The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1909-06-18

the state points, are being consigned
10 Jacksonville and reshipped to inter-
Tor points in the State in order to ret
the benefit of the rates named by the
Florida Railroad Commission. This
may not be action" but is the kind of
talk that bothrrs the Interests"
ana causes their mouthpcces to speak
out.
The Commission has issued an order
which Is being complied with which pre-
vents the railroads of the State from
discriminating in favor of the Western
Union Telegraph Co.. against its com.
petltors in the transportation of poles,
wires, men and material This has en-
abled the Postal Telegraph Co., to ex-
tend its lines in the State and gives the
State competition at some points.
In 1902, the l.. & n. r. X. declined
to furnish cars for the transportation
OF cotton seed from Mariana. Sneads
and Cottondale to Tallahassee, thus pre-
venting the buyers at Tallahassee from
competing in that territory. The Com
mission compelled the furnishing of
cars, and as result of the competition
shippers at the points named were en-
abled to get So more per ton for their
seed.
Through the efforts of the Commits
sion, the guage of the Sanford & St.
Petersburg and Florida Midlands
Branches of the Atlantic Coast Line
Railroad has been changed from narrow
to broad guage. The people living
along the line of these roads were very
anxious for the change and no doubt
believe that the small amount contrib
uted by them for the maintenance Of
the Commission is money well spent.
A reduction of from rs to so per cent
has been made on all mixed carload
shipments containing articles of the
same class. For instance, half car Of
brick and a half car of lumber loaded in
the same car and hauled so miles, would
under the old rules, require transpor-
tation charge of $40; under the new
rule the charge is only $40. This act
of the Commission was much objected
to by the railroads and will save the
ptoplc VI TIE Dldtc oC'Slui iiiououlu
dollars per annum
The Commission has compelled re-
ductiOn on freight rates to and from all
points on the Plant City, Arcadia &
Gulf Railway which will save interest
cd shippers and receivers of freight 50
to SO per car on lumber and wood and
81 per ton on fertilizer not to mention
other articles. That order of the Com
mission will save the people living along
the line of that road many hundred
dollars per annum. Yet no doubt there
are people living thee who do not
know what caused the reduction and
who are asking, "Of what use is the
Commission ,
Upon the recommendation OF the
Commission, a law was enacted requlr-
ing the railroads to provide separate
waiting rooms for white and negro pas
sengers at all their passenger dspotS,
which law the Commissioners have en-
forced. The separate waiting rooms IN
the Union depot at Jacksonville were
secured by this act. -
The Commission has compelled the
Seaboard to improve the condition OF
the tracks of its Florida West Shore
Branch which had been allowed to run
down. 1t compelled the Georgia, FLOR
ida and Alabama Railway to rebuild It's
bridge over the Ocklocknee river. II
compelled the Tavares & Gulf AID TAM
pa & Jacksonville railroads to improve
their tracks. . ,.o
The Commission, last summer, pre-
vented the Atlantic Coast Lane Kali
continued on page s.