The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-09
SHIPPERS TALK ON
 RAILROAD RATES
Annual Banquet Illinois Manu-
 facturerS' Association
BROWN IN HOT WATER
Official of New York Central Tries to Explain Necessity for Increased Rates--Enormous Business
 of the Railroads.

Chicago December S.-The issue be- tween the shippers of the country and the railroads, which, broadly, is said to be whether the blow should follow the To- comotive or the locomotive the blow, was joined at the annual banquet of the H. linois Manufacturers association here to- night. W. C. Brown. sr.. vice presi- dent of the New York Central, delivered an elaborate plea for the participation of railroads in the country's prosperity, while O. C. Barber president of the Dia- mond Match company, vehemently assert ed that instead of contemplating increased freight rates, which perhaps ultimately would go through some American heiress to enrich foreign noblemen," the roads should be calculating how great a re- duetion they should in fairness make to shippers. The banquet aside from in terest aroused by the earnest presenta- ton of radically divergent views, ushered in Laverne W. Moves as president of the the association.
 Mir Barber in his address referred sev- eral times to MT. Brown, declaring that the latter in his attempts to educate the public tola belief that higher rates are necessary perhaps is taking his cue from the late P. T. Barnum, who said the pub lie was fond of being humbugged."
 William H. Vanderbilt" said MT. Bar Der, ''who succeeded his father, the com modore, without the latters brain and ability, recognized the public with the words the public be damned and the public has been damned ever since by one scheme and another emapating from the brains of men of his own intellect and force."
 MT. Barber declared that at the begin ming of the panic of last winter the rail- roads discharged greater proportion of men than any other industry and aecen- tuated the results of the panic by cutting off repairs and purchases In every direc- tion and tried to blame the conditions on President Roosevelt.
 "It seems to me-" said the speaker, that the interstate commerce commis- sion is absolutely impotent in p, otecting fully the interests of the public for the following reasons: The railroads which have their ramifications all over tlIe Unit ed States are doing about one- twelfth of the business of. the entire country in dol lars and cents, perhaps more. The en- tire circulating medium of the country passes through their hands once a year. It would be impossible for 15 or 20 men, composing the interstate commerce com mission, to take up even small frac- ton of the cases which could consistently be brought against the railroad com panfes.
 MT. Browns address presented care full review of the increased prices with In the last ten years, save alone freight rates, which he said had Jagged behind. He said that if the expenditures of the railroads for 1097 could have been made at prices obtaining in 1897 the railroads of the country would have saved S676000,- 900. He stated that during the past ten months the railroads have been making the most painstaking Investigation of their own condition ever made. He con- frmed the charge made a year ago that from 1898 to 1908 freight rates had been advanced on S97 articles, but he added that in the same time they had been re- duced on SIS articles and that the net result was reduction in rates of 1O69 per cent.