New-York tribune., 1907-04-19
COTTON MEN COMPLAIN.
Charge Freight Discrimination by
Carriers to the Orient.

Washington. April 1s.-Three cases involving
charges of excessive rates and discrimination on
the part of about thirty railroad companies against
cotton manufacturers Of the South were heard to-
day by Interstate Commerce Commissioners Knapp
Clements CockreI and Lane. The cases were
brought by the Enterprise Manufacturing Com
pany. OF Augusta, Ca the Monroe Cotton Mills.
OF Monroe. Ga, and the GTaniteville (S CD Manu-
featuring Company against the Georgia Railroad
Company and others; the cOmplainants
against other railroads similar charges. and
the China and Japan Trading Company OF Au-
gusta against the Southern Railway and others
all OF the complaints alleging that the defendant
companies charge unjust and discriminatory rates
cotton goods and cotton waste shipped by the
complainants to China and Japan. II Is alleged
that the railroads favor the Eastern cotton mills
in their freight rates to Pacific Coast terminals on
goods intended for the Oriental trade. They say
they are compelled to pay a rate OF 81 25 hun
dred pounds on such goods from points IN Fir-
ginia. North Carolina. South Carolina, Georgia.
Alabama Mississippi. Louisiana and Texas. where
as the Eastern manufacturers obtain a much lower
rate TO the great disadvantage OF the mill owners
of the South. r J. SouthaI OF augusta repre-
sented the cOmplainants and the railroads directly
The testimony of the manufacturers and shippers
OF cotton goods to-day showed that the dinerence
the steamship lines from the rate giyen TO Eastern
manufact tHreIs ana SLlpPeTS W Sbe contsnsd
that this was sufficient affect seriously the trade
of the Southern manufacturers in the Orient. where
the consumers OF their goods were largely coolies
receiving not exceeding 10 cents q day, on W~hieA ~
the cooiie obliged to maintain himself and MS
family. was shown also that prior TO July 1900,
the freight rate cotton piece goods from the
South 20 the orient both by the Suez lines and by
the Pacific lines much lower than IL is now
In the summer OF 1896 the steamship lines through
their representatives held several conferences, at
which the general subject OF freight rates on cot
ton goods to China and Japan was discussed
Finally the matter referred to committee
appointed with power TO increase the rate, II that
action should be deemed desirable
So far as the evidence thus far presented shows.
that committee did not make a report Of it's de-
termination. but the individual members OF It. who
the traffic representatives OF steamship lines.
announced that the rate thereafter cotton piece
goods from Southern points to China and Japan,
either by the Pacific by the Sue1 route, would
be 81 20 q hundred pounds
Ii was denied by representatives OF the steam
ship lines that anything approximating definite
al to rates was made among them, but
each line did announce rate OF 81 25 hundred
pounds cotton goods, which is the rate to-day.
IN was said that competition among the steamship
lines for the carrying OF cotton goods still active
but no specific instance given Of cutting OF
the prevailing Representatives of the steam
ship companies said that prior TO the adoption OF
the 81 % rate they had carried cotton goods to
Japan and China at absolute loss. and that they
were operating their lines to-day at loss, al
though the loss had been decreased by the raising
of the rate cotton goods.
The eases will probably occupy the commission