The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-02-04
Alabama Railroad Com mission in New Field
PrAN QUILL TESTIFIED
Steamboat Men Asking Approval of
 New Tariff.
The River. sfeB Say that Railroads Have Always Refused to Allow
 yeist Rate.

As was expected. the Alabama Rail- road Commission devoted nearly all of it's hearing yesterday to the petition of Capt., John s. Quill and others engaged in, steamboat transportation on the Alabama and the Tombigbee Rivers for the approval of a new tariff. In fine proposeds new tariff which the na- viration people wish to substitute for inc tariff which was adopted March 5, 1908, there are some raises and tew reductions. ~
 After the examination Of several of the steamboat owners and Hon. John Craft of Mobile, President of the Mo bile Commercial Club. the Commission decided to hold the matter of approv- ing the tariff or denying the petition in abeyence for a while. A decision IS expected at any time.
 All the members of the Commission Chairman Charles Henderson and As- sociate Commissioners w. D. Nesbitt and John G.. Harris.
 The following gentlemen interested in steamer traffic on the Alabama and Bigbee Rivers were present; capt John &. Quill. Capt. N. E. Staples, Win ston A. Jones and John Gerald Of these the Commission examined Captain Quill, Captain Staples and MT. Jones'
 The chief raises in the proposed new, tariff to apply on local traffic are the rates on four and corn. If the new tariff is approved, shippers on the Ala bama and Bigbee Rivers will hereafter nay 30 instead of 26 centsNper barrel on flour, and on corn they will pay instead of cents, as is now In force under the rates that went into erect March 3, 1906.
 The steamboat officials expressed the belief that there should be no protest against the enforcement of tn csc raises in rates. They announce that they do not propose. to raise the tarim cnarSes on any of the farmers products and cotton still bears the same rate of 70 cents per bale delivered shipped in Mo- bile. This includes, Of course. all the wharfage and drayage charges at the noint of destination. One of the causes which are given in Justification of the raises in rates on flour and corn is the increase in the cost of building steam boats of very recent years. This makes a material factor in the construction of q steamboat tarih Just as It does In the making of q, just and reasonable railroad schedule of rates.
 In many ways the hearing yesterday was necessarily hazy and indefinite. Such thing sS going carefully into the cost of steamboat construction was practically omitted, but . few single IHHLGnOS5 ScAees%Nr~-N@ tfon of the Commission to get an idea If the building cost and the expenses of a round trip at full tonnage up and down the r:vers in question. On what Yneagro information that has so far been gathered the Commission will make up it's mind as to putting into effect the proposed changed tariff.
 The steamboat owners who testified with reference to Alabama River traf- inc brought out the fact that no boats made regular trips to Montgomery. They have representatives in this city who solicit business and when sufh- cient amount of business is reported, boat Is sent up to this point end the freight loaded for the trip down the river. -a'
 Capt. John ouiIl testified that h.s line carried something between 35,00o and 10000 bales of cotton annually to the port of Mobile. Asked if the steam boats made special rates for competi- tive points, such as Montgomery. De- mopolis and Selma-that is, points where railroads competed-he said they dId.
 All who testified yesterday said their