The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-06-12
DRY FIGURES /. ! | {: IN IN
DULL D ! !. INQUIRY / y
Co,nptroller A. H. Plant Spends
Another Day as Southern
Railways Witness.
SESSION HAD NO Nc: FEATURE /: | }. :.
Southern May Finish This Week,
Though This is Doubtful
Now.

The introduction OF great mass OF dry
figures By Comptroller A.. II. Plant of
q the Southern Railway occupied all yes,
terday in the rate hearing matter before
the State Corporation Commission. and
the witness will continue his direct tes-S
tilnony at IL o'clock to-day I
The Southern will proha bly, get through
this week. but long drawn out cross-ex-
aminations Of all their witnesses are ex-5
pected by Messrs Braxton and Ander-s
son. who are representing the State. OF
course. the figures submitted by Mr.. Plant
are highly pertinent to the inquiry, and
their compilation, along with his eXplana-3
@tions, show great ability, but the absence
iof brushes between counsel and Of OBJ
$jections to testimony made the day a
5tdull one for the laymen present.
{E It was l1:2O when the commission as
sem bled. There was good attendance
I OF lawyers and railroad men. former
Railroad Commissioner James G. Hill, OF
scottsville, and Judge John D. Horsley,
having been present for the first time
during the hearing. Hon. Pembroke Pet
3itit, OF, .Flnyanna. and Mr.. w. w. Old,
Z Jr., OF Norfolk, were also on hand. Mr..
& "A. H. Plant, comptroller Of the Southern,
resumed the stand, and was further
questioned by Mr.. Thorn.
said 1t cost more to operate
"a focal than through train, and he
s went on to explain this difference much
as had Mr.. Spencer last week. referring
ITO the additional men, switching, stop
ping starting, etc, required by local
H trains.
More Than Five Times.
3 He submitted that upon calculations,
he had made he found that through
freight could do more than Ave times ms
much work as a local train.
Following this up. witness gave 1t MS
+ his opinion that IN order to make up
this difference, the rate for handling
local freight in Virginia should be about
five times as high as that charged for
through freight. Tho prevailing charac-
steristic. he thought, Of State busi-
ness in Virginia was that It Is carried
on local trains. Witness thought that
while it cost tho Southern Railway 70
cents to earn dollar. ms an average on
all it's business on the entire system. the
cost OF earning dollar on intra- State
business In Virginia was SO or 90 cents
Is It was the policy OF the Southern in
arpropriating freight revenues to branch
lines to give them the same revenue pro-
i portionately as though they were owned
and operated MS independent roads Mr..
Plant illustrated his point by the Cal
verton branch, which Is only eight miles
long and to which Is credited more than
ELK times its mileage In revenues.
He had worked out the question of rave-
! nue. for one month 70 the Calyerton
branch on this basis and found that
the road made only s4a5 but WAS credit
.ied with about sl,270. This was practl-
dcally true of all the branch lines of the
Southern Railway
# Mr.. Plant said he had given a great
deal of thought to the question of sep
arating, accurately the cost of doing a
a passenger business as compared with
that of freight business, and had found
at almost impossible.
The earnings from passenger trains. he
thought. would average about fifty cents
5per passenger train mile. For passen.
ger mail and express per passenger train
mile the average was about sixty-four
q cents, E
Not Sufficient.
Is gCan you say asked Mr.. Thorn,
whether the passenger earnings OF the
Southern IN Virginia are sufficient to
pay the expenses OF conducting the pas,
Z senger 'blsiness'ss
81 Witness was Of opinion that the ex-
penses OF conducting the business We're
d greater than the revenues derived there
from He gave these figures az gross
II savanlsA Of his company from intra- tate