Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1909-07-19
EAST COAST RAILWAY
ASKS FOR INJUNCTION
AGAINST FLORIDA RAILROAD
COMMISSIONERS.
Claims the Commission Seeks 20 Force
the Company TO 20 Things
Which Are Unressensb bic.

road Commission issued certain or.
ders TO the officials of the Florida
Eat Coast railway compelling that
road to do certain things which the
railroad considers unjust and un.
reasonable. In order TO get at the
matter legally the railroad has filed
a bill at Miami asking for an In
junction and relief and 20 declare un.
II and unreasonable these orders
Ot the commission, Major Alex ST.
ClairAbrams acting Tor the corpora
ton. According to The Miami Me
tropolis the bill Is signed by J. p.
Beckwith. vice.president Of the rail-
road company. and IL direCtcdNto Il.
Hudson Il. Burr Royal L. Dunn and
Newton \. Bitten, M~E.l,.. =. o..
Florida Railroad Commis sion. IA
sustus G. Hariridge. J. ~ Rivers.
and John {. Jones, States attorney
for the Fourth, Eighth and ScsenDH
judicial circuits OF Florida,
The instrument seeks to restrain
the defendants from enforcing their
various recent orders. relative To the
placing OF "A permanent agent OF the
company at White CITY. the building
OF combination stations Tor uvignt
and passengers at Haraujd anu N.k
ing. and building additional side.
tracks and imposing certain fines.
At the outset, the bill declares that
the members of the commission have
had no practical experience or knowl.
edge of the construction. operation or
management of railroads. placing a
foundation for the Complaints follow
ing in the bill.
A rehearsal is made OF the indebt-
eduess OF the Florida East Coast Rail.
way Company. citing the Sl2,0O0,O0O
OF bonds bearing ila per cent in,er-
est. secured by the first mortgage on
the road from Jacksonville to Key
West, and its branches. and the
$2j0O0.O00 second mortgage to Sc
cure payment of the income bonds IN
a like sum.
II is averred In the bill that II
would cost $IO.OOO.OOO to rebuild the
road. II gives the fixed charges OF
ahe road. annually. as follows S5io..
O on account OF the first mortgage
Ids. $4,000 taxes. and $4,000
4, insurance, additional betterme nts.
a .orseen and extraordinary expenses.
Re per cent per annum is paid for
ney advanced for the construction
q: the Key West extension.
{; is claimed in the bill that the
o-icials OF the company are not paid
ger salaries than their positions
command, and that the road Is oper-
n d and maintained in an economical
n.uncr. The petitioner goes on to
say that the road has SSH miles of
roadway at present. and will have
g. Z miles when the extension TO
Key West is completed. and that there
4. an average of but fifty persons.
20 the mile along the entire roadway.
ihe declaration Is made that at the
- rtuN lht' Apl Nhdl b'S VA hNAShe
al passenger transportation, the
T,ad does not and will not earn for
Years. its fixed charges, and reason.
81 lc interest on the income l@G T..
The business OF the road Increases
slowly, the bill rccites. and the per
>! cent cutting down Of rates ordered
D. the railroad commission and the
T. creased expenses imposed by the
commission has compelled the com
Ir,y to borrow money to meet the
f charges.
The petition for relief further char
a-t,rizes as unreasonable and unjust
IL requirements OF the Railroad
Commission. wherein the road is re-
CURED TO construct permanent pas
senger and freight buildings within
two or three miles of each other.
that IL is not unreasonable ard un.
just for the Florida East Coast rail.
way TO expect from shippers and re-
Ccivers OF freight and from passengers
that they shall travel over public
roads a reasonable distance to regu-
lar stations TO receive and deliver
freight and take passengers.
The bill further declares that flag
stations have been established to
n. - H.