The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-07

x. Railway as a through line. Its | grades and curvature were such that ! it was impossible to successfully do
 so. Engineers were put Tn this noun | tainous country to find whether it was feasible, and what 1t would cost. to build road that could be operated | After year and half. or two years of difficult work. they did find line as they claimed, which would cost $s.- 000,0 This was out of the question; so the management decided 1t would rebuild the line from Knoxville to a point sixty miles south, and there di- verge to Cartersville, connecting with
 the Western X Atlantic Railroad. thus
 form low grade line. We. there- fore, are going to utilize of this 205
 miles of the main line of the A. K. & N. Railway. for through line, the
 bridge across the Tennessee River at
 Knoxville. We will, I suppose, be
 compelled to operate the old line to
 considerable extent local line. The
 on the line in Georgia is the marble
 deposit. Now. we have that piece of
 road which, unless we do develop some
 traffic, we shall be very glad to turn
 over to the State if it continues to re-
 duce rates and render the business still
 more unprofitable, and we will be left
 with the short piece of road extend ing from the Tennessee line to Carters-
 vile in Georgia. Now. we did not
 build that line in Georgia, and would
 not have built that piece of road in Georgia, 10 move intra-state traffic un- der the tariff fixed by the Commission. We have lost sight of that entirely. We are trying to create line between Cincinnati and Atlanta, which we can operate successfully in competition with our giant competitor, the South ern Railway and its connections. That, MT. Chairman, is the reason we are building road in Georgia. If any thing would have kept us from going into Georgia, it would have been the fact that the intra-state rates are sub ject to Commission which has exer- cised its power in very unwise and improper way. I will say that in try ing to establish a line for interstate traffic which can be operated cheaply, we have been endeavoring to secure terminal facilities in Atlanta, and we find our friends there. some of them, rapacious and inclined to mold us up. and make us pay three or four hundred per cent more than the property was worth before we wanted 1t. This ap- plies in some cases. not all. We are having rather sad experience; but there does not seem to be any way to avoid this.
 There have been somo indications in the discussion of the rivalry which js known to exist between States, and be- tween Commissions in different States than Alabama, or Mississippi. but Ala bama must mako lower rates than Georgia. and Georgia rates for Geor- gians, etc. Perhaps 1t is but natural tHdI d tLCdlcu ny ihc oldtS whose authority does not extend be- yond the State limits should be more or less influenced by such considera- tions, but if does seem to me that d broader view ought to be taken. We should not stop at State lines, and if traffic wants to move from one State into another, 1t should be encouraged. It occurs to me that the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company, as an H. lustration. operating in thirteen differ ent States, trying, so far as possible to treat everybody in all of thos" States alike, is In better position to act fairly and judge justly as to such matters, than Commission simply representing a State.
 MT. President, I am requested by the here to say that they are here-the traffic representatives and are ready now or when 1t may suit the convenience of the Commission. to take up the general question of a re- vision of all rates in Alabama. They authorize me to say that they will re- main here and devote all the time that you may think is necessary to that question:: or 1 assume they will convene at any time in the future that may be designated by you. At the same time. I believe they are willing. if the Com mission believes it has the information and data necessary. to leave the ques tIon of a general revision, or consid- eration of the general revision, to the been presented in connection with the rates on fertilizers As you will recall. there has been a pretty wide discus sion. if has not been strictly confined to fertilizers. thank you for your at fpDtinn.