The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-06-12
HOW THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY ROBSG GREENSBORO
IN FREIGHT CHARGES.

i 80 cents. or 81 cents more THAN 4
i to L~yncnburg From Lynchburs %
Louisville il Il - cents. ani from
Fl greensboro to Louisville <l.l5.
From New York 70 Nashville.
Tenn. via Greensboro the freight
charges per hundred or goods In class
number six i 81 cents. and - Greens
horo il * 81 cents or one cent more
than to Nashville.
"The charges Ger hundrr on goods
In class number one from Louisville
and Cincinnati. via Greensboro 10
DanvilIe. Va. IS 6s cents. and 70
Greensboro II is IS cents.
The freight charges on coal from
Rf84field. w. Va. to Greensboro. a
distance Of $50 miles. Is go per ton.
and from Bluefir!d. W Va. - Chica-
90 H.. a distance OF COS miles. the
charge is sos. From Bluefield TO
Cincinnati. ohio. a distance OF 80
MIL the charge is S1.15. From Blue
a4Ia w. Va. TO Norfolk. Va. tn"
charge is $50 for local consumption.
hur when the coal is intended for eX-
port it j. $l.35 Der ton.
The charge on hour shipped in sacks
from Chicago to Greensboro Is ~
cents. and To DanVille. Va. by way or
Greensboro il * 80 cents.
The freight charge on oranges from
New York to Columbia. ;. g. i 81
cents. from New York IL Atlanta II -
43 cents, ANA from New York 10
Greensboro II IS % cents.
These are sufficient facts 10 base
an argument upon that justice TO ihe
business men of Greensboro ana the
future development Of the town, de-
mand that these conditions should not
obtain longer, and there IS no excuse
in law or morals for their existence IL
is q faVorite way the southern Ran
way Company, and / oppose othef
railway companies. "a of answering
complaints OF this kind. to say that
rate making is a complicated ana IN
yolytd matter that the ordinary cltl-
zen cannot understand. and ought not
to presume To know anything about. l
have no respect for such Il
or such an answer to complaints. me
people who make that argument are
very mysterious in language, and as
,sume q very learned and lOrdly ar,
land talk about competitive points ana
water rates etc, and intend more 10
confuse than to enlighten. If it is
profitable for the Pennsylvania rail
road and the southern Rall-
way Company to ship oranges from
New YORK to Atlanta Ga, FOR "a
charge of A cents, and from New
York to Columbia, S. c., for a charge
Of 81 cents, then it would be profitable
to ship them to Greensboro for less
than 81 cents, and a charge OF ~
cents is nothing more nor less than
robbery under the forms of law, ana
/ the same Is true Win reference ~
other determinations. Greensboro does
not want the charge from New York
to Atlanta and Columbia or other
freight charges increased, and these f,
points are referred to for the purpose
Of showing that the Southern Railway
Company is charging eXorbitantly for
the service rendered the citizens of
Greensboro. A railroad company is d
public service corporation, and while 1t
has the right to demand and receive
from the public a fair compensation
for the services rendered, 1t has no,
right to use what is, in the very ma
ture of things a monopoly, for pur-
poses Of eXtortiOn.
ut is going into the realm of spec
ulatiOn to undertake to say how much
money that has SOught investment in ,
his community has been driven away
by unfair and unjust discrimination
on the part of the Southern Railway
but almost every citizen
knows of some instance here some
person has considered the question of
locating a manufacturing enterprise
in Greensboro, and has decided not to
do 50 because of excessive freight
charges by the Southern Railway !
Company on freight shipped to and
from this place. While Greensboro has
grown faster, perhaps, than any other
city in the State, during the last two !
decades, it has not grown as it should
ana NOulu IL 1t mao 1ecclNto d All !
treatment by the common carrier
whose roads enter the city.
"The Chamber of Commerce has
been informed by the president of the
eaboard Air Line Railroad Company
that his road could not enter Green's
boro without inviting reprisal. This
is a sight for gods and men to be-
hold. The Southern Railway engaged
in the conduct of daily extorting from
the citizens of Greensboro what it is
not Justly entitled to as certainly as
the highWayman receives what he is
not entitled to when HE holds up and
robs the traveller whose purse he de-
mands at the point of 4 gun. and :
when the victim cries out for relief he
is Informed by the one to whom the
appeal is made that help cannot be
given for fear that the southern Rail !,
way will give trouble.
The time has now come, in my Judg-
ment. when, by united action. and a
show Of the Indignation which the
prevailing condition of affairs should
engender, persons having money to /
invest in such enterprises can be pre-
vailed upon to build a connecting link !
from q point on some other system of
railroad to Greensboro, and the South
ern Railway Company should be in
duced not to practice reprisal against
the company that encourages it. If the
Southern Railway Company fully un-
| derstOOd that il it opposed the build !,
ing of such line of road that the bus
mess men of Greensboro would.
through the Chamber of Commerce.
unite and give to such road when
built. all its business so long as such !
other road did not overcharge, the !
/ officials of the Southern Railway Com
panv would be slow to practice repris-
ais. They evidently think that there is
no organization in Greensboro through J
which the business people can and /
will seek relief from and r~etaliate for
the conditions the Southern Railway
Company has fastened upon this city.
There Is pending before the North
Carolina Corporation Commission now, !
an application by the railroads of tn {
State that the Commission shall adopt !,
the Southern classification in CLASH
tying freight between North Carolina
points. This matter will be heard on
] L. o41h e