The Ocala banner., 1906-03-30
MR.. r. HUDSON BURR REPLIES
TO c. NJ. 3. Jr.

written by &. NJ. IL. Jr. tC. NJ broWH'
jr.) formerly of Marion county, now
of Miami, in which he takes the Com
mission to task, and undertakes TO
show of how little value, if any, it is
to the taxpayers of the state.
In this article wish merely to dis
cuss C. NJ. B. Jr's letter. and will not
undertake to go into the details of a
discussion of the Railroad COmmis-
sion law and the acts of the Commits
sion, which 1 intend to do at later
day, but wish merely to show that c..
NJ B. jr., has misrepresented the mat
ters which he complains of, and mis-
quoted the Commission.
Under date of February 9Th the
Dade county Furniture Co., &C. NJ. b..
Jr.) wrote the Commission as follows:
"We enclose you bill against the
F. E. C. R. r., and also show an ex-
pense bill from them, showing that
they charged so cents when the ship
ment originated in Jacksonville and
81 cents when the same originated in
Augusta, Ga. Is this right? These
goods were exactly the same, cotton
and excelsior mattresses"
The Commission were anxious to aid
Mr.. Brown in any way that they
could, and the shipment of mattresses
| from Augusta, Ga, to Miami, Fla, be-
ing interstate commerce, We took the
matter up with the Interstate Com
merce Commission. upon the bare hope
that they would take the position that
through rate should not be greater
than tha sum Of the local rates, which
is the case in this instance, the F. e.
c. Ry's portion Of the through rate
from Augusta to Miami being lie per
100 lbs. greater, Jacksonville to Mi
ami. than if the shipment had been
shipped to Jacksonville and thence
'-e-shipped from Jacksonville to Mi
ami under Florida Classification
To this the Interstate Commerce
Commission answered in substance.
THAT the through rate being great
follow that the rate in all cases would
be unreasonable. but that the whole
thing resolved itself down to the
question, was the rate a just and rea-
sonable one? and that this could on
ly be determined upon complaint and
investigation of all the facts surround
ing the case. in order to reach a con-
clusion."
Mr. c. NJ. 3. Jr. has never asked the
Florida Railroad Commission to pre-
fer a formal charge to the Interstate
Commerce Commission against the
Florida East Coast Railway, in or
der that they might investigate and
determine whether the rate be paid
from Augusta, Ga. to Miami was an
unjust and unreasonable one, but he
has rushed into the columns of The /
Banner for the purpose of trying to |
prove to the people of Florida that a
Railroad Commission is useless. but |
costly institution, maintained at the /
expense of the taxpayers.
low TO quote c. NJ. B. Jrs letter
further, he says:
TO illustrate, on page 81 of the /
Florida Railroad Commissions CIassi- /
fcation, mattresses made of straw. /
cotton fibre. etc. take 3rd class: in /
Southern Freight Classification ladap- |
ted by the railroads) they take second |
class rate. We shipped one car of /
from Jacksonville, Florida. !
and two cars from Augusta, Ga. at
the same time. The Jacksonville ear
came at so cents. Jacksonville to Mi
ami 5rd class rate per 100 lbs and
the two cars from Augusta Ga. was
charged at 81 cents per 100 lbs Jack
sonville to Miami, the second class
rate, a difference of II cents per 100
lbs, charged because the shipment did
not originate and was destined to a
point wholly within the State"
C. NJ. B. Jr. undertakes to quote the
Commission as follows
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion would not allow them to enforce
their rate on shipments originating
without the State.
The above is not correct; our Sec
retary wrote Mr.. Brown. by direction
as follows:
Il am directed to advise you that
the Commission are advised by coun-
sci that they cannot compel the rail-
roads to use the Florida Railroad
Commission classification on ship
ments, unless they are divested of
their interstate nature"
He was also told how to have his
goods shipped in order to secure the
benefits of the Commissions C1assifi-
cation
Now. Mr.. Editor, if l were to write
an article in answer to C. M. r. Jr