The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-04-11
ACTION ON GEORGIA
RATES POSTPONED
Railroad Commission Cannot
Get Material Ready
HAVE A KN0TTY PROBLEM
Georgia Has Case of Negro Convicted
and Sentenced to Life lmprison-
nnent Who Is Released
on $500 Bond.

Atlanta. April 10.-(Speclal )-There will
be another postponement of action by
the railroad commission upon tne question
of Georgia freight rates according to
an announcement made today by Com
missioner Joseph M. Brown. 10 whom all
the papers have been referred for examin-
alton and calculation. The nnal hearing
was to have been held next Friday April
IL, but Commissioner Brown says 1t will
be impossible to go over the papers and
get them in shape by that time, and he
can make no positive promsle as to just
when he can have the matter ready for
the commissions consideration.
THE task which has been given me is
a gigantic one" Mr. Brown said today,
land 1t will simply be impossible to do
the physical work necessary to arrive at
a proper understanding of the propositions
which have been made by the railroads
between now and Friday. There is a mass
of detail to be considered, and the pro-
posed new rates will have to be looked
into from every standpoint and COM
PARSONS made to show now they will af-
feet even certain points between which
they do not apply. From the preliminary
examination / have made of the COM
munications sent by the railroads, it is
impossible for me to say just when l
can conclude this work 1t may require
two weeks and 1t may require a month,
and all | can promise now is that l will
complete the work just as soon as 1t is
possible for me to do So
Still Further Reductions.
When questioned further Mr.. Brown
said he had not been able to make a suf-
hciently thorough examination even to
say whether or not the rates proposed by
the railroads would be acceptable to the
commission. He was inclined to think
in some respects still further changes
ana reductions will have to be asked for.
From what has been said, however, by
members of the commission, 1t Is hardly
likely that there will be any further cor
respondence with the railroads on the SUBJ
ject. 1t is more likely that the commits
sion will accept such rates offered by
the railroads as 1t deems will meet the
present case. and as to others will issue
on order of Its own declaring certain new
rates In effect. And it Is expected the
commission will be prepared to take this
step when 1t finally gets the subject up
for consideration.
As to the famous port rate case, which
Is in effect, and application by Atlanta
for reduced rate between this city and
the seaboard, the same rate to apply in
both directions. Mr.. Brown said he had
not gone sufficiently deep into the COM
munications from the railroads to ascer-
tain whether they had made satisfactory
concessions on this point
Mr.. Brown did say, however that the
railroads had NOT made wholly satisfac-
tory concessions in the matter of rates
on stoves, and 1t Is likely that the com
mission will have to take some action on
this subject. At present Tennessee manu-
facturers and even those of Kentucky en-
joy rates into Georgia which enable them
to undersell the Georgia manufacturers in
their own territory.