The Jersey City news., 1906-01-12

ton had been made because the rate was
unduly low, and that the new rate was a
fair and reasonable one. They also sub
mitted that the court had no jurisdiction
| to determine whether the rates charged
wele fair and reasonable or not. The
| Great Eastern Company put in a separ-
ate defense, mostly in the same terms,
but they added that they had, prior to
1903, granted the rebate. in order to se-
cure traffic, and that in the early part
| of 1903 they joined the other companies
! in the joint determination to put an end
to the system of rebates
In opening the case for the applicants
it was stated that the origin of this dis
pute was consequent upon the Midland
Railway Company. about the year 1887,
offering to do the carriage for farmers
and others sending produce from their
stations. The other companies, to retain
| their share Of the traffic. followed, but it
was soon found that the carriage was a
very serious mater, and they substituted
rebate, which was generally forty
eight cents per ton for four-ton loads,
though there were a few instances in
which a less rebate was granted. The
granting of the rebate continued until
May, 1908, when all three companies in
competition in this district agreed to
make an attempt to get rid of the re-
bate. The mater was an important one,
because there were 10000 acres under
potatoes in Lincolnshire, which produced
about seven tons per acre. The potato
district ran into Yorkshire. Counsel con-
tended that the defendants We're not JUS
tofed in increasing the rates in order, as
they alleged, to level them up to the
charges made from other stations both
farther north and farther south.
In defense it was claimed that the COM
panies were bound to alter the state of
things which had existed up to 1903, so
as to comply with their statutory duty of
avoiding undue preference. They had
had numerous complaints from traders
outside the scheduled district, and they
they were very anxious to perform their
duty to the public.
Various witnesses were heard, includ-
ing farmers and merchants and railroad
men, and after considering the testimony
the railroad commissioners decided that
the companies had performed the task of
proving that their method of meeting the
wants of the district was fair and rea-
sonable, and the application would, there
fore, be dismissed.
The drawback system in England,
worked out, which the railroads in this
case admitted to have been wrong does
not seem to differ greatly from the Amer
lean system of differentials. 1t is inter
esting, though, to note that in abolishing
the rebate system the railroads at once
adopted the former maximum rate as
fiat rate This seems to fit in somewhat
with the plea of the American railroads
that they are forced to carry some freight
at actual loss to obtain the business. 1t
also shows how easy it would be to re
lieve the roads of this loss by an ADJUST
ment Of rates to figure that would be
reasonable and profitable, if the power
We're placed in the hands of an unbiased
commission rather than the agents of
trust controlled railroads themselves.
There is about four billion gallons of
wine produced in the world every year.
Where it goes to is another question.
Three-fourths of the whole quantity is
furnished by Italy. France, and the Iber-
ian Peninsula, which lead the list of
wine-producing countries, in the trder
| named. The United States is the fourth
largest wine-vroducing country of the
world. according to figures furnished by
Professor Mondino, of Italy. on the sub,
ject.
Italy produces annually something like
1,135, ,974, 900 gallons of Wine of all kinds.
France has 4,1S3, ,272 acres of vineyards,
and makes every year something like l.
| 743, ,5SS, 900 gallons of grape juice Corsi-
cas- production, which really should be in
cluded, amounts to 4.226,880 gallons a
year. Spain's vineyards cover 4,942,000
acres and produces about 5554, IT'S, 600
gallons. Austria Hungary produces about
15S, ,50S, 900 gallons, of which Austria
| furnished twothirds and Hungary one
third. Including all the Rhine wine, Ger
manySs production is only an average of
| 66,o45.O00 gallons, although last year il
broke the record with 105, ,672,000 gal
Ions. Russia's average production is 49,
$4,000 gallons, and is decreasing. Swift
| zerland manufactures 26,41S,000 gallons