The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-16
COTTON RATE MAY
CAUSE LAWSUIT
Railroad Refuses to Obey Order
of Commission
NEW RAILROAD PLANNED
Line Is Authorized Under Name Of
Clarksdale and Mississippi Rail-
road To Connect Ciarks-
dale and Friars Point.

Jackson, Miss, November 15.-(Specia1)
Railroad Commissioner Lee of Pike coun-
ty spent the day in jackson looking after
the business of the office. He has been
travelling about over his district a good
deal here of late, but has found nothing
serious the matter anywhere, except at
Prentiss, on the line of the Mississippi
Central
1t appears that the Mississippi Central
issued a tariff shortly after the commits
sion ordered the putting In effect of the
new rates on uncompressed cotton, obey
ing under protest the order of the COM
mission That tariff stood less than a
week, but in the meantime the merchants
along the line of the railroad had shipped
q good deal of cotton to the compress
at Hattiesburg. The tariff was called Off
and an effort was made to collect freight
bills made out under the old tariff, and
which was considerably higher than the
new one The shippers objected and re-
fused to pay the old rate, holding the
railroad company to the new tariff as
fixed by the commission and which was
put in effect, under protest, by the Mis-
sissippi Central.
Mr. Lee states that the controversy is
very apt to go to the courts for settle
ment.
In the meantime Mr.. Lee. who is pres
ident of the railroad commission, and who
is the father of the new rates on cotton,
expresses the conviction that the injunc-
ton suit now pending before Judge Niles
of the federal court will be decided in
favor of the commission.
Governor Noel has issued proclama-
ton authorizing the Organization of the
Clarksdale and Mississippi River Railroad
company. the incorporators being-or pro-
moters of the enterprise beng-H. II.
Hopson, F. P. FitzGerald, w. J. Fisher
and W. A. Alcorn, Jr.
The proposition is to connect Clarksdale
and Friars Point by direct line of rail-
road and no doubt there are those who
will wonder when they hear about the
movement why 1t was never thought
about before. 1t may have been dis
| cussed. but it has never been done. The
| two towns, located in the richest portion
of the Yazoo- Mississippi valley, are now
| connected In a roundabout way by rail-
| but straight across the country they are
| only about II miles apart, and it is really
strange that a railroad has never been
| built there.
| Gen. John A. Webb, member of the rail-
road commission for the middle district of
Mississippi, has gone to Washington to at
tend the meeting of railroad commission
| ers. the last that is to be held prior to the
settlement of the questions under discus
| sion by the interstate commerce commits
I sion. The idea of the commissioners is
to formulate something in the way of uni
| form rules of demurrage, but it does not
seem that they will ever get together on
plan that suits the Mississippi COM
mission.
General Webb is a member of the SUBJ
| committee to which has been assigned the
demurrage matter, and has done his best
to interest his associates in the Missis-
| sippi plan, which Is reciprocal. and which
! gives good deal more free time and for
| q greater distance than do the rules and
regulations of other commissions. The
| majority of the members of the commit
tee have all along opposed the Missis-
sippi plan, and General Webb has small
hope that his suggestions will be adopt
| ed. Under the rule enforced here the
railroads have to pay demurrage charges
for delays. just the same as do consignees,
| and the supreme court Of the state has
declared that the rule is just and equit-
able-as fair for the goose as it is for
the gander.
! Relatives Of Miss jamie Watkins in this