The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-01-04
FREIGHT RATES REDUCED.
COTTON MILLS GET LOWER
RATES TO CHARLESTON.
railroad Commission Issues Order
Granting Petition of the Cotton
Manufacturers Who Say They Desire
TO Make Charleston the Distributing
Port of Their Output.

to Make Charleston the Distributing
Port of Their Output.
Columbia, Dec. 30.-If the an
nounced plans Of the textile plants
OF the State are consummated Char
lesion will now become a great dis
| trlputlng point for cotton goods. The
railroad commission yesterday re-
| duced the rates on cotton piece goods
from Spartanhurg, Greenville and CO.
| iumpla groups Of mills to Charleston
oy approximately 20 per cent. The
new rates goes into effect March 6,
lO11. The order was signed by John
III. Earle and John G.. Richards. B.
L.. Caughman did not sign the order
but gave his reasons for not doing so.
Commissioners Earle and Richards
will today prepare an opinion as to
why the rates were reduced. Commits
sioner Caughman will also prepare
a statement The rate from Columbia
on cotton piece goods was reduced
from % cents per 100 pounds to IS
cents.
The rates from Spartanburg and
Greenville group Of mills was reduced
from 30 cents per 100 pounds to "a
cents. Over ITO textile plants Of the
State several months ago petitfoned
for a commodity rate OF 20 cents on
car load lots and % cents on all other
shipments Of cotton goods from South
Carolina mill points embracing the
Greenville group and the Spartanburg
group to Charleston and commodity
rate Of 1s cents ON car load lots mad
like rate of Is cents on all other
shipments Of cotton goods from the
Columbia mills to Charleston, as basal
points to Charleston, making a tariff
OF rates from other mill points in
the State to Charleston upon this
basis.
The order means that the textile
plants have been granted a greatly
reduced rate on cotton piece goods
from all points in South Carolina and
that a water rate can be secured to
the markets Of the world from that
port. This is the second reduction that
has been secured by the textile plants
within the past several years
Several weeks ago the cotton mills
Of the State filed a petition asking
that the rates be reduced. 1t was the
contention Of the mills that the rates
charged by the railroads were so great
that they were losing money. The un-
easy condition Of the cloth market
was also given as a cause for the un-
satisfactory condition Of the textile
Industry. The railroads claimed that
the old rate was just and equable.
There were two hearings held at
which witnesses for the railways and
the textile plants appeared and gave
testimony. The testimony was of
technical nature.
When the arguments were heard
the attorneys for the railways con-
tended that the case was not one for
the railroad commission to decide but
that 1t should go before the interstate
commerce commission. This conten-
tion was ruled out by the commits
sion when 1t was decided that the
body did have jurisdiction in the mat
ter.
At all Of the hearings the textile
plants stressed the point that they
wished to secure a lower rate to
Charleston which would enable them
to build up'the port as a distrit lting
point by the erection Of cotton ware
houses where goods might be stored.