a concession. say, of five per cent, or some per cent. on some or the classifications.
 The history of other Railroad Com missions that had been able to get lower rates. such as North Carolina, Georgia and Texas, according to the chairman. showed that the roads pros- pered under them.
 And I say with all candor. gentle men. that the people must be heard on this question" said MT. Conner. and this State would be in the position of China if 1t could not assert their rights. We are not asking too much of you. There might be some reason to kick If we had in this State third is not the case. You know that we have frst-class roads in Alabama and we are entitled to at least some grada- tions if not the standard tariff.
 Mir. Culp Defends Southern.
 Vice-President J. M. Culp, of the Southern Railway. asked permission to say just a few words In defense Of his company. He reiterated the figures that were extensively brought out on the first day of the meeting by Freight Traffic Manager L. Green, Of the south ern Railway showing the gross inter state and intrastate earnings of that system in Alabama.
 It was reviewed how the road does not under tho present tariff for Ala bama earn d fair and just return on It's investments. He said that the road is not earning even the fixed charges of the road that are properly assessa- ble against the trNiic in this State. It was told how the gross earnings from intrastate business of every character, as compared with the cost of operation. the taxes. the improvement and the interest on stocks and bonds, the latter being charged to this States traffic according to the proportion Of tho intrastate business to the whole, would indicate deficit of several thousand dollars on the operation of the Southern Railway within the bord- CTS of Alabama.
 Mir. Culp denied. as intimated by the chairman. that the Southern Railway is attempting to shoulder on the Ala bama traffic of his road the payment of interest and securities belonging in other States properly. On the con trary, he made the declaration that the management found 1t compulsory to take some of the earnings from other States and apply them to pay in- terest that Is in all right chargeable to the traffic in Alabama. He said that Alabama has practically a uniform classification of rates and that the con ditions of this State compared with those of Georgia would not admit of the standard tariff.
 ConditIons for Reduction.
 The assurance of Mir. Culp was given Chairman Conner that when the South ern Railway. or any other road. sees that by reduction of rates there will be an increased revenue. the rates would be gladly put on such a basis. He said the rates would be even reduc- ed if 1t could be shown that the same revenue as was secured under previous rates would result because the rail- roads are generous enough to satisfy the Ratrons.
 The speaker referred to the intima- tion of the chairman at the beginning of the meeting that the Southern Rail- way had appeared somewhat naughty towards the poorer classes or the un- organized masses.
 In defense of this MT. Culp called to mind the fact that travelling freight agents are employed by his road and all roads whose purpose 1t is to move up and down the lines of the system, consulting the wants of all patrons. poor and wealthy alike. trying to satisfy complaints and conciliate the attitude of the patrons generally. These men make it study to improve the facilities of handling traffic and were at intervals engaged in making reports of their operations to the high of- ficials of the road and that the reports are made the subject of his careful perusal and that of higher officials.
 As to Better DepOts.
 Mir Culp next referred to the charge of the chairman early in the meeting that there was considerable neglect in this State on the line of the Southern Railway as regards the erection of de- pots, especially in the smaller towns He asked the chairman for the name of the town at which he said his road was building now a depot with rooms only by 12 feet.
 The chairman answered him that the town Is Pine Hill.
 MT Culp did not deny this, admitting that 1t is possible that inadequate ac- commodations will occasionally result from continuous construction of depots all along the line. but that 1t is tho purpose of the Southern Railway to af- ford such superior facilities as are in the confines of the earnings or the road.
 The argument was used by Mir. Culp that were there to be a reduction nf rates there would be outside competi- tive forces which would manage some how to avail themselves of the differ ences and abuse the rates and that the patrons whom 1t intended to beneht would be in the same conditions as be- fore.
 Mir. Cub answered the allusion of the chairman in the first days pro- ceedings to the advance in lumber rates several years ago. He acknowl- edged that there was a material ad- vance on the Alabama lines and those in other States where lumber was man ufactured because the roads believed 1t iustifia ble They had been able to carry for A low rate heretofore the lumber which, being of low class of tonnage and of q low price, was not moving in great volumes But owing to the remarkable advance In the price