The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-04
AGAIN DELAY
 RATE DECISION Commission Afraid Of Montgomery Case. HOPES FOR ARBITRATION Previous Rulings Hold Rail Experts
 In Check. Settlement, However, May Come With in Few Months--Goyernment
 Experts Meet Much Success
 In Fighting Pests.
PES FOR ARBITRATION
BY ALFRED J. sTOFER.

of the members of the Interstate Com merce Commission will be absent in the far West until after the middle of Mo- vember. They are going to grant hearings out in that section of coun- try at Seattle, Spokane. Portland. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Salt Lake, Denver, and other places.
 Their calculation Is to finish this business in about i've weeks, but the chances are 1t will be nearer six, and that renders it certain that 1t VIII De towards the end of the present year before Commissioner Clark will be ready to renoer his decision in the complaint of the Montgomery Freight Bureau against the Louisville ana Nashville, the Mobile and Ohio. the Southern and other companies in re- gard to the alleged determinations against Montgomery in favor of Mo- bile and Pensacola.
 MT. Clark and his fellow commis- sioners frankly admit that no case ought to be permitted to hang ire Tor a year or more, and yet this is exact ly what has happened in the now eel ebrated Montgomery complaint. But that Is not the only one. There are others that have given the commits sioners just as much worry to settle.
 The much talked of Spokane case was also a very knotty one. A decis- ion was finally rendered in that. and now there is fresh trouble in that re- zion, and the commissioners are go- ing to stop there to hear the grieV- ances of the shippers against the transuortation companies While out in the West they are also going to take testimony in a case that anects Alaska There are no railroads ot consequence in that territory Wnich Uncle Sam acquired of Russia Tor mere song just after the civil war, put the wrangle is between the railroads on the main land and their steamooa' cvnme eetions anu the shippers.
 Fears Montgomery Decision.
 Although Commissioner Clark Is re- ticient on the subject it is understood from reliable sources that he. hesitates about coming to conclusions in the Montgomery case because of the rear of clashing with previous decisions that have been reached by the Com mission. Besides, it is claimed here that the railroads have made some notifications in the freight tariffs that were complained of by the Montgom- cry Freight Bureau, and from tnttma- tions that have recently been thrown out 1t Is evident that around the ot- flee sof the Commission there Is hope Ut least that the failfoaas anu ahe
  xether. Then 1t would be much easier matter for Commissioner Clark, ft is believed, to write an opinion. However the general impression Is that something will have to be done fin the course of a few months, for 1T cases are allowed to drag as some have, it will not be many years before Iuc interstate Co.amerce Commission will have a reputation for slowness F.ui ,, that C. tns Supreme Court of the United States. And if you even nInL aI sucn a thing In the hear ing of Commssioner. his expression is such that evidently he hopes the body of which he is member will never establish a reputation like that.
 Culberson Is Better.
 Hon. Charles A. Culberson of Texas Democratic leader in the Senate, mas been here for the past ten days. He is on his way back home after spend- ing some time at the Eastern resorts. As Is we'll known, the Senator Is native of Alabama. His friends throughout the South will be glad to hear that he appears to have fully re- covered his health. During the extra session of Congress when the tariff bill was under discussion, he was in +lFes Neae D. fsf-; ren fltlon. ano his friends were considerably alarmed and at times was utterly unaDie tO attend to his public duties. But now the Senator seems to have fully re- gained both his strength and his flesh, and there is every prospect he will be in good fighting trim when the regu- lar session begins in December.
 Being reminded here the other day that President Taft was mentioning great many things in his speeches he thought Congress ought to take up, Senator Culberson said these state ments would be more important 1T Mfr. Taft includes them in his mes- sage. But the Texan thinks they are just now more in the nature of bait, and are being thrown out as feel CTS. -
 There has been so much success on the part of the experts of the Depart ment of Agriculture and those of the States in the work of exterminating 1he ticks which are such a detriment to the cattle industry of the South that if is confidently expected Congress at its next session will largely increase the appropriation for this purpose. During a period of less tk@n three wears nearly 72.000 square miles of territory were freed from these trou- blesome parasites. This IS an area somewhat larger than that of the State of Georgia.
 officials of the Bureau of Animal In-