The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-11
MIR. COMER TURNED DOWN Railroad Commissions First Conflict. IA TWO-T0-ONE VOTE
 Tunstall and Sanders Opposed Nasty Action.
 Would Not Order Special Meeting to Consider Fertilizer Rates-An order as to the Mobile RaiIorad Depot.


 Alabama Railorad Commission. with machine-like precision in a few import ant matters that came up.
 President Conner hastened to have the Commission adjust railroad rates on fertilizers in Alabama. Associate Com misisoners Tunstall and Sanders op- posed hurried action and jointly de- feated the motion of President Conner to hold a special meeting March 22. The Associate Commissioners also sat upon a strenuous effort of President Conner to have the Commission take up at the next regular monthly meeting the question of rates on farm imple- ments and livestock. The new Presi- dent evidenced his opinion that the ex- isting freight rates on these commodi- | ties are too high In some cases. Brings Forward Comparisons. To support his contention for an early adjustment of the fertilizer rates President Conner presented a list of Comparative rates in Alabama, Missis- l sippi and Georgia. He showed that for given distances the State of Mississippi enjoys much lower fertilizer rates than in either Alabsma or Georgia. In Ala bama, he declared. the rates charged | by the same carriers are considerably higher than in Georgia
 | He openly charged the Central of Georgia Railway and the Seaboard Air Line Railway with discriminating | against Alabama. "The rate per ton of fertilizer for | thirty miles in Alabama over the Gen. tral of Georgia Railway" he said, lis $1.30 per ton, over the Seaboard Air Line Is $1. 50 per ton and on both roads in Georgia the rate is 99 cents per ton,' ,'' said President Conner.
 | The Mississippi rate on all roads is 75. cents per ton. For fifty miles on the Central of Georgia Railway in Ala l bama the rate per ton Is $1.50, the Sea- board is S1.70 and on both roads in Georgia the rate is $1.os, and the Mis- sissippi rate on all roads Is 75 cents per ton. For eighty miles on the Gen. tral of Georgia in Alabama the rate is $1.70 per ton. the Seaboard is g. per | ton and the rate on both roads in Geor- git is $1.35 per ton, and the Mississippi rate on all roads is 90 cents per ton. '
 President Was In Hurry.
 There was no dispute over these fig ures and Messrs. Tunstali and Sanders opposed MT. Comer's mo-
 rates on fertilizers only on the time
 of the meeting President Conner moved to make the adjustment on March P and his associates thought this too early because competent witnesses could no
 be secured by that date.
 Counsel R. F. Steiner. of the Sea
 board Air Line Railway. had already appeared before the Commission anC informed the members that immediate ly after the adjournment of the Com
 mission on March he wired the train, managers of the Seaboard and made
 trip to Atlanta for the purpose of get | JoI of potent to testify in the matter of fer tilizer rates to appear before the Com
 mission yesterday.
 Owing to engagements" said MT Steiner, "of the parties competent t, testify with the Interstate Commerc,
 Commission, the Virginia Railroad
 Ccmmission and the Florida Railroad Commission. no one of such officers could be present on this occasion. The, lean not appear before this Commission
 by reason of such engagements unti lafter March 29."
 Fertilizer matter postponed.
 This showing was regarded by Com
 missioners Tunstall and Sanders as suf ficient for a postponement of the cas, of J. w. Huger against the SeaboarC
 Air Line Railway until the next regu lar monthly meeting.
 The case had been continued iron the last meeting on Monday to tn,
 meeting yesterday. It involves the rat, on fertilizers over the Seaboard iron Montgomery to Hurtsboro. Mir. Huger President of the Alabama Chemica Company of Montgomery, has made tn,
 complaint that his company pays higher rate between the points named on fertilizers than is charged from Co lubmus, Ga, to Hurtsboro, a longer distance.
 | Commissioner Landers moved A,
 soon as MT. Steiner had completed hii | showing. that the cause be continued
 again until the first Monday in April | the time of the regular meeting. II,
 said that he made the motion in mani
 fest justice to the defendant whose | witnesses were absent.
 Commissioner Tunstall seconded the
 motion and President Conner voted ! against 1t.
 President Conner, few minutes af 1 rewards, attempted to secure a spe. | ciaI meeting on March 22 to consider
 a general adjustment of Alabama fer | tilizer rates. He was again silenced | by a two-to-one vote. He gave as 8 | reason for quick consideration of this rate that the fertilizer season would l soon be over. He then furnished the
 comparison of votes aforementioned. l Substituted by MF. Sanders. | Commissioner Sanders moved a sub | stitute for the Presidents motion
 which was adopted by the affirmative
 vote of Colonel Tunstall, President Co-
 mer voting against it.
 l President Conner. for the third time was reversed by his associates. He | made a motion that at the regular | meeting April 3, the commission take up the question of the rate on farm | implements. including wagons and ve-
 hicles, and also the rate on live stock
 The motion was lost for want of a | second. Commissioner Sanders ex- | plained that the commission would have before 1t as much as it could well
 attend to on April 3.
 | The commission unanimously agreed l however, on instructing the clerk tc | notify J. S. B. Thompson, General Agent of the Southern Railway at At lanta to appear before the commission on April to show cause why work | had not been begun on the Mobile union passenger station.
 An~order has already been issued for the construction of the new station at Mohila