The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-02-18
Representatives OF Roads
Fight a Change.
TO KEEP TWO RATES
Laughinghouse OF Pitt Urges His Bill
Vigorously and With Bisgs Amend
ment, the House Railroad Com.
mittea Orders a Favorable
Report.

Vigorously assailing present rail-
road rates. calling for reduction in
fares to a fiat rate of two and q half
cents. Representative Laughinghouse,
of Pitt argued before the House Rail-
road Committee yesterday.
Opposing him in debate were rail-
road officers and railroad attorneys,
armed with statistics TO the bursting
and equipped in legal rhetoric. Hard
they fought, but in spite of this q
partial victory came to the gentle
man from Pitt.
The committee, after going into
executive session ara discussing the
bill as to its purpose agreed that
reduction in railroad passenger rates
was needed, and while not cutting as
deep as Mr.. Laughinghouse wanted
a vote OF approval WAS given for u
first class rate OF three cents. a Sec
ond class rate of TWO and Il half cents,
with permission 10 the Corporation
Commission to allow higher rate 10
branch lines not exceeding seventy
five miles in length, this perhaps
. ga cents second, three cents first
class fare. The reduced rates allow
$50 pounds of baggage.
mr.. Iaughinghouse warmed up the
railroads. He declared them to be
robbers worse than the timber men,
he scored them for lighting the laws
of the state and ridiculed their pleas
that q lower rate would ruin them.
He made it lively when seeking in
formation from Mr.. Henry w. Miller,
of the Southern Railway as to the
salary OF the president and officials
of the road, that gentleman declared
that this was none of the business OF
the committee. Judge Graham. OF
Granville, vigorously dissented from
Mr.. Milier's view.
The railroad men and their attor-
neys presented figures alleging that
their roads were all losing money at
present passenger rates, and that IN
running many of their trains, they
were comforting favors on the public.
Tile opposition to reduction argu-
ment was that North Carolina now
has as cheap rates as anywhere III
the world, with similar conditions,
that q sparse population could not
expect q better rate, that Win
lower rate it might prove necessary
to cut off some train service ana 10
refrain from granting sneclal rates
for snecial occasions. Dire calamity
and great loss to the roads was pro-
phesied 10 go hand in hand with re-
cant. Ben Terrell, of the Warren
ton railroad told of this three mile
road from Nparrenton to Warren
Plains, owned by Warrenton, and OF
it's 25 cents rate trip. It was wa.
agreed to EXCEPT this from the bill,
Representative Daniel, Of Warren,
speaking for ii also.
Mr.. Laushnghouse spoke next. he
explained his bill, saying 1t would
remedy great injustice being done
the people by the roads. he cltcu
the great increase of receipts OF th2
! ~ ,.,1tf fray
million In 1894 To, over twenty nliiion
in 1904 as showing q reduction could
be made. He spoke of low rate tlcK-
cts on round trips being granted from
New York to Florida for less than
people could ride in North Carolina.
that the rich were favored, while the
poor paid high rates. He declared
this great outrage, ana that
9 1-2 cent rate would be fair. that
excessive rates carae from over
Capitalization; that statistics showed
a lower average rate than this; thlt
the railroads paid less with large
earnings than other property.
Mr.. C. Il. Ryan, General Manager
of the Seaboard Air Line, discussed
the matter of rates and held that q
lower rate than at present Wouid pc
unjust, that the Seaboafd Ar L I'm
took up a big work in an unde-
veioped territory and had to go into
debt, that its earnings had not PAID
this, that five million dollars had
lately been borrowed and another
loan was being arranged. lie cited
statistics showing that for eleven
months last year the revenue was less
TRAN expenses by over $13o,O0U, that
the cost of carrying passengers was
95 clio cents ped train mile, with a
revenue of SO 40 cents, loss OF
cents mile, that while some trains
made a profit others did not, that the
train from Wilmington to Hamlet only
paid half expenses the shoo fy from
Weldon to Raleigh one-third of eX-
uenses.
Reduction from present rates, he
said, would make a greater loss ana
would neceSsitate train reduction, tnat
the country must develop before the
Seaboard could profit and that the
road by special rates was helping 10
do this. The returns per mile from
passenger service is only 76 cents
above this county from mail and eX-
press Railroads had to give reduced
rates on occasions TO get travel. he
told Of the dense population of the
North being favorable to railroads as
against the scattered population In the
South and detailed special cases. lie
explained at length condition which
OeHanQGu tnC IdteS anu iiCto
that the committee should leave the
whole matter to the Corporation Com
mission, which Is empowered to make
rates and which studies all conditions.
Mr.. Henry w. Miller spoke for the
southern Railway. He said expenses
were increasing as fast as receipts.
and that now, with capitalization in
creased, better equipments and road
beds train service in North Carolina
y, hnt. a
haps less. He urged that rates We're
not tributes from the people, but that
they got full value, that the Southern
lost twenty cents a train mile. its SER
vice costing 80 cents, and the returns
being ~ cents. that the road lost on
every passenger it carried in North
carolina, that the rate of , IL cents
a mile meant a loss OF $4,000 q
year. He plead for consideration for
roads as great tax payers.
Major w. "A. Guthrie, OF Durham,
for the Norfolk & Western, declared
the Legislature had given power to
the Corporation Commission TO regu-