The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-05
WILL NOT VOTE WITH MR.COMER His Motions Do Not Meet
 With Second. STILL PROBING INTO RATES Railroad Commission Had Two
 Lengthy Sessions. Hearing has Reached a Business Basis and Traffic Men Submit state
 ments as to Earnings
 of Rail Lines.


 done since the investigation began.
 Many needless colloquys which mark ed the inquiry into fertilizer rates in April have been eliminated. This, Of course, permits speed in the examina- ton of the traffic men and enables the Commission to approach some action if anything is going to be done.
 Twice yesterday President B. B. Co., mer, of the Commission. made motion for material reductions of rates on the Southern Railway and the Frisco Sys- tenn in Alabama. Each time he failed to receive a second from either of the Associate Commissioners, Hon. w. T. Sanders and Col w. c. TunstaIl. Com missioner Sanders explained, as in the motion of the PresidentsWednes for a reduc ton in the fertilizer tariff, that he personally would not render any decision until testimony has been heard from all the railroads
 The motions of the chairman were that the Southern Railway adopt for this State the Class 6 and Glasses A, B, c, D. E. F, G, H. K, l., M. N. and P of rates that apply in Georgia, and that the Frisco System do the same. He also moved, in connection with the lat ter proposition, that the Frisco System be placed in the same, class of roads as the Southern Railway. The classes mentioned by the chairman embrace the articles of freight more commonly used.
 Made Considerable Progress.
 By moving on in the investigation systematically yesterday the Commis- sion made considerable progress. The testimony of the Southern Railway, which began Wednesday, was com pleted yesterday morning. During the preceding day the Atlantic Coast Line, through H. NJ. Emerson. Freight Traf- fic Manager, filed a statement which supplemented its hearing towards the end of the April meeting. The Louis vile and Nashville Railroad and the Frisco System were disposed of by showings made by General Traffic Man ager c. B. Compton, and Assistant General Freight Agent, w. R. Powe, respectively.
 The Western Railway of Alabama was heard in part through President c. A. Wickersham and Traffic Manager A. R. Smith. MT. Smith was on the stand yesterday afternoon near 6 o'clock when the session adjourned un- til 10 o'clock this morning.
 Noticeable among those present at yesterdays proceedings were Hon. H. s. D. Mallory of Selma and W. F. Vandi- yer of Montgomery. MT. VandiVer, who figured in the fight against Pres ident Conner for his present position on the commission idSC year, HaS Ooch constantly in attendance during the investigation. MT. Mallory was pres ent yesterday morning.
 There was little yesterday to inter rupt the tenor of the investigation ex- cept a very animated speech of the chairman, during the afternoon ses- sion, while MT. Compton was under ex- animation for the Louisville and Nash vile Railroad. Remotely the witness bof ha chairman not consistent in his efforts to get the Georgia standard tariff established in Alabama This evoked a spirited re- joinder which lasted several minutes, during which the chairman stood upon his tiptoes and smote a ledger before him In terrific fashion. He was more excited than he has been during the entire hearing. His lofty voice rang out in the historic hall of the House of Representatives and reverberated through the corridors.
 No one who heard President Conner at this moment could doubt that some thing said a short time before mad nit upon his feelings ana mt uPoh t"eHi hard.
 MT. Compton had just hnlshed WI Wien II his long array of rate figures showing comparisons between the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and roads Tn Mississippi and Georgia. The Char
 
 ruption for over an hour, picked up his pc persoral list of comparisons whlcn were for certain isolated commodltles in the States of Georgia and Alabama He was about to begin a cross-@Nanil- nation of the witness on these ratings when MT. Compton said that It Wits apparent that the Chairman has al- ways intended to strive for the Georgia standard tariff and not the jeorgla rates and that if the Georgia ,arin was established for Alabama the farmers along the main line of the road would enjoy much better rates than those oh the branch roads. c,-,-
 MT Compton was asking the Chair man if he desired to do injustice to the branch road farmers when the latter arose and in eXclamatory tones dened any of the men before him to snow where he has been inconsistent Tn ms fight for lower rates in the State. lie said he had been studying the ques- tion for the past sixteen years ana nad been sincere and consistent all the time. He said the Georgia Comnissi0l had provided for minimum rates to the branch road farmers on the essentials comparisons made by the Douisville ana Nashville Railroad representallNe' say ing that articles and commodities were used which were in the majority not consumed by the country people and if consumed, not in carload quantities which were used in the comparisons lots of carload and less than carload were employed and very studled com pilation of figures was presented. Pre- senting all of them he consumed near ly three hours. He dissected the Geor- gia classification, so far as applied to the Louisville and Nashville kaliroad' and set the rates over against these on the same road in Alabama an three representative roads In Mississippi. The per centages by which the rates exceed or fall beneath those of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad In this State were given in several hun dred commodities.
 Tn summarizing Mir. Compton said that the average excess of rates In Alabama on the Louisville and Nash VIlle Railroad over those on all lines m Georgia Is approximately per cent, while the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in Georgia applies three tenths of 1 per cent average higher rates than the same road does in Ala hama. He reminded the Commissi)n that Southern classification No. 35, which applies to Alabama, captains 4O9 articles which bear lower rates in Ala hama than do the same articles In Georgia Moreover. according to MT. Compton there are sol articles In the Southern classification current that have no rating at all in the Georgia
 The hearing continued steadily throughout yesterday morning and at- ternoon with a short intermis5.on for dinner. There is no indication when IL will be concluded
 EXAMINATION RESUMED.