The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-09
COMMISSION TAXES UP COTTON RATES BroWder is Chief Witness in
 Montgomery TO MAKE SOME REWSlONS Roads, However, Are Not Ready to Make a General Reduction
 On a Mileage
 Basis.
TO MAKE SOME REWSIONS

Montgomery. January S.-fSpecial1- Alabama railroad commission took up most of the day in it's hearing of the question of rates on cotton to Alabama mills. Particular interest attaches 10 the hearing from the fact that President Co., mer of the commission, is a cotton mill owner. having two plants in the state. The chief witness of the day was George R. Browder of Atlanta. general freight agent of the Southern railway The con sideration of the question grew out of the attempt of the merchants of Leigh ton to have the rates on cotton from that place to the mills at Huntsville. reduced. When it came up for hearing the com plaint was merged into the general dis cussion of rates on raw cotton to all the Alabama mills
 MT. Browder, during the course of his testimony, said that the Southern road made a great many concessions to the mills of North Alabama but it was not ready to make a general reduction on a mileage basis. It was also insisted by MT Browder that the mills of Alabama have advantage over sister states in the matter of through rates on cotton stuffs. Mir. Conner said that the railroad people were wandering and were not giving the mills of the state the rates they should have to buld up the industry. MT. Brow der said that if the rate was made too low in comparison with Mobile, the cot ton would move out to the seaboard in- stead of going to the mills He also said that the roads did not see their way clear to reduce below the rates made in the revised tariffs filed with and approved by the commission last May
 Those Present.
 The following are among the railroad men in attendance upon the session:
 H. D. Hutchings, superintendent Mem phls division of the Southern; T. E. Brooks superintendent of the Louisville and Nashville at Birmingham, and J. J. Mckinney of the same road at Mont gomery; Joseph Menzies, general freight agent of the Atlantic Coast Line; G. R. Browder, general freight agent of the Southern; A. R. Smith, third vice presi- dent of the Louisville and Nashville J. R. Graham, assistant general freight agent of the Central of Georgia; ". R. Powe assistant general freight agent of the Frisco; E. A. deFuniak, division freight agent of the Louisville and Nash vile; Frank Browder, chief clerk to the general freight agent of the Western of Alabama; R. E. LutZ, of the Western; L. E. Chalenor, assistant general freight agent of the Seaboard; L. Sevier assist ant general freight agent of the Alabama Great Southern: Jay Smith, Marbury: S. C. Nefer Southern railway. Washington There are also a number of local men in attendance, among them being R. E. Steiner, attorney for the Central of Geor- gia, and the Western John V. Smith, att torney for the Louisville and Nashville
 Will Make Reduction.
 Mir. Conner insisted all along that the rates in Alabama made 1t impossible for the mills in this state to compete with those of the Carolinas with finished pro- ducts He contended that the figures sub mitted by MT. Browder showed that to be the case.
 While denying this statement, Mir Browder referred to the rates west of Selma on the lines of the Southern rail- road and said that 1t was the intention of the company to make some revisions as they were not in a few cases in line with what they might be on the Selma basis. However he did not think that the road could afford to make any new reductions in a general way.
 w. R. Powe of the Frisco and !. M
 
 Joseph Menzies of the Coast Line. were examined after which adjournment was taken to 9:30 tomorrow
 The commission will have to take much of tomorrow to get through with the hearing.
 Good Schools.
 I. W. Hill, state superintendent of edu- cation. has returned from north Alabama and reports the schools of that section in fine condition. He visited the Eighth Dis trict Agricultural school at Athens and found things in fine shape. He is highly pleased with the work there.
 MT. Hill paid a visit to Chief Justice Thomas N. Mcclellan, who is i'll at his home in Athens. and found him greatly improved.
 The department of education will take up the muddle fin Lamar county in a day or two now. In this case the home of the county superintendent was burned with all the papers of the recent examination of teachers, and a new examination will have to be provided for. D. E. Gibson, first lieutenant of Com pany K, Second regiment Tuskegee, has resigned and an election ordered for his successor.