The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-15

Former Governor Conner in his speech at Green ve admits that the average rate of freight charged by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in Ala bama is lower than the average of freight chareed by all railroads in the State of Georgia. He claims however, that the statement is misead- ing and is due solely to the fact that the Louisville & Nashville gave an extraordinarily low rate in the Birmingham district on such articles as sand lime rock. iron ore, coal iron and steel In order that l may do him injustice, l quote that paragraph or his speech in full
 'Mr Milton Smith states that his average rate of freight as charged in Alabama is lower than 1t IS in Georgia This has a of truth but is mis leading In the Birmingham District the L. & N does 75 per of it's business and hauls more ton mage in the Birmingham District 'halt in several states combined. This tonnage Is largely sand, lime rock ore iron and steel and all the rates are it's making, and they are profitable to 1t or It would not make them There has never been any coercion But what has the price at which the L. & N road hauls sand lime rock, and coal to the Birmingham furnaces got to do with charges it makes the farmers, manufacturers, the consum- CTS and producers of Alabama? What bearing has the freight service rendered the big furnace con- panies of North Alabama, got to do with the rates on cotton and cotton seed meal, fertilizer, lumber agricultural implements etc, to the Butler County farmers at Greenville? And why should Alabama be party to overcharge to it's two and quarter million farmers, producers and consumers, by any public corporation, because satisfactory service has been rendered some other line Of industry in the state?'
 coMER SERIOUSLY IN ERROR
 To show that MT. Conner is seriously in in the contention which he makes, and that the policy of the Louisville Nashville Railroad has not been
 
 to the legitimate business interests, l will set out the rates number of articles, particu- larly affecting the interest and welfare of the far mer the producer and the consumer and will con- pare the rates of the Louisville Nashville with the statutory rates of the Southern Railway, and state that the rates of the Louisville Nash vile the articles to which I refer voun- tariIy established many years ago without the com pusion of any statute. They were established in pursuance of what was believed to be sound pol icy, and what that company still believes to be sound. will further state that by the operation of the Maximum Rate Act, the Louisville & Nashville is prohibited from increasing these rstes whereas, by the operation of the Maximum Rate Act and of the Eight Group Acts the Southern Railway is per mitted by Legislation, sanctioned and approved by Governor Conner, to charge the higher rates stated. The rates quoted will be for distances of forty miles, this being about the average haul in Alabama the distances greater and less than forty miles show proportonately the difference. The letter "C L." "Carload"-'I. c. L." means Less than carload" Unless otherwise specified the rates ap- ply in cents per hundred pounds. The letters TX. D. mean Knocked Down'-"S. U" means Set Up."-"N. o. S." means Not Otherwise Specified" L. & N. Voluntary Rates Compared With Certain Southern Railway Statutory Rates On Articles
 Of General Consumption
 RATES RATES
 COMMODITY Southern Ky. L. X N. R. R.