The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1908-09-11
FINAL HEARING WILL
TAKE PLACE SEPT. 22
Railroads Interested Will Hold Con.
ference in Memphis on September
IA, When an Agreement May Be
Reached Between Them.
Daily News Special.

Daily News Special.
Jackson Miss, September 1.-THE
fight of the Gulfport Commercial
Union for export freight rates into that
city from all points in the state, to
be in no instance higher than the rate
on the same commodity to Mobile or
New Orleans, is causing the railroad
people to sit up and take notice.
The case comes up for hearing be-
fore the railroad commission on Sep
tember %. but on next Monday, Sep
tember IA, there is to be a meeting
of the officials of the various roads
doing business in the state, held in
Memphis for the purpose, ostensible at
least, of trying to agree upon a
through rate basis, which may be
made to satisfy the petitioners without
formal action on the part of the COM
mission. There are those who ex-
press the opinion that this meeting is
really for the purpose of forming
concerted plan for fighting the petit
tion, but members of the Mississippi
Railroad Commission believe the meet
ing is in good faith and that rates will
be decided upon which will be salts
factory to all concerned, except possi-
bly, those interested in New Orleans
and Mobile, where much of the busi-
ness is now going which the Gulfport
people are trying to divert to that
city.
The Gulfport organization only asks
that for the present these competing
rates be granted on cotton and cotton
seed products, but 1t is believed that
ultimately it will be made to apply to
all commodities.
There are those, too, who believe
that this step may lead to revolution
in the matter of freight rates in the
state. and a general revision of the
tariffs. In fact the question opens up
so many possibilities that experienced
~|Tailroad rate men hesitate to express
an opinion on what it might lead to.
Most of the roads doing business in
the state would benefit by the estab-
fishing of the competitive rates for
Gulfport, as it would not only throw
to them a greater share of the busi-
ness, but would give them a longer
haul besides.
But that some of the roads have a
disposition to fight the proposed re-
duction of Gulfport rates is evidenced
by the fact that they took advantage
of purely technical right to have no
tice served on them ten days before
the case came up for hearing, and for
this reason it was postponed from the
last to the next meeting of the COM
mission. The papers in the case were
filed just ten days before the meeting
The Louisville and Nashville will
doubtless be one of the hardest roads
to satisfy in this case, as it is the only
road in the state with line running
into both New Orleans and Mobile
The Illinois Central, however, would
be big loser in the traffic, as it now
has long haul and almost an exclu
sive one in a large portion of the
state.
The Gulf and Ship Island, the road
to receive the greatest benefit from
the proposed change of rates, bu
which has long stood on its charter
rights as being exempt from the super
I vision of the railroad commission, has
I waived its charter exemptions in this
particular case and agreed to assis
in putting in and Carrying out any rea
sonable through rates promulgated b.
the commission.
The members of the commission sin
cerely hope the roads themselves. a
the Memphis meeting Monday, will b.
able to agree on satisfactory rat,
basis Such an agreement would great
ly simplify matters for the commits