Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-16
ALABAMA AGAINST BIG RATES
FILES OBJECTION TO PROPOSED
INCREASE IN TARIFF.
NJ. o. Croggins & Co. Register Kick
Because of Spoiled Shipments
Of Fruit.

In voluminous document, closely fol-
lowing the lines Of the Georgia complaint
w. D. Nesbit, commissioner. on behalf OF
the railroad commission Of Alabama, filed
yesterday through Attorney General Alex.
ander M. CARRIER Of Alabama and Samue
d. Weakley. his solicitors. a complaint
with the interstate commerce commits.
sion against the Louisville and Nash.
vile Railroad Company. the Southern
Railroad Company, the Atlantic Coast
Line and ten others on account Of the in
crease in freight rates which went into
effect August 1.
The complaint connects the Southeast
ern Freight Association and the South
eastern Mississippi Valley Freight Asso-
citation with the so-called unlawful COM
bination whereby dealers and the public
Of Alabama are to be the losers Of prob
ably in excess Of $500. 900 year through
the increase Of the freight rates on pack
Ing house products. grain and other neces-
saries of life.
Chairman Knapp stated the same course
would be pursued with this complaint as
with those from Georgia and Texas. and II
is likely the cases will be heard in con-
solldated form about the last half of Sep
| TENDER. He said the commission had now
been made aware of all the phases of the
situation by the three complaints, and
he did not anticipate that any more would
be filed. although there was an intimation
| from other sources that Tennessee might
have complaint to make.
Chairman Knapp said the decision of the
commission In these cases would cover
every section of the country where the
| same conditions existed, and that all ship.
pers and consumers interested would get
| the benefit Of the decision, even though
they were not formal parties to the com.
plant If the contemplated raise In
freight rates by the eastern railroads
were to be made under the same condi.
| ions as the others, the ruling of the com
mission. II adverse to the railroads. would
be sufficient to check any action looking
70 an increase Of eastern freight rates.
Mr.. Nesbit, the Alabama commissioner
left the city last night. although he is ex.
Knapp will leave tomorrow for New York
TO confer with Vice President LOOMS OF
the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
railroad concerning the switchmen's com
plant under the Erdman act. He will re-
NAN In New York city a few days. ant
then go further up the state for a shor,
while, after which he will 90 to Sprins
Lake. N. j.. for short vacation.
He said that SO far as he was now ad
vised there were no further conference,
to be held by the mediation board unde,
tne Erdman act, and the filing Of thu
Alabama complaint about freight rate.
would probaly end that item of contro
versy until the hearing takes place.
Commissioner of Labor Neill will not r.
| TO New York for the conference in III.
controversy, because the mat
| ter involved Is not deemed of suficien
importance to require it,
Two other complaints were filed will
| the interstate commerce commission yes
teroay, one by M. c. Coggins & Co agains,
the st Louis. Iron Mountain and South.
ern Railway Company, in which a loss O,
$14.ol0:67 is alleged to have been caused
through the failure Of the defendant car.
r1er to Furnish proper transportation, ade.
quate refrigeration and to properly regard
intermediate routing, thus causing an un.
reasonable length Of time for the trans.
portation or complainant's shipments OF
fruit and causing much of it to spoil and
become a loss.
The other complaint was made by ]. M
Matchmaker against the Atchison, Topeka
ana santa Fe Railroad Company and the