The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-07

he does not know anything of the in-
 tention of his road to withdraw the
 rate as the Louisville and Nashville
 road intends to do on May P.
 The chairman repeated comparisons of rates on commonly used articles for the Alabama Great Southern in Ala
 bama and Georgia, including crackers candy, cotton rope, shingles Cess than carload), lumber potatoes uess than carload), soap. cement Oess than car ! load). horseshoes rice. barbed wire
 farm wagons, horses, cattle. sash,
 doors and blinds. fruit jars and nails
 There were discriminations of 90 per
 cent. and more on these articles in fa-
 vor of Georgia. he said.
 MT. Conner said he would like to have his associates on the Commission con- cur with his idea that when the road purpose to change rates advice be glv- en the Commission before they are put
 into effect. The past custom has been for the roads to make their tariffs ac- cording to wishes and file them with
 the Commission for approval even after
 they have gone into effect.
 Commissioners Sanders and Tunstall
 were in favor of adopting such rule
 but upon objections of the tariff men | present a vote was not taken on the matter. There were questions Of law Tn dOuDI Tn the minus OL lHC SOAhiA''"
 sion and 1t was decided to defer final consideration until next month. MT. Winburn Witness. W, A Winburn, Vice President or the Central of Georgia, was next on the stand He began with statement of the operating expenses, the gross and net earnings and taxes for the last fiscal year, showing that the net earn ings in Alabama above taxes and op- only S3S.SbO, or about one-fourth of 1 per cent. on the
 per mileage valuation of the road. The mileage in Alabama Is 470, which IS 33.6 per cent. of the total mileage or the line.
 Mir. Winburn told of all the securi- ties outstanding on the Central or Georgia and its leases, apportioning the
 total assessment of fixed charges to Alabama traffic. He concluded on this
 basis that there was a deficit of $174'-
 798. He submitted statements show ing lower per mile earnings in Alabama than in Georgia.
 The witness submitted figures show
 ing comparisons of earnings per mile
 of road in Georgia before and after the effect of the Georgia tarin. Tn 1852 the earnings per mile were S4,9OO. In 1882 when the tariff went into ef- Rect the earnings had decreased to S4. 500, in 1894 to $3,79s, in 1897 to SS,- $40, In 1901 to $4124 and the earnings finally reached s5,040 for the hscai year of 1904.
 MT. winburn objected to an increase in the rates proposed by the chairman on the general argument of not get ting fair return on the investments In Alabama, He told of how every
 rate is one of great experience. He said he did not believe there was a discrimination between Alabama ana Georgia rates on the essentials or ire He said if the Commission should de- termine to reduce the rates on com
 monly used commodities he hoped the permission would be given to advance the rates on the other commodities Such commodities as 1t would be prac- ticable to be advanced.
 Answering Commissioner Sanders
 MT. Winburn said 1t would not be pos sible to reproduce the Central Of Geor
 gia lines in Alabama at the original
 cost of construction, or S35.1SO.
 The chairman employed several argu-
 ments to rebut the capital stock,
 enumeratng the different roads owneu | by the Central of Georgia company
 the per mileage costs of construction ! of all of them
 1 The skeleton of the old bankruptcy
 of the Central Road of Georgia Was
 dragged into the investigation again
 by the chairman A colloquy follow
 ed between him and Mir. WNnburn on l the course of the bankruptcy. Ihe
 latter claimed. as did President M. IT.
 smith. of the Louisville and Nashville
 Railroad that the cause was directly
 the application of the Georgia tarin. The chairman set over against thls
 argument the claim that the physleal
 business conditions were of panlcKy
 nature and the instance or the Cen.i a. '