The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-03-28
Lines in Alabama to Use In
junction Against State.
KICK ON NEW STATUTES
Claim is Made That New Laws Just
Enacted by the Legislature Will
Decrease Earnings More Than
One.Sixth.

Petition fCr temporary lnJunctlOnS
were filed in the United States circuit
court at Montgomery Monday to pre-.
Vent the railroad commission, and a.
torney general from putting into force
several Of the recent laws passed by
the legislature.
1t is the first gun of the one OF the
hottest legal battles the state has
ever known, and the railroads have
announced their determination Of
fighting the matter to the bitter end,
carrying it as high as it is possible.
All the railroads acted uniformly
in fling the petitions for injunctions
and they averred the new laws are
confscatory, and that the railroads
cannot operate under them. The max
imum rate law, the two and one-half
cent passenger rate law and the ITO
articles" law as it is known, are
those attacked. Certain of the other
laws seeking to regulate the railroads
! will be attacked later.
The railroads acting are the Louis.
| vile and Nashville, which includes
the South and North, the Southern
Railway, the Frisco System, the Cen
| trail of Georgia Railway, the Seaboard
or the Atlanta and Birmingham air
line, the Atlantic Coast Line, the Ala
bama Great Southern, the Mobile and
Ohio, and the other roads operating in
the state, probably including the Mo-
bile, Jackson and Kansas City.
Each of the railroads make a sep
arate petition for an injunction TO
keep each OF the separate bills from
becoming effective.
| The railroads aver that under the
new law they would not be able %
operate and pay their expenses. They
will present a mass of figures care
fully and accurately compiled to show
that with the greatly increased cost
of operating and cost of material and
the reduction of their revenues, which
would result from these laws, they
could not make enough money to pay
their actual expenses.
They aver that the reduction Of the
passenger fare from cents per mile
to 2 1-2 cents will (. crease their pas
senger earnings by actually by one
! sixth and moro than one railroad
will allege that it actually loses money
in Alabama by operating passenger
trains at 3 cents per mile. The Sea
board will aver that it has never
made expenses since it operated in
Alabama, and other roads will aver
that their passenger service nets them
nothing.
The maximum rate law they aliege
would cripple them badly. Many OF
the rates, it is alleged, which were
made the maximum that could be
charged according to the new law weie
commodity rates and were establish
ed for limited length Of time, or
for some industrial purpose and that
the railroads would lose money oy
handling freight at those prices all the
time.
They aver that these commodity
or special rates are frequently estaO'
lished for the purpose of aiding in
fant industries or nourishing other iu-
dustries that could not otherwise cx'
ist, and for other reasons, such as
protecting the iron manufacturer OF
the district and enabling him to COM
pete with the manufacturer Of another
district. It will be shown that these
| rates are out of all proportion Win
what is right and that establishing
them as a maximum rate would injure
! the railroads infinitely.