The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-16
SWITCHING CHARGES
CASE BEFORE ALABAMA RAILROAD
 COMMISSION.
omctais Sit All Day Hearing Evidence Jn TWO important Cases snd
 Then Adjourn Until .his tF' sstsFs Morning.

Lengthy sessions were held yester- day morning and afternoon by the
 Railroad Commission of Alabama In .hearif,s two cases of more or less gen terai application. One .is the petition ,of the Birminghafn whsiesale Grocers' . Association to have an order issued re-
 strainipg the railroads, from carrying Into effect their rscent rule. regarding !, the separate marking of -four and meal
 In sacks In Jess than car load lots.
 ,y.. The other, proposltiop is the old one of the, wood -Diekerson Lumber Com -pany v. Biruin ghArn Southern Rail- road, involving switching charges be-
 ing Absorbed by connecting lines in the Birmingham District.
 The morning session of the copirnis- 1, sion was taken up with the hearing of
 evidence In the first case mentioned. ] The afternoon session was devoted l, solely to hearing the argument of rail-
 road counsel and, petitioners counsel
 Ia the. latter case, Captain Frank S. whke of, -RlrmjnshaEn, counsel for the petitioner opened, the argument. and E walkers Repcy ,of. Blrmipgh am. repre- senting the Birmingham Southern. was
 jourued after dusk yesterday. i. t The Commission. adjourned without
 any decision in- eithssr case. The argu-
 ment on the matter of the switching
 saarEes will continue today. the Con-
 as'-.,' sitting again at o'clock this
 M4wiii be. recalled that the. Railroad l Commission suspended tho rule of the
 railroads compsll ing shippers, to mark every sack of meal and flour in the
 less than car load lots. The suspen- sion of the rule was made In order to
 deterrn inc the justice-in asspecial hear
 Ing. A decision is to be announced In
 the ease -iu. a few days,if not before the
 adjournment. of the present session,
 The. point Involved. {. in the Wood.
 pickeFson- Lumber Con1pany's. case il
 fairly well known to the railroads and
 shippers around ,Birmingh am. It hat
 been on the Commissions docket foi
 q period running away back into ths
 year s1e07. The question, which will b'
 determined by, the. hearing. nov on
 whether the trunk. lines. entering. Bir' mineha am sh ould be comp elled to ae
 sorb the switching- charges of &3 pei car for freight going Into and out o
 the Magic, City. s-s. ,..& h an passes from the trunk lines oved | onto ,.,tbs tracks ..,of the. Birrpjn ghan South ern. This >-necessitates th' switching charges on every car so des tined and forms a material part Of tnj rates. The shipper. is anxious to b. relieved of the switching charges, Wno ever absorhs them, the Blrningh an Southern or the. trunk lines. Those who appeared before the Com
 mission and gave, testimony in behal of the Birmingham Wholesale Grocers Association were: F. Wilkinson, Rob ert McLester, R, D Collins and s. w
 Lee of Birmingham.
 L, James Mensiest General FreighI | Agent of thes Atlantic Coast Line, and A.. e. A. KeAlys-, Superintendent, ol Freig714s, appeared in behalf of the At lantfc Coast Line Randall Clifton en< k. P. Simpson, Freight Agents of the Atlanta and Birmingham Railroad ap peared for tl1et line. . s In ,the Wood -Dickerson case Captain Frank S. White Is In atterdanee on be- half of the petitioner. Walker Percy represents the Birmingham southerr Railroad. The representatives of thi other lines present and to be heard yet are as follows: A. c. Smith. counse for the Alabana Great Southern; A. T Brandeie, counsel for the Louisville ant 1 Nashviiie ;sJ ames Weatherly and c. Bi N6rtAf dp 5 o0udsei fsirs the Southern | Rallway; John P. Tff1men counsel foi l lhe Seaboard Air Line. and R. E Steiner. counsed for the Frisco. 1t Is probable that the CorpmissfoI wiss conclude the hearing some tim' | today.