The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-11
old QU||E [: 6 |. / 4
COM UP !. AGAIN !||.|i. Yin
Lawyers Wranglc Over Meth Methods
@ 81 Railroad counting Before
Corporation G Commission.
mr.. COXE5 ST 0NlTHE. STAND 4 Nd
Mr.. Braxton Has Him on8C Cross
E Examination but May Finish
s5s With Him To-Day.


ther long, weary drag Of two ses-.
sions was had yesterday In the Corpora;
4 ton Commission freight rate matter, and
q al the end of the latter, the body \ adj
icurned until II o. clock this morning,
Comptroller j. w. Coke, Of the Nor
folk and Western, was on the stand all
day, and was IN the hands Of both his
counsel and the State. Ell "
He completed his testimony In chief
Il at 81 q clock noon, and was then tai ken
In charge by Mr.. q Braxton on cross -e x
Il! nmlnation. issai I sSS 8%{
s5{5S5 Mr.. COKE may get through to- day and
then Traffic sNanag ger DevantE OF the same
road viii go on the stand. .
nj essrs. BrnxtonG and Cooke had their
5,.1lrst brush yesterday, and 1t came over
ar, old question, hitherto fully discussed
in the pending case ~, Messrs. I. Bra ton
and Thorn. ss
Mr.. ,Braxtonf served notice, as he had
u done in the case Of The Southern. the
at the proper time he would contend
tina 1t was improper to charge to oper-
ating expenses any cost for improve,
1nents and betterments, but that this
should be paid out OF the profits OF the
stockholders. i5 a S Y. /. ,5$ .
This view was strongly combatted by
Mr. Cooke, and the argument consumed
nearly an hour. IL Il
4 The commission resumed the hearing
3 promptly at II o clock, and MI coke
again ,ook the stand.
Asked as 10 the mileage made by trains
# and tonnage hauled during the fiscal
4 year Of 1875. the witness answered: n
-.I,he average haul over the entire sys-t
tenn was ass miles. The average in Vir-
Il gsnis for the same period was 23l miles.
The average tonnage over the entire
system was 5stt tons
II Road So rganization.
Mr.. Coke was now questioned at length
VII concerning the Organization OF the Nor
z folk and Western Railway. and he went
INTO detail as to the properties acquired
and the obligations assumed by the new
road in 1895. The concern, before this
reorGa ntzation, was known as the Nor
folk and Western Railroad Company It
= now the Norfolk and Western Railway
Company.
The financial affairs OF the company
were here gone into at some length. and
amounts OF bonds had been Issued since
1896. IL
In answer to questions by Mr.. Cooke.
witness gave the following figures: Net
income, 1897. 1920 ,so5.s7; interest paid
on funded debt. sls45.l4s.4l; amount left
for distribution, s475.l5026.
l In answer to a question as to what
4 had been the dividends paid by tho COM
pany since Its organization on Its
y common and preferred stock, the witness
replied in detail. showing that the scmi-
annual dividends on both classes had
ranged from ono to two per cent.
83l1t was - O'Clock NJ. when Mr. Cooke
turned the witness over to counsel for
The State. declaring that as at present adj
M yised. he had no further questions on his
4 examination in chief.
Mr.. Braxton conducted the cross ex-
m animation OF the witness. and frat asked
him to file copies OF all his annual re-
Il ports In evidence. which he said, he
would do later. 3,
s"What amount did you charge 10 IN
Jnrles TO persons for the fiscal year
ended June 80, 1906. for your entire
Y system? ~, M
The amount SO charged was $40 C0."
With copy OF the company's last an
M nual report before him. Mr. Braxton ask
cd the Witness great many questions,
and showed much interest as to the
charges made to this and that account
curing this year and others
Their First Brush, tx
sNessrs Braxton and Cooke had their
first brush shortly after the former
took the Witness and they discussed a,
hpips 'ehslh the methods OF which they
respectively thought the accounta OF rail-.
roads should be kept
T 1t came out In evidence that so1ne
stock purchased from the Pocahontas
Coal Company had been charged to the
operating expenses Of the road, as vel
as certain expenditures for improvements
n sna betternepts. 81
All the improvements and better,
,nents.p said MIR. Braxton, fare to i'm
prove thn value OF the plant. and mol
mercy 70 maintain 1t IN Its original con
aition, Is. X
1T ~ proper for the company To tmproy,
its plant, but It should do It out of ii,
own pocket, and not GU, OF those Of IA
III patrons. 58
4'Ws shall contend that all thess