The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-27
A MIXED MEETING
Freights, BuII-YearIings
and Keeping Sabbath.
House Railroads Committee Holds a
Meeting Breaking the Record For
Diversity OF Discussion and
Laughs Much.

Inc Rouse committee olI INetlilO"iho
and Corporations held a short session
in the rooms of the Corporation Com
mission yesterday afternoon.
Two bills were reported favorably
that of Mr.. Hutchinson providing a
penalty on railroads for unnecessary
delay in the settlement of claims for
freight loss, and Il bill of Mr.. Murphy.
of Rowan. which authorized the town
ship of Winston-Salem to vote $37,5O0
worth of bonds in aid of the High
Point Interurban Street Railway Com
pany, which it is proposed TO con-
struct from Winston, past Greensboro,
to High Point.
Several other bills We're postponed
and during the progress of the meet
ing there arose some humorous banter
between certain Of the members and
the attorneys for the various railroads
who were in attendance.
Fearful of The Greeks.
The first flash in the pan arose in
this particular through the seml-se-
rious opposition of Mr.. Biggs to the
Hutchinson bill on the ground that he
looked with suspicion on any measure
to which the attorneys and agents of
the railroads agreed.
The bill provides that common car
riers shall fix freight charges in ac-
cordance with the rates fixed by the
bill of lading to the consignee, such
rates to be the basis of adjustment in
cases of disputes as to oVer-CnargeS
for any reason; and also provides that
where claim is made and settlement
refused for sixty days, the carrier shall,
If the claim be finally sustained, be
subjected to penalty of fifty dollars
for each delay. Another provision is
TO the effect that a railroad shall not
be liable to suit for claim for the nom
delivery of freight which it had never
received. This measure had been put
introduced by Mr.. Hutchinson after
his attention had been called to de-
cision of the u. S. Supreme Court de-
claring void a section which he had
incorporated in his first bill providing
gha ~ ether the originating or terminal
esd eha"ld be liable to claim for loss
er cT raR.rge on freight. Mr.. Hutch
'GycH sNp,aiaed that the main point
considered av m was the provision
as -o Heaa case Of delay. as
teuce IS il lia section had been put
u serious 1873 and inconvenience by
Nj. IS. of Durham, recalling the
fight as 0 the Durham depot and the
fact that at that time anything he said
was looked on with suspicion by the
railroad attorneys, suggested that Mr..
Hutchinson had better leave in the
provision, whether it was constitution
al or not, as he was afraid of anything
to which the railroads were willing to
agree. Retort was made by Judge
Womack, for the Seabeard and Mr..
Miller. for the Southern. in jocular
ay that they had agreed TO the bill
erely because they We're afraid they
uld get something worse if they did
u"t do so. And at the end, ii was
.jlsr oVered that Mr.. Pou, representing
roa A. c. L., had never agreed to any
thing; Mr.. Pou had simply been largely
quieseent. the grave nodding of his
head at points in The argument having
been Incorrectly taken to be assent.
y Self-Acting Detective.
A blu that read humourously. but
was offered from Fender county in
perfect good faith, was that provid-
Ing that section masters on the A. c.
l.. in that county be required to make
out and file with the nearest justice
of the peace a full description OF
any horse, COW, sheep or hog or other
cattle killed on his section of the road
within seven days after the accident
resulting ia the death of said beas {;
that in default of such action on his
peii L II@ illEu by the justice
not less than ten nor more than fifty
dollars, and that notice of the death
of such cattle and description of the
same should be made by the justice
at price of 500 to be paid by the
owner OF the beast destroyed.
The bill was about to be reported
ulfavorably with considerable laugh
ter on the part of the members when
action was delayed by the statement
that the measure was seriously desired
by number of the people OF Pender
county. 1t seems that there are
stretches of Swamps and boys and the
idea g that by this fact many cattle
are Killed by the road and their ownr
ers do not discover the means of their
taking off, being thus forever deprived
OF their tight to sue the road. 1t was,
it was said a matter of real complaint
and damage to the people of the coun-