The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-05-07
|. c. OFFICIALS
SOUND WARNING
Threaten to Take off Trains If They
Are Forced to Reduce Passenger
Rates in Mississippi.


Meridian Dispatch.
That a reduction in the passenger
rates in Mississippi would result in
taking off trains and the dismissal
of many employees of railroads operat-
ing in that state, was the opinion eX-
pressed yesterday by Donald Rose, as
sistant to President Harahan, and |
Passenger Traffic Manager A H. Han
son. of the Illinois Central, who spent |
| yesterday in the city after attending |
the hearing before the Mississippi |
Commission Tuesday.
I'VE were under the impression that
| the agitation for lower rates was over,
and with this idea in view we recent
ly uput on a new train between Gren-
ada and Jackson said Mr. Hanson.
The service is not paying yet, but
we thought it could be made to pay.
OF course, a service like that would
have to be discontinued if on earn
ings were reduced.
"All over the country business men
are asking: when are the railroads.
to resume their construction" The an
swer has been; When they are finan-
cially able In many cases railroads
have been compelled to keep on paving
dividends in order that confidence
might be maintained, and many Of
would have been had they been able
to pay only such dividends as they
were earning or no dividends at all.
With reductions made in the earnings
of the roads, as would be the case in
Mississippi, the railroads will be in
a serious condition.
1T is an unusual state of affairs,
said Mr.. Rose. we went before the
commission and heard all the railroad
men, representatives of all the labor
organizations interested, representa-
tives of the commercial exchanges and
of the drummers urge the commission
;. not to reduce the rates. After hearing
all the arguments the commission di-
rected us to return May is to sh>w
? cause why the rates should not be re
duced. l suppose such a thing has not
- occurred elsewhere in the country.
Il There was apparently no demand for
the proposed reduction; there being
no agitation for it, On the contrary
| the business men want to allow the
railroads to get back to normal condi
lions. Mississippi is largely depend
ent upon the railroads. as was noticed
by us when we came down. Almost
every lumber mill on the Yazoo anC
Mississippi Valley is c>ose6 Gown ant
there are thousands of people out O
employment.
"With these conditions prevalins
and with the boil Weevil already il
Mississippi, there would seem to bt
no reason for embarrassing the rail
roads"
Mr.. Rose said that the quartedI
report, issued April l, showed tina
, there had been a substantial improve
ment in the volume of imports handle
- through New Orleans, and it nov
M looks, he said, as if this improvement
would continue.
Europe hardly realized of wha
value American importations were t
it until our financial troubles came
he said when Americans no longe
made large purchases in Europea
cities the effect was very soon fel
and now business in those countries
in an unsatisfactory condition. Bl
the improvement has begun and wi
likely continue.
Just now we are making an etto
to have one of the lines operatlr
from the Adriatic stop at Marseill
This will give direct service betwe'
New Orleans and Marseilles. TT
matter has not been arranged as YET
THE immigration question is II
being pressed now, as the Southe
country apparently has all the lab
it needs. With so many industri
shut down and so many people IL
it is not considered advisable to brt
:, additional labor to this country