The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-11-08
Railroad Commissions s
 Yearly Statement.
President Makes Lengthy Recommenda- tions while Messrs. Sanders and Tsnstan Review Transac.
 tIons of the Year.

Governor Jellxs yesterday received l road Commission and with 1t a dissent l ing report signed by the President of the Commission, Hon. B. B. Conner. The report of the Commission covers ed by Associate Commissioners W. T.
 Sanders and w. c. TunstalL This re- port is a review of the transactions of l the Commission during the year.
 The dissenting report, filed by MT. Conner, Is lengthy and Is made up main ly of recommendations. For this req son the dissenting report of Mr. Conner is Of decided interest. It undoubtedly forecasts his message, as Governor to the next Legislature.
 Mir. COmer's Report.
 The full text of MT. Comer's dissent ing report to the Governor as Pres dent of the Railroad Commission is as follows:
 Montgomery. Aal. Oct. 1906. Governor William D. JeIks. Montgom- cry. Ala
 sir:--As required by Section g of the act hereto attached, we respect fully submit report of the proceed ings of the Commission for the year
 ending June 30. 1906. and due to be made October 1908. In the year ending June 30, 1906. the only hearing on the freight rates of the State was that on the rates of cot ton to the cotton mills of the State, and was against all the railroads of the State. and asked for general revis- | lon of the local rates on cotton from
 different parts of the State to the cot | ton mills.
 After lengthy hearing the Asso- ciate Commissioners in an opinion rem dered by w T. Sanders, decided that 1t was not expedient to reduce the freight rates from the different parts of the State to the cotton mills of the Ia tn hn 70 GAN. sn, dissented.
 The written opinion of the Associate Commissioners as made by w. T. Sand- CTS is hereto attached. B. B. Conner. there was no arrangement of freight rates from many of the local stations | of the State to the cotton mills of the State, and where cotton is shipped from I local sation to the mills, 1t is at the full local rates which, In instances, are from an eighth to quarter of acent 1 higher per pound than the comparative through rates on cotton shipped to
 mill outside of the State. And where | it has to be shipped over two different
 roads the combination of local rates | makes it practically prohibitive, thus failing to give the cotton mills of the State any advantage that may arise from their being near the cotton fields of the State, whenever Snis cotton has to be shipped locally over the rail- l roads, and also deprives the farmers from many sections from any advant- l age of the competition which would | arise from the cotton mills of the State bidding for their cotton, and evil ! dently doing away with the advantages Alabama should rightfuiIy derive from
 the franchises given to both these cor porations.
 New DepOts Ordered.
 We have ordered a number of depots built and a number of depots enlarged,
 and the construction of some so chang ed as to give a separate waiting room
 for the negroes, all of which is being compiled with.
 | We have gone over and inspected in | a large measure, the railroads of the
 State, the depots, and to a limited ex- | tent. the bridges. In the Inspection l of the bridges we had the valuable as- ! sistance of Professor Edgar Kay of | the University of Alabama, who is an honorary member of this body. We l respectfully report that the depots in ] some instances on all the roads that we | inspected there were some depots which evidenced lack of proper atten-
 ton to the comfort of the patrons, both
 as to keeping the schedule of the trains posted, and keeping the rooms | open, and with drinking water and
 fires. We advised the roacs of their in-
 attention.
 | opinion the Louisville and Nashville | and the Alabama Great Southern Rail- l road Companies, keep their road beds | and track up to a reasonable standard
 over the classes of roads which they
 We think that the Central of Geor- gia the Frisco and the Seaboard Air Line, while maintaining a fair stand | ard could be and should be, improved. We think tAst the Southern ,partic larly those parts called their
 branch lines, except the Mem
 phis and Charleston, and North
 Alabama, maintain a lower stand
 ard than we think the convenience More particularly those parts between Mobile and Marion Junction. and pc tween the said Junction, Demopolls, ticularly we called the attention of the southern management and suggested
 expedited work to put 1t Tn better
 shape. They replied that they were were the very best they could to put it Tn better Shape. We believe that both for their interest. and for the good
 provement should be made at once.
 Complaints of Service.
 We call your attention that there is very general complaint over the IT. reRularity and procrastination by the railroads in the sediment of claims TOT stock killed. goods damaged or lost, and this practically by all the railroads VI We % cali your attention to the car service. Practically all the railroads are short on equipment, causing very general and expensive delays to the
 H1S We call your attention that in the matter of car service the shippers
 have practically no protectionS ana
 while railroads take advantage or rules made by themselves to collect charges for detention of ears by the shippers vet these same rules do not apply to the shippers to collecet de- murrage or loss for freight delayed in transit, delayed in the yards, or de- layed by not having proper Tacllltles
 In the matter of the erection of de- pots we call your attention that we have a law giving the commission pow CT to direct, under certain cireum- stances the building of depot, yet this same law does not empower them to compel the railroads to place an agent there to properly run same.
 We found in the investigation of the freight rates of the State that the railroads had the most expert talent which money could hire to present their side of the case. That the state- ments of earnings and also the state. ment of the value of the roads, ana inc relation of one to the other, em- bodying the legal proposition Of req condolences in charges, was altoBeth- CT on their side. That the commission had no power nor means to iuvesti- gate with experts on the correctness of the statements made by the raiI- commission had no adequate facilities for Investigating and determining whether the statements of earnings and value made by the railroad com panies were reasonable or correct.
 That Georgia Rate.