The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-06-23

When is a common carrier not q
common carrier?
The railroads say that common
carrier is a common carrier no mat
ter whether they actually do COM
mon carrying or not, provided they
SAY that they are common carriers.
The Railroad Commission says
that a common carrier Is not conl-
mon carrier unless 1t actually does
common carrying.
These, be 1t known, are not the
dicta of the railroads and the Rail-
road Commission but they are actual
conclusions that have been arrived at
by an investigation into the condi-
tions of the freight carrying business
of Florida and the recen. acts Of the
Railroad Commission.
1t has long been known that the
congestion Of freight cars in Jackson
Vile has seriously interfered with the
business of the State. For months
past there has been an accumulation
on tracks Of the three large railroad
companies having terminals in Jack
sOnville.
This condition has been bad, is at
this time worse and the prospect for
the future, Is that the WORST rs
YET TO COME.
It is estimated by careful men and
by personal inspection of the writer
that there are not less than 1900
loaded cars on the tracks of the va
rious railroads in Jacksonville. This
congested condition of the terminals
at the States principal tidewater
point has resulted in partial paraly-
sis of the business of the State on
account of the inability to get the
products of the State to Market. Cars
loaded with vegetables have arrived
in Jacksonville consigned to Eastern
and Western markets, have become
blocked in the mass Of cars with
the tracks are congested, and the
contents have rotted on the tracks.
This has not been one car or two cars
but hundreds Of cars. A we'll known
business man, in conversation with
the writer the last week, said that
he had been informed by a person
who was in position to know, that
the damages paid for loss Of perish
able freight by one transportation
company exceeded the receipts of It's
Jacksonville Office.
All lines of business are affected
seriously by this congestion Of freight
cars In Jacksonville but the most
serious loss perhaps falls on the
I'M how ~ ., =. % ~ Yraro ~ %ha Ctofo
Prices for lumber are now at a point
never before known in the history
OF the industry. Labor Is scarcer now
and harder to get than at any time
before noted. The lumber manufac-
turers are anxious to reap this
golden harvest, which conditions
have placed within their reach but
they canot avail themselves of this
opportunity on account of the great
difficulty, in most cases, and absolute
impossibility in many cases, Of get
ting cars in which to transfer their
product to market.
Many sawmills have shut down and
a still greater number are operating
on short hours, and this Is directly
due to the congestion Of cars in the
Jacksonville terminal yards. One OF
the large lumber manufacturers Of
the State, in conversation with the
writer last week, said that It would
be impossible for him to figure out
his losses due to his failure to get
cars. He was then on his way home
from a visit to Jacksonville, where
he had gone to try to remedy this
condition. He said that the agents Of
the railroad companies in Jackson
vile told him that the conditions.
bad az they were, would probably be
worse and that it was impossible for
mem to giye any IDEA 40 to tho time