The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-02-17
ARGUMENT
ON FREIGHT RATE REDUCTIONS
Made at Recent Hearing Before Interstate Commerce
Conmission-Won Many OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
History of Fight For Lower Rates.

x the Commission says:
"Th principal cause OF complaint
may be removed by an agreement OF
connecting carriers to make through
rates to terminal points something
less than the addition OF ~IynchourS
proper rates, and the Commission rec
ommends such action TO the consider
alton OF the roads. We have no U
thority to enter on order commandlnE
sch an agreement. but in conSoahace
with the practice over so large q poT-
ton of the %countrs and controlling so
hreat q percentage Of the traffic, any
0 her method must remain a constant
source Of irritation and complaint. be
considered an injustice by the ship
Ders, and their discomfort AT embar-
rassment to the roads" |
These were words Of prophetic wis
dom, and had the carriers seen fit TO !
heed the friendly warning much pain
would LAY been avoided and perfect
| peace would have prevailed between
the carriers n the people. Hon.
Frankli McNeill, a brave and wise
| S~cotchman, for many years Chairman
Of our State Commission, saw the wis
dom of this suggestion and planned
a series of attacks TO establish the
, principle suggested by the Commits
sion. Mr.. Mcneil was Il shrewd
fighter and realizing the re~sourceful-
ness Of the carriers, he located heir
NonNo EolAlt IN iCuSAt "AiA 10
known as the Durham and Winston
case against the Norfolk and Western.
Virginia Cities Protest.
As sooE a. this petition was fled
the carriers appreciated the strategy
OF the move and although the pro-
ceedinS was solely against the \. II
W., the Seaboarl Air Line. the Attain
tic Coast Lin and the Southern inter-
vened. The Virginia cities also ever
alert to prevent North Carolina from
securing any modicum Of commercial
I independence, filed, as in this case,
: their protest. In that case this Com
> mission ordered a reduction in through
5 rates from Cincinnati to Durham and
2 Winston Of 9 cents on first class and
corresponding reductions in other
+ classes. Reductions were also made
on the local rates from Lynchburg and
$ Roanoke to Durham and Winston
9 chiefly because the Commission rec
d ognied that these full locals entered
into the structure of the through rates
i While these reductions We're not a:
II much as our Commission had hoped
> still they We're substantial, and real
ling their Importance. and especially
because they perceived that they
would eventually spread over IN
whole State, the carriers attacked tn
y order Of the Commission in the Com
merce Court. Pending the hearin,
: Of this aus in the Commerce Cour
it was deemed wise by the North Caro-
. lima Commission to take no furthe
action. In due time the Commerce
COurt handed down its opinions Sus
. tanning the order of the Connrnissiol
! and the rates wen into effect accord
insly. Very soon after this opinio
was handed down our Commissio
a. filed three petitions with this Com
mission intending TO correct certai
10 evils and smooth out certain irree
ularities, and was preparing d fOurt
= petition dealing with the situation 8
a whole. However, the people Of III
" State had become FESTIVE and impa
? tient. They could not understand III
slow processes Of the law. And tn
- is not much to be wondered at, fo
- the Supreme Court of the Unite
d States has recently declared tn;
Ls courts Of equity proceed with "delit
nc crate speed" and Hamlet enumeI
nhs ates the claws delays as one OF tt
evils tending to justify q man in con
hitting suicide.
n & Special Commission Named.
10. SO when the General Assembly m
les it was in a very progressive, not
L. say aggressive, frame OF mind. 1t w;
to e~xaSperated with the North CaroliI
mt Commission, and appointed a speci
tes Legislative commission TO confer wi
the carriers TO ascertain II their di
ire ferenccs could not be brought to
he speedy adjustment. Nothing came
is the several conferences held betWea
re- this special commission M the ca
les rierS, but afterwards the North Car
nth ma Commission with the approval
the Governor again took III the aus
ton with the ca rrierS and after
ed number of conferences, after the mt
z = anxious thought had been given I
as entire situation, an agreement v
reached which was subsequently Ia
fled by the General Assembly OF
State. The remarkable thing abo
: is this agreement is thaI~it IS based up
1. the principle suggested by this Co
lch mission in the Charlotte case, tow
the making OF through rates to terri
ook nal points something less thar the {
lich dition of the local rates proper.
ID l deed, in the first conference betNYt
YER the Governor and the carriers it y
AIRY suggested by Col. Thorn that an
ave justment could probably be reach
- a by rejecting into North Carolina
some degree the low freight rate