The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-05-21
ACTION BY MANUFACTURERS
In Regard To Case Before In
terstale Commission
Interesting Papers Read Before Asso-
ciatiOn--President Of Southern Rail
road Makes Address-H. b. Tainer.
of Henrietta, \. c.. Elected Presi-
dent, and c. Il. Bryant OF Charlotte.
SccrcLary-Treasurcr

Philadelphia, Pa, May 16.-Much
business was crowded into the con
Guiding session today or the Ameri-
can Manufacturers Associations con-
Ventlon which opened Yesterday. Be-
sides the many interesting papers thar
were read by members of the associa-
ton on subjects pertaining to the cot
ton industry, there was an address bv
President Finley of the Southern rail-
way Company, the election of officers
and reports from committees. The re-
port OF the secretary and treasurer
showed the organization to be in a
prosperous condition. Among others
who addressed the convention We're
Congressman Burleson, OF Austin, Tex.
James T. Fuller of Charlotte, n. c.,
who spoke on ''combed cotton" E. F.
Hathaway, Of Boston, Mass, who toOk
for his subject closer relations be-
tween producers and manufacturers;
William Whitman, of Lawrence, Mass,
and w. II. Carrier, of Buffalo, n. Y.
This afternoon will be given over to
sightseeing and tonight the annual
banquet will be held at the Bellevue
StratfOrd Hotel. Among the guests
will be Vice-President Fairbanks.
Arthur H. Lowe, of Massachusetts.
presided at the closing session and in
trOduCed President Finley of the South
eTn Railroad. Mr.. Finley was warmly
greeted.
President Finley called attention to
the assistance rendered by the rail-
roads in the development of Southern
Industries, and pointed out that the
demands for railway service in the
Southern States have almost reached
the maximum capacity of the roads
and that if Southern progress is to
continue, there must be an early in
crease in the facilities of Southern
transportation agencies.
He said that if the roads We're to
provide these facilities they would re-
Quire large amounts of new capital,
for the obtaining of which the main
tenance Of earning power was a fun-
damental requisite. Unfortunately,
the legislation enacted in some of the
states and proposed in others, he said,
was tending to make it difficult for
fhe roads to sell their bonds to pro-
vide funds for new construction.
Mr. Finley said the railways were
asking no special favOrs. They only
asked that they be given the same de-
pcI.oa of nrctootinn up5or tho gow tl>at
is given to business enterprises of
other kinds. He said that laws sub
jecting common carriers to proper
regulations such as might be neCes-
sary to prevent discrimination or IN
reasonable charges, We're proper and
could not be objected to on any ground
but that when legislation went beyond
this proper field Of regulation and pro-
posed to reduce charges arbitrarily, and
to impose penalties for failure to per-
form impossible services, it became
destructive and the inevitable result
was to cripple the ability of the car
riers to provide the additional facili-
ties 80 badly needed.
w L. 11oA ~ VI DoOIOhs D1SoL-
dent of the National Association of
cotton manufacturers. a sister Organi-
zation, made an address in which he
said he without suggestion of ANAL
gamatiOn Of the two bodies hoped
the two organizations would work har-
moniously for the good of the indus
try. One of the popular addresses of
the session was that made by President
Whitman of the National Wool Manu-
facturers' Association who spoke on
"American Business Honor He dep
recated the cry set up by the "army of
agitators' who under the guise OF
reformers could see nothing but evil
in the land. He said the standard Of
business honor in this country today is
higher than ever before.
After the program had been dispoG-
ed of the convention went into exec
utive session for the purpose of elect
ing officers and action on resolutions.
The committee having in charge the
matter of the controversy with the
New York cotton exchange over the
grading of cotton reported h a it had
a conference yesterday with a commit
tee from the New York exchange. The
committee said there was a harmonious
exchange of views in regard to the
establishing of cotton warehouses in
the south and the a~dvisability of max
ing changes in contracts and the class
ifcation of cotton. No conclusion was
reached, however, and because Of the
absence of the representatives of the