The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-04-06
=-s=a--=--s--~-s~ NIGHT SESSION.
General Revision of Freight Tariffs COnsdered.

General Revision of Freight Tariffs COnsdercd.
 H. H. Emerson, Freight Traffic Man. ager of the Atlantic Coast Line, opened the night session a few minutes before freight rates of his line;
 MT. Conner preceded MT. Emerson's | testimony by stating that the entrance into the general revision Of tarlfis was was forced into 1t by his associates.
 MT. Emerson said that the Coast Line tariff on Glasses A., E, c, II, l., and Q, and l. 2, 5, 4. , & ana sdso IS the ne some cases. 10 per cent in others. and in still other classes no per centage Is added.
 bama and Georgia are different, he said. Through the one less through traffic is possible than in the other. MT. Emerson informed the chairman on further interrogations; saying that he would say right here that the Coast Line would not consider even com promise proposition on a revision Of tariffs in Alabama. He did not believe out the small net earnings in Ala bama. , improvements and increase in facili- ties now being undertaken oy the line, which would have to stop in the event of q reduction of tariffs
 The witness dlscredited the effort of the Chairman to prevent an equitable distribution of the burdens on all com-
 Governor Would Not Help.
 President Conner at this juncture told of his efforts to secure from the cover nor requisition on his contingent fund to retain an attorney to help the Chairman conduct the present inves- tigation The Governor, he said, told him that the fund was too small at in a long distance telephone call to Birmingham immediately after the in- terview with the Governor for the purpose of getting counsel out of his own pockets; but an engaage1ment at;11 could Mir. Emerson said he would not con slider a proposition from the Commis- sion to do further than shift the bur den on the commodities and several classes of freight. He might consider reduction when the operating ex- penses in Alabama were reduced and not before.
 ditions in Alabama and Georgia, MT Emerson said he could not see a way to reduce the present tarim although he admitted it would be dff1cult to eX- actly estimate the difference In con
 When Mir. Emerson said he did not believe the Alabama patrons or the Coast Line would demand reduction
 
 conditions existing in Alabama and Georgia. the Chairman reminded him of the last campaign for election of the President of the Alabama Commission the people who are the patrons of the Coast Line voted for a cut in the rates under investigation.
 A Ten Century Contest.
 '"There will be contest in this State to the thirtieth century" said MT. Conner, "or there will be a fair ad- justment of rates"
 When President Conner asked the witness for the Georgia tariffs to com pare them with the Alabama rates and the witness replied that he could not recall them, Mr. Conner arose:
 That's the troTble dld Sat said aet fae CnaiT tn into this general investigation because into 1t let us get things, right. I tell power to say when there are discrim- nations against thls State and to ar- range the rates to prevent them You cannot tell me that the Commission has not any such power"
 Answering the Chairman, MT. Elmer son said the cotton rate in Georgia was l9 cents and in Alabama 22 cents for l iftV miles, and was the same for
 A colloquy followed here on the oon- tention by the Chairman that he had a other States for adjusting. the former and as against this the contention of Mir. Emerson that he did not believe 1 the comparisons were pertinent.
 The Chairman announced that on ae- | count of his fatigue from the work of 1 the last three days he would beg to | entertain a motion for adjournment | until morning.
 MT. Emerson insisted that the testi- | Tnony of the Atlantic Coast Line be | closed before morning because, as he | had already said, he was compelled to | leave the city.
 Mir. Emerson asked of the Chairman | what he thought would be a legitimate | return on railroad investments fin Ala | bama.
 q would at once give you an an- swer to that" replied Mir. Conner. If your securities could be reduced to a iegttimate basis.@
 An exchange of statements followed