Evening star., 1907-08-28
PLANT. IS CROSS-ExAMINED
QUESTIONED REGARDING SOUTH
ERN RAILWAY EXPENSES.
Resumption Of the Hearing Relative
to Rates in North Carolina-Quar-
terly Reports Discussed.

Practically the entire morning session of
the North Carolina rate hearing in the
Southern railway building today, during
which A. H. Plant, the controller of the
Southern railway. was under cross-exami-
nation. was taken up with technical ques-
t1ons. The cost of earning a. dollar on in
trastate traffic was discussed.
In making his quarterly reports of the
operations of the Southern railway lines in
North Carolina to the North Carolina rail-
ROAD corporation commission Mr. Plant
placed the operating ratio ON intrastate traf-
fic at certain figure which. he said. was
correct at that time to the best of his
knowledge and belief.
Since then he had reached the conclu-
sion that the cost of earning a dollar on
interstate traffic was considerably higher.
and In his testimony today he explained
this conclusion. From his Investigations
In North Carolina and elsewhere, Mr. Plant
said that he was forced to figure the
operating ratio on interstate traffic as at
least minimum Of Is per cent higher
than the figure made in his reports to the
North Carolina corporation Commission,
He added that conservative railroad men
even placed the figure much higher than
himself
Mr.. Plant protested because counsel for
North Carolina declined to accept his
change of figures. saying that at the time
ne MADE them they were correct.
The Quarterly Reports.
The direct testimony Of Controller Plant
was. completed yesterday afternoon, and
considerable progress was made. in the
cross ss-examination. which was conducted by
former Congressman Woodward for the
state of North Carolina.
Most OF the afternoon session was taken
up with questions by the North Carolina
state counsel put to Mr.. Plant concerning
the reports made by him to the North
Carolina corporation commission of the
operations of the Southern railway in that
state. Mr.. Woodward pressed his questions
SO strongly to Mr.. Plant that the latter
said he felt called upon to ask the protec-
tion Of the master in chancery against the
states leading counsel Mr.. Plant asserted
that Mr.. Woodward asked him questions for
the evident purpose of drawing erroneous
conclusions. which. he said. he did not pro-
Mr.. Woodward asked Mr.. Plant whether
upon any Of the quarterly reports made to
the North Carolina railroad corporation for
the four quarters ending with June 80, 1906.
there was any statement that the operating
expenses of the intrastate business were ap-
proxtmattons
1.-The reports were not made by me-" re-
piled Mr.. Plant. They were attested by
me-"
Are they not sworn to by you Mr..
Plant?' he was asked.
THAT is true replied the witness.
When asked If 1t was not his duty to
make these reports to the corporation COM
mission. Mr.. Plant said It was his duty to
see that they, were prepared and fled.
''They were sworn to by me as correct to
the best of my knowledge and belief
Mr.. Plant added.
Reverting again to his first question as to
the reports to the North Carolina commits
sion, Mr. Woodward asked Mr.. Plant II
there was anything In the report of the
operations of the North Carolina railroad
made by the controller for the year ending
September 80, 1905. indicating that his
statement of the operating expenses Incl
dent to interstate business was an approx
nation.
Upon examining the report, Mr. Plant said
the report did not show any notation on 1t
that the figures were apprOximated. He
added that it was q physical impossibflity
to determine with mathematical accuracy
the total amount of expenses to do intra-
state traffic as distinguished from all traf
flc.