The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-10

amount of cotton handled by the roao | in Alabama last year was 45s,364 bales and of this amount there were 15S,I5l bales hauled to Alabama points. This does not necessarily mean that thu amount was consumed by the mills, a! much of the cotton was re-shipped.' Figures From l. & N.
 The total production on all lines o 1 the Louisville and Nashville in Ala | bama was z67,000 bales for 1904. Fig l uresH showing that the producer Is do | ing we'll in Alabama as compared witt the financial condition of the road rep | resented by Mir. Smith were presented | The prosperity of tho mills said Mir | Smith was also assured by the rates | that now previal.
 Exhibits were read and filed by Mir Smith showing that combined rates | from local stations on the roads tc | mills in Alabama, and thence to mills in Boston or New England, are sub stantially less than the rates on the | raw product shipped straight through to New England. MT. Conner, the chairman, admitted that the Alabama mills are doing we'll almost universally and they are in a much better condition than few years ago.
 Tn the course of hts testimony MT Smith alluded to the fact that he had access to the dividend sheet of large mill on his line. He learned that the mill. during the last year, declared [ dividend of sixteen per cent.
 Mir Conner said 1t is a rare instance and asked for the identity of such ar enterprise. He was told the name oi the mill but it was not put on record by request of the witness,
 MT. Conner, in discussing intra -state rates on cotton rather criticised the let ter of the Enterprise Cotton Mills read to the Commission Monday. in which there was protest against any changes in rates on cotton mills in Alabama The reason given in this lettsr was that the business of the mills would be materially interfered with by the movement of cotton possibly out of the Southeast Alabama territory to the North Alabama mills. The chairman said this is ridiculous philosophy as roads, and the people of the State, to make all parts kin to one another.
 Junior and Senior Partners.
 The chairman insisted that the Lou isville and Naoshville Railroad should give better rates on cotton to mill points than the reduction of 10 per cent. on the local when junction is made with the other roads, and especially the Atlantic Coast Line. The chairman dubbed the Louisville and Nash vile and the Atlantic Coast Line Junior and senior partners" meaning to say that their interests are identical. Mir. Smith denied any authoritative in- formation on this pont and simply stat ed that the Louisville and Nashville of f1cials deal with those of the Coast Line the same as they do with any other roads in Alabama or elsewhere.
 The mills on the Louisville and Nash vile in Alabama are located at Ala bana City, Apniston, Sylacauga, Birm- ingham, Speigner and Sycamore. It developed that the Louisville and Nash vile shipped nearly 106,6S3 bales of cot ton for the season of 1904-05 to Pensa- cola and Mobile and of this amount it was estimated that Mobile got about 5000 bales. This was brought out in the line of comparison of port rates on the road with rates from similar points to mill points in the State An effort was made by the chairman to prove that the mills of Alabama do not get even the favors from the Louisville and Nashville that Liverpool does.
 In defense of the practice of the Lou isville and Nashville to give only 10 per cent off the local on a junction with other lines, Mir. Smith said 1t is com monly conceded that the initial line al- ways encounters heavier expense in handling shipment than does the line which delivers the same.
 Conner Delivers Invective.
 A warm discussion next followed be- tween the witness and chairman as to whether the Birmingham district has done more for the Louisville and Nash vile Railroad than the carrier has done for the district. Mir. Conner arose and delivered an invective at the witness for intimating that his road ought to be given credit for the rougher class of tonnage that 1t hauls out of the dis trlct.
 l.. E.. Chalenor, General Freight Agent of the Seaboard Air Line, was next to be heard. He said the mills of his line are located in Alabama at Pell City and Piedmont. Most of the cotton is hauled to Savannah and hence there was little comparison on through rates to the Carolinas and the East on an all- rail basis. The witness talked briefly of tue hauling of cotton on the old line and the new Atlanta and Birmingham Air Line. A revised tariff for both lines are now making and will soon be filed with the Commission.
 MT. Graham, of the Central of Geor- gia Railway, was asked to the stand af- ter the Seaboard Air Line had been disposed Of. The interest of the pro- ceedngs and tho main surprise of the two days Of the hearing was the table of figures MT. Graham produced about cotton mills in the individual Southern States He showed that in 1890 the total capital invested in Alabama cot ton mills was g. S53,015 and in 1900 the total investments were $11.63S,757. For the same years the number of wage oArners was 2,0S3 and S,332 respective ly In 1890 the value of mill produces in the state was S2,l90,77l and for 1900 1t was $S,l5S,1S6.
 Fifty-FiVe Cotton Mills.
 hxy Mir. Graham showed that there were only thirty-one cotton factories In 190u, whereas today there are fifty five 4 table was also submitted which showed that the general in- crease in the cotton mill industry in the ten years ending 1900 was 4e0 per cent for Alabama. $50 for south Car olina; 800 for North Carolina: 70 for Georgia g. for Tennesse and 10 for 
 Mir. Graham was told by the chair of complaints on his line about cotton man to mention Q specific charge as the latter said that generally speak ing l could answer your question but specifically 1 could not"
 Then Mir. Browder of the Western Railway, concluded the hearing with a brief statement. He was interro- gated but little by the Commissioners.
 The regular docket was next taken up seriatim. Superintendent II. E lIutchens. oI the Memphis Division of the Southern Railway, spoke before the Commission to get a rehearinR of