The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1906-03-23
MR BURR AND THE RAILROAD
COMMISSION.


! notice that you and the Hon. n
u,ason Burr. of plate matter fame,
WAS about to get into an argument re-
o,d,ng the value of the Florida rail-
road commission; since being In MI
ami have had a good deal OF exper-
ience with the railroads and do not
hesitate to say that the railroad COM
mission Ia held in contempt and IL the
railroads do not wish to give square
deal no action of the commission VIII
deter them. nor is the commission
considered in the matter. neither In
nv humble opinion Is the commission
hunting any decisive tests OF strength
with the railroads.
To illustrate: Classification, No.
of the Florida railroad commission
says on page 13:
when articles are classified In Dotn
the Florida railroad commission Gas
sification and in the southern CLASH
fication, the classes prescribed by the
Florida railroad commission will be
applied south of Florida base points.
Could anything be palmer?
The railroads say this won't do.
Here's what it means" The Florida
railroad commission classification Will
apply on shipments originating in
and destined to points wholly within
the state of Florida.
And that version goes, and under
that version the Florida railroad COM
mission classification does not apply
to per cent of the freight hauled in
the state of Florida. Then how much
good is it?
To illustrate: On page 81 Of the
Florida railroad commission classifi-
cation mattresses made of straw. cot
ton fibre, ETC. take third class rate, in
the southern freight classification
(adopted by the railroads,) they take
End class rate. We shipped 1 car Of
mattresses from Jacksonville. Florida,
and two cars from Augusta, Ca, at
the same time. The Jacksonville car
came at 80 cents, Jacksonville to Mi
ami 3rd class rate per 100 lbs, and the
two cars from Augusta, Ca, was
charged at 81 cents, Jacksonville TO
Miami per 100 lbs, the second class
rate a difference of II cents per 100
lbs, charged because the shipment did
not originate in and was destined to
a point wholly within the state.
The matter was brought to the at
tention of the commission and their
reply was that 1.-The interstate COM
merce commission would not allow
them to enforce their rate on ship
ments originating without the state"
i could give you instances on other
commodities but time is too short
The point is this, the commission adj
mits that their rate book is no good,
except on shipments between Florida
points. which 1 say does not consti-
tuIe per cent or the railroad buSi-
ness Of the state, therefore why should
So per cent Of the shippers of the
state pay salaries and expenses to a
commission that is of benefit to only
per cent of the shippers?
Ex-Governor jennings once said in
the House of Representatives that he
would give s. for every cents, that
the railroad commission saved the
shippers of the state of Florida, and
he had the money in his hand, for I
was there and saw it, 1 venture to
say that If the expense of the Florida
railroad commission. since it was or
iginated, was added up, and the diff
ference between that, and what they
had saved the shippers taken, the bal
ance that they have cost the state. If
given to Ex-Governor Jennings for his
wise prophecy, would make him the
richest man in the state, Why con-
tinue this humbug?
&C. M. B., jr.