The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-20
FIGHT HIGHER RATES

AtSW anu tticpHoue 43<s aQt-Is FIGHT HIGHER RATES sHIrPERs ADofT RESOLUTIONS
 AGAINST RUMORED INCREAsE. Representatives From Many Commer-
 cinl Bodies Meet In Clncfnnati---
 Give Statistfcs of Prosper-
 ity of Big RsiIronds.
 Cincinnati. Oct Is.--That any pro- posed general advance in freight rates will disturb the existing business con dftions and that such an advance is not justified and will be vigorously contested by the leading shippers or sanizations of the country was the tenor of resolutions adopted late today at a meeting of representatives of ship pers and other commercial organiza- tons from many parts of the country held in the Sinton Hotel here.
 The day was devoted to discussion OF the freight situation and 1t was de- termined to at once inaugurate a strong smoyement in opposition to the contem- plated advance nrates, committee be- ing created whose duty 1t shall be to propagate a campaign of education of
 
 all of the powers of the general con- ference in dealing with that subject.
 The resolutions adopted were as fol- lows: @
 "Wisereas. as MT. e. c. Mccain, Chairman of the Trunk Line Associa- ton, composed of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; B~ffaIo. Rochester and Pittsburg Railroad. and Central Rail- road of New Jersey; Delaware and Xt,AC HAr. 4hn nnl axxrn 4 r0lr awanna and Western Railroad: Erie Railroad; Grand Trunk Railway: Le- high Valley Railroad; New York Cen tral and Hudson River Railroad; New York, Ontario and WHstern Railway, Pennsyiyania Railroaa; Philadelphia and Reading Railway Western Mary land Railroad and West Shore Rail- road. has compiled pamphlet entitled The Diminished Purchasing Power of Railway Earnings; #nd Whereas. said railroads have assum- ed the responsibility for said pamphlet by circulating sama generally among the public; and
 "whereas. the avbwed purpose of cir cuiating said pamphlet Is to educate the public: and
 Whereas, the true purpose of said pamphlet is to prepare the public for a contemplated advance in freight rates; and
 "whereas, said pamphlet is biased. partial and misleading and gives only section of the truth bearing on the situation by emitting. among other things, the following facts and figures:
 The net income per mile of rail- roads in the United States for 1907. ex- ceeded that for 1897 by s1.534,000. an increase of 345 per cent.
 "The net income per mile of roads in ~t.. e.. ceeded by $40 that for 1S97--an in crease of 4I per cent.
 The net income per mile of roads in Group 2 (tfunk line territory for 1907 exceeds that for 1897 by $2,525-an in crease of ITO per cent.
 The net income per mile of road in Group kC. F. A. territory for 1907 exceeded that for 1897 by s1.6O5--an in crease of 521 per cent.
 The Surplus from operations of roads i1 Group 3 for 1907 was $25S per mile greater than the net income of the roads in said group for 1897.
 "ThS net income of all the railroads in the United States for 1907 was y44s.- 4s1,1sS: for 1897, sS1. .257,506; excess 1907.{ ssss. 2os.6s2. an increase of 45s per cent
 .'The surplus from operations of all the railroads in the United States for 1907 exceeded the net income for 1897 byf $6O, 065.7s5.
 f'The amount of stock paying divi- dends increased from $1.603,549.97s in 1897 to s4.54s,75e.2e in 1907. an in- csease of $s.345,20s.225.
 H "The rate of dividend on stock i'm yreased from 5.43 per cent in 1897 to 6.2s per cent in 1907, an increase of 14.7 per cent
 "The revenue per train mile. all trains, of the railroads in the United States for 1897 was s1.ss3.
 "The average cost of running train one mile. all trains. for the same year was 92.s cents.
 s'The average cost of running train one mile. all trains, for the same year. was $l.47.
 "Proft, TOT cents per mile.
 For 1907. the profit per train mile. all trains, exceeded the profit for 1897 by 25.4 cents per mile. an increase of 4s per cent.
 shippers from all sections of the Uni- ted States, in conference assembled:
 First. that as said pamphlet does not set forth all the essential facts and is biased and misleading. said document Is not proper one for educating the public and does not fairly set forth the full information to which the public Is entitledi
 "Second, that the facts do not justi- fly any general advance in freight rates, but on the contrary. call for rednc- ton thereof;
 Third. that an executive committee of this conference be. and the same is hereby created with all the powers of this conference, and with full power to act during any recess thereof;
 Fourth, that said executive commit tee be, and 1t Is hereby. instructed to prepare a full and complete answer to said pamphlet or other similar pamph- lets, and to circulate the same for the education of the public. as to the true (freight rate) situation and for the fur ther purpose of correcting any erron- eous impression that may have result ed from said pamphlet, or other pamph- lets of a similar nature;
 Fifth, that as any proposed general advance in freight rates will disturb existing business conditions. the same Is hereby opposed and will be resisted by all legitimate means;
 sixth. that when this conference ad- journs. it does SO subject to the call of the Chairman"