The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-08-23
WASHINGTON LETTER.

WASHINGTON LETTER.
In the struggle begun by the Southern
Railway to have the new North Carolina
passenger rate law declared coufiscatory,
the officials of the State felt that they had
won two great victories when'the second
session of the hearing before w. A. Mont
gomery, of North Carolina, sitting as
Especial master, closed in the railroads
office at New York.
| In the case of one witness, who had
qualifed as an expert, question from the
States Attorney was of such nature that
he could not answer it because he did
not want to sit there as an expert"
Again, the State produced book of fig.
ures which purported to prove beyond a
doubt that the railway can be operated
probably with the passengers at ~ cents
mile. The contrary is the basis of the
company's long and bitter fight in Judge
Pritchard's court. and the figures produced
by counsel for the State were so iudis-
putable that the railway experts testi.
mony to the contrary was shown to be
ludicious in the extreme.
Following the inroads made on the
Storage business by the two independent
steamship companies maintaining service
to Libau, Russia, by way of Rotterdam,
the Hamburg-American. North German
Lloyd, Red Star and Holland American
lines have reduced their steerage rates to
Hamburg, Bremen, Antwerp and Rotter.
dam, respectively, from $50 to $25, in
order to meet the Storage rate quoted to
Rotterdam by the Russian volunteer feet
and the East Asiatio Steamship Company.
Close upon this announcement. comes
word from the Russian and East Asiatic
companies that their rate to Rotterdam,
will be $23. A steerage rate war
among the Atlantic steamship companies
is therefore thing of the present. 1t is
not unlikely that the $2 cut announced
by the two Russian lines will be met bv a
further cut on the part OF the four other
transatlantic lines mentioned.
/ Nv
The itinerary for Secretary Taft's
around-the.world trip was made public at
the War Department Friday. He started
West on Sunday and will gradually work
his way across the continent to Seattle.
whence he will sail Sept. 10. on the
steamship Minnesota:
Mr.. Taft will arrive in Manila in time
to preside over the opening ofthe Phillip
pine assembly. He will return home by
way of Siberia, Russia and Germany.
His itinerary makes no provision for any
stop in Japan on the return journey and
he contemplates going direct from
Manila to Vladivostok.>
Nv
Secretary of War Taft has been called
, upon by Colonel Goethals, chairman of
the Isthmian Canal Commission, to pre-.
sent to Congress estimates for deficiency
appropriation of 5000, 900 with which
to carry on the proposed extensive
operation on, the canal the remainder of
the present year.
In communication to Secretary Taft,
Colonel Goethals points out that con.
struction work has developed so much
more rapidly, calling for heavier ex.
} penditure on men and material in every
way than was anticipated when the esti-
mates for this year were submitted more
than year ago, that several million dol.
lars more will be necessary to keep things
going at the present pace. which will in.
sure the completion of the canal several
years sooner than could be accomplished
by the program that was followed a year
ago.
! Colonel Goethals urges that the matter
be presented to Congress at the opening
and that favorable action be procured at
once in order that there shall not neces.
sarily be cessation or decrease in &C.
tivity, since each month there is steady
and noticeable gain in the extent of work
accomplished.
~
Suit to enjoin the American Federation
of Labor, its officers and its 1000, 900
members from maintaining boycott to
prevent the sale of the products of Buck
Stove and Range Company. of ST. Louis,
has been filed in the Supreme Court of
the District of Columbia by James M.
Beck, former Assistant Attorney. General;
J. ]. Darlington, of Washington. and
Daniel Davenport, of Bridgeport, Conn.
The action marks the beginning of what
will probably be a decisive legal STRUGGLE