The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1906-08-10
Meeting With Railroad Commissioner
Burr

Burr.
In response to an invitation from
me Ocala board of trade Railway
Commissioner r. Hudson Burr arrived
in Ocala Tuesday morning, and at 3
O'Clock Tuesday afternoon was met in
the Elks hall by a number of ship.
pers, who lodged complaints against
the lack Of railroad facilities and the
lack of expeditiousness in the hand
ling of shipments of freight.
Those who met the commissioner
were the following named gentlemen:
T. T. Munroe, president of the board
of trade and stockgrower; George F.
Dittmer, of the Buttgenbach Phos-
plate Company; L. S. Light, trucker;
A. s. Anderson, Ocala Iron Works;
William Anderson, Jake Brown, Mar
Gus Frank, M. Strauss, e. p. Pittman.
j. j. Gerig, merchants; George Nc
Kean, lumber broker; Frank Drake.
phosphate; William Hooker, lawyer;
IG. T. Maughs, Southern Express; E.
B. Duncan, Robert Taylor, A. C. L.
railway; P. c. Pillans, trucker; d. C.
Smith, trucker. Center Hill; Ben Ray
sor and C. M. earn, truckers; c. l..
Bittinger and Frank Harris, editors.
The first gentleman formally intro
duced was Mr.. Dittmer. He gave an
instance, where a wagon was shipped
to him and arrived some time in May
with some of the wheels and 9TH
er parts missing. The matter up to
this time has been unadjusted, and
this is merely an illustration of how
Things are conducted on the division
of the A. c. L. on which his phosphate
plants are located.
Mr.. Dittmer says that he can get
goods quicker from New York than
from Ocala. That he has great diff
Guilty in obtaining sufficient cars and
rarely ever on time, and after the cars
are loaded at the mines that he fire.
quently suffers demurrage because
they are so slow in transit and fire.
quently lay for days on the sidetracks
at the mines. He told of a shipment
from Aurora, H., to Elliston, Florida,
which was shipped to Ellenton, Flor
ida, remained there fourteen months
and when discovered he had to pay
extra freight from Ellenton to Ellis
ton.
Mr.. Dittmer said that the road. is
conducted on entirely unbusinesslike |
and that the service is in
every way unsatisfactory. The pas
senger cars are unattractive, frequent |
" with no ice water, foul closets, etc. |
Commissioner Burr suggested to
Mr.. Dittmer that he place his state
ment in the form of letter to the |
and that he will take |
t up with the officials of the road He |
said, however, that the commission
srs have no authority over interstate
shipments. That he had visited in per-
'on the division spoken of by Mr.. Dit
ner and corroborated what Mr.. Dit
ner had said about the condition of
he passenger trains.
Mr.. D. C. Smith, of Center Hill, was
lext introduced. He said that in his
section the people could get no local
reight service, and the question of
living is getting to be serious prob
EN-. That they only had one local
reight south last week and none go
ne north. He complained also of the
ength of time it took to get carload
OTIS of truck to New York. Some
ines the shipments are as long as
light days on the way.
Commissioner Burr said that the r
aw now holds initial lines response |
lie for the safe delivery of goods, and
his being the case, he believes in flu Il
ure the transit of truck and other j
GODS will be more speedy. II
All the complaints were along the
mes above noted, and deal of con- {
ersation ensued. Il
The meeting seems to have result j
d in the commissioner advising all I
no have complaints. to make them
! the form of letters and the same c
ill have the attention of the COM I
lissioners and will be brought before
he railroad officials, and he thinks
lat some relief will be obtained.