The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-03

crossings New orleans suffers in the trade with this section
 1t vas simply a technical struggle from the start between Ms. Smith and
 Mir. Compton on the justice of the present rate adjustment to the Ala
 bama cities from the competive points
 named. Mir. Smith challenged the gen
 eral method of rate-making to Mont
 eomery as being scientifically and prac-
 tically unfair. This MT. Compton dts
 puted at every stage. The latter re-
 sisted with endless figures and freight
 rate tables the claims of unfairncss to
 New Orleans.
 Tn support of his side of the case.
 Mr. Compton produced . copy of the
 document of arbitration by Judge Cno-
 ley in 1sse which was considered fair and just at the time. This was per-
 tlnent to the rates between New Or-
 leans and the Alabama points as com
 pared with Memphis and other Ohio
 River and Mississippi River crossings
 to this territory. They were then
 made the same and, therefore, it seem ed eminently correct that the same rates should obtain to Montgomery and Selma since even the Frisco has con- structcd it's line In Alabama from At the end of the hearing Judge Clements announced that the plaintiffs
 would be allowed until July 1 to sub nit briefs covering both cases while the defendant would be allowed until | September 1 for the same purpcse. . The fourth censecutfve morning ses- sion of the Commission in Montgomery | opened promptly at 10 o'clock, with
 Mir Compton again on the stand. Mir. Compton. asked by Commissions er Clements, compared the cost per | ton per mile for transportation of sixth I class articles from New Orleans to Mobile with the same unit of cest frem Louisville to Nashville and from Mem phis to clarksville. The cest per ton 1 per mile between New Orleans and
 Mobile on sixth class goods Is 2.s7 | Is III cents, and from Memphis te | Clarksville 1t Is 1.s0 cents.
 | Commissioner Clements reminded Mfr. | Compton that the Commission has af- ways considered water facilities ss q | factor in making lowev rail rates whether such competition Is more or | less potent. Such factor entered in- to the rate adjustment from Chatta-
 nooga to Nashville on acount of the Cumberland River.
 There is no through water service
 from Memphis to Clarksville, Tenn, but | by a trans-shipment at Paducah, Ky. | there is a water connection. Mir. Smith of the New Orleans Board of
 Trade, said he desired to correct s statement of Mir Compton by saying that there is' no regular steamer line from New orleans farther north than Vicksburg.
 MT. Smith. who cross-examined the
 witness, asked if there had been an
 advance of rates from New orleans to | Pensacola on livestock, the latter be- ing specified by Mir. Smith. Mir. Comp | ton replied that the rates were raised because they had been made differ- entiai higher than Mobile. Without Copnectiom. Mfr Compton said that the rates l from Louisville and St. Louis to Pen- sacola are not made with reference to New orleans. The rates from New or- leans to Pensacola are made on a dif- ferential higher over Mobile on acc
 count of water competition. The rates from Nashville to Pensacola are con-
 strueted on the basis of diRareHttal
 under Cairo ILL
 Ths witness. answering Mir. smith. said the rates from Baltimore to Pen- sacola were originally constructed on
 account of water competition which he outlined. There are in effect now be- tween New Orleans and Pensacola no commodity rates higher than the class rates.