The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-16
COMPLAINT MADE
 AGAINST RATES
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ID

] -f -- ~ l local station is much higher than the rate i to the Georgia shipper similarly situated,
 the fact being that since 1880 the Georgia railroad. the Atlanta and West Point ! road and the Western and Atlantic line, : all operated by the Louisville and Nash vile or it's controlled lines, have operated j in Georgia under q line of tariffs for cer- tain classes of goods much lower than are charged by the Louisville and Nashville
 in Alabama.
 At some length, it is charged that
 freight has been driven from the Ten i nessee river by the railroads, thus doing
 away with water competition. The pro i postd advance in rates complainant as- i serts will fall upon commodities of prime utility and daily necessity, such as flour. i grain grain products, hay, meats and packing house products for all of which ] dealers and the public in the southeast- i ern states depend largely for supply upon ] the producing territory reached through Nashville. Tenn, and the Ohio and Mis- 1 issippi river crossings. Commodities Of l this character are entitled to as low 1 rate as may be consistent with fair
 return to the carrier for the service of l transportation rendered. The proposed sharp advance in rates upon these com
 modities will seriously disturb existing
 trade relations causing loss to citizens
 
 the consuming public. It will cost Ala
 bama citizens $600,0O0 or more.
 It is charged also by the complainant
 that the proposed advance Is not com pensatory charge to fairly meet the cost and value of the service to be performed by the defendants and other carriers, but is an arbitrary and unlawful action. It is stated next that upon informa-
 ton and belief the net earnings of some of the defendants and other carriers have in recent months shown a decided ad- vance, in some cases showing net earn
 ings exceeding those for the correspond
 ing months of the preceding year, and
 that there is every reasonable expecta-
 ton that the net earnings will continue
 to increase, and that normal conditions
 will be restored. However this may be.
 the complainant submits, the carriers have no right to take advantage of an abnormal condition, which in its nature is necessarily transitory, in order to make an advance upon the commodities of great utility and necessity, and more ! especially so when the preceding rates l had been demonstrated by actual trial i for a series of years to have been com
 pensatorv under normal conditions
 It is further submitted that common i carriers have no more right to advance rates in time of diversity in order to compensate for loss of tonnage than they have to increase rates during prosperous times in order to share in the prosperity of the shipper Complainant holds that
 before the advance the rates were req
 sonably high and compensatory to the
 carriers.
 The Louisville and Nashville is named
 as the principal carrier of the commod-
 ities in question in Alabama and after giving a lot of figures as to the opera tions financially of that company for number of years. the complainant con-
 cludes that portion of the statement as
 follows:
 "In addition to paying interest on its bonds, and dividends on its stock, the , Louisville and Nashville has accumulated
 a surplus, showing this year an excess , of 23,000, 000." Complainant asks the com mission to declare the advance in rates unreasonable, unjust and excessive and nviolation of the law, and to decide what
 are just and reasonable rates. In the event of a decision against the com panies, reparation and damages are asked in behalf of shippers w. s.