The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-05-24

essary in other states It is a stigma; 1t is a something do not like the looks of. The railroad lives by its taxes, the taxes on which it pays its divi- dends. If you increase the tax you will pay for it. There Is so much coming to the stockholders, so much to the en- pioyes, and so much to the state. You will pay the bills. If you do not relieve yourselves you will pay the bilIs.''
 Senator Lake asked what sixe a cor poration must be to get rebates of de- murrage such as given to the United States Steel corporation by the big rail- roads.
 do not know of any such discrim- nation" replied President Mellen. If there is that is just what congress is trying to find out and regulate, and there is one railroad president who is not down in Washington prophesying what dire results will come from such legislation"
 In reference to Senator Lakes claim that the Boston and Maine road might give rebates to a Boston lumber dealer, President Mellen said: T think you will honor me in living up to the rules of my company. That road is a member of the New England Car Service associa- tion, and if it has given rebates it has lied, and 1t has no standing here. I have enjoyed my visits to the Iegisla- ture of the state of Connecticut and I do not want, to have them cut short. I hope to say something new to you on lrs01 n iTae to threaten you as my predecessor did. | am going to reduce the freight rates just as soon as the Lord will let me and my necessities will permit. 2 l Senator Bicknell then asked why there was discrimination in coal rates; for instance, s3.25 to Meriden, s2.9O to New Britain and $2.55 to Hartford. I will answer that question frankly Z said MT. Mellen. Hartford is situated so that coal can be shipped by water. In making coal rates we have to be governed by the conditions as they ex- ist. The circumstances are different in Meriden and New Britain. We do not see that it would help anybody for us to go out of business, and that would be the result unless we met the rates of the water routes. for we would gel no trade. The question is, Are your rates in Meriden responsible for Meri. den? Then, if we make lower rates t Hartford. will it help Meriden if ws have our rates so that we will not lost the business at Hartford? The ques. tion for the people to determine is wha 2 is fair and just, independent of wha
 may happen at other points.
 Senator Donovan said that it was evi dent that If competition brought dowr prices the state should be thrown opeI tc all corners. He thought Senatol Bicknells question made up 8 serious charge of discrimination on the part Q the road,
 4 James L. Cowles, of Pennington, sait that freight rates should be according to the cost of service rendered. Sev leral other representatives spoke agains a change in the law. One man asked
 MT. Mellen if freight rates would b lowered if the demurrage law was re
 pealed. MT. Mellen said that he wa
 not present to dicker with the genera assembly, but if it wished to dicker h would do so at the proper time. Tn questioner, who did not give his name said that he expected that answer. H was member of the last legislature and said that he could not see that tn road was any more entitled to chang now than ever.
 M Dr. George s. Miller, of Hartford, sait
 that the conduct of the Consolidatet road had been scandalous. One of tn reasons of it's inefficient service wa that it has not friend amonW the em
 ployes. One of the first things Presi | dent Mellen did on assuming the offic
 was to antagonize his patrons D.
 sweeping away trains from his sched Eule. People lived by these trains, anN .jwhen they were taken away the roat antagonized these people and Presiden
 Mellen had to restore many of them pr. Miller said that the freight servic
 during the past winter had been fright , full. He spoke also of what he caile'
 poor train service to and from Ney York, and told of standing twenty eigh
 minutes waiting for a train from Nev
 York in that apology for depot il
 Bridgeport" There was no good will il
 Connecticut for the Consolidated roa' < and 1t didn't deserve any. It had n friends among its patrons or it's em Iployes. He was called to order b.
 Chairman Bradstreet because he wa 5 mot talking on the demurrage question
 MT. Mellen replied that if he was a sure of the suffrage of the members a he was of the confidence of the em
 ployes, in spite of the remarks of tn gentlemen who knew of so many thing that were not so, he would be content He offered to have a secret ballet takei Ion the question and have pr. Miller re l ceive it.
 The hearing closed with the remark lof MT. Schwartz, of Rockville, whicl kept the audience in a roar of laugh Jter.
 I HOME FOR THE FRIENDLESS.