The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-10-19
FREIGHT Rate HEARING.
COTTON MILLS ASH FOR LOWER
RATES TO CHARLESTON.
Strenuous Fight I'm Progress Before
The Railroad Commission TO I'm
bottle Charleston and Give Cotton
Mills an Outlet.
Special TO The Daily Item.

cpcChth to inc Idlly item.
Columbia. Oct 14.-There COM
menced before the railroad commits
sion this morning public hearing
on the petition of 113 out OF the 179
cotton mills OF the State for a re-
duced rate on cotton goods from in
terior South Carolina mill points to
Charleston. Chairman Earle OF the
commission Ipresidhs. Commissioners
Caughman and Sullivan sitting with
him. Austin Smyth of Charles
ton read the brief of the petitioners,
thirty printed pages. Claudian B.
Northrop of Washington. assistant
general counsel for the Southern Rail-
way. objected to immediate consider
alton. saying the carriers were not In
position TO make adequate reply at
this time. but he was overruled. He
u N began to read lengthy type
written statement on the general
thesis. that these are hard days for
railroads and they can stand no
considerable reductions In rates. par
ticul " on goods hauled In such vol
ume as are cotton goods.
Among the railroad men present
are for the Southern Railway. Claud-
ian Il. Northrop. of Washington, AS
sistant general counsel; A. X Orr,
OF Asheville. division freight agent;
Lincoln Green. OF Washington. traf-
nc manager; Seaboard Air Line.
Lyles and Lyles. of Columbia, divis-
Ion counsel; l.. +. Chalenor. of Nor
folk. general freight agent; Atlantic
Cast Line. p. A. Wilcox. OF Florence.
state counsel. II. A. Brand. Of Will
mington. traffic manager: John f.
Livingston, OF Columbia, soliciting
agent: ]. w. Perrin of Wilmington.
general freight agent; Charleston &
Western Carolina. Ernest Williams.
OF Augusta. General freight agent.
On the side OF the petitioners for the
reduction are the following among
others. President Lewis w. Parker.
Of tho National Cotton Manufactur-
ers Association. Mayor Rhett, OF
Charleston. Secretary McKeand, of
the Charleston Chamber of Com
merce. President Ellison smyth, of
the South Carolina Cotton Manufac-
tuers' Association. Manager ID. A.
Henning og the Geenviile Freight Bu-
rcan. President p. III. Gadso.n, of
the Charleston Consolidated Railway
CO.; ". NJ. Montgomery. of Spartan
burg and the following Attorneys:
Augustine T. Smythe. Austin Smyth
and William Henry Parker. Of Char
lesion. +. Barron Grier. of Green
wood. III. J. Haynesworth of Green
Vile.
The cotton manufacturers charge
that the industry In this State Is In
bad shape and is now and has been
very unsatisfactory.
Earnings are reduced to such an
extent" says the petition Of the
manufacturers. that mnay of the
mills are running at a loss instead
OF profit" This the manufacturers
declare is due not only to the fiuc-
tuating price OF cotton but also
largely to 'the excessive and unjust
freight charges made by the different
carriers"
The textile manufacturers ask for
rate OF 20 cents per 100 pounds
from Spartanburg and Greenville
points and is cents from the Colum-
sbia group OF mills to Charleston. The
present rate Is 80 cents per 100
pounds from Greenville and Spartan
burg and 20 cents from Columbia
points. The 20 cents rate from the
Piedmont Is on carload lots. The mills
ask for a 22-cent rate on other ship
ments OF cotton goods from that
point.
Prior To 1902 the cotton mills Of
the state did not use the port of
Charleston to reach the Eastern mar
kets. After some agitation the rail-
road commission reduced the rates.
a still further reduction Is now
asked