The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1915-04-29
10 READJUST RATES
TO GEORGIA POINTS
RAILROADS MUST OBEY oRCER
ENFORCING THE LONG AND
SHORT HAUL CLAUSE
LOCAL POINTS TO BENEFIT
Win Ask state Commission To Ap-
prove Similar Revision In
lntrastate Rates

Atlanta, Ga. The recent order Of
the Interstate Commerce Commission
enforcing the Long and Short Haul
clause of the Federal Act to Regulate
Commerce, has made necessary gen,
eral readjustment OF freight rates
throughout Southern territory, declare
Presidents j. r. Kenly Of the Atlantic
Coast Line, w A. Winburn Of the
Central of Georgia, Nj H. Smith OF
the Louisville and Nashville, w. j.
Harahan of the Seaboard Air Line, and
Fairfax Harrison Of the Southern, in
a statement. addressed ITO The Peo-
Pile Served by the Railroads OF the
South" which has just been Issued.
Since the order OF the Commission
was handed down, committee OF traf-
fic officers has been at work prepar-
ing tariffs which will put into effect
its provisions. Obviously, precise fig
ures to all points may not be an
nounced pending a completion OF the
work OF revision. 1t is understood that
where long and short haul discrimi-
nations now exist, many rates will be
reduced and some of them advanced,
and that an important effect OF the
revision in Georgia will be to give
large number OF local points more
favorable rates as compared with the
rates enjoyed by the distributing cen
ters.
For the local points to get the full
benefit OF the principles under which
the interstate rates will be readiust-
ed, that is to say, the reducing or elm
alton Of the differences between the
rates at the local points as compared
with the rates at the so-called com
mon points, which are In the main
the large cities, it win be necessary
for revision, following the principles
Of the interstate adjustment, to be
made in the interstate rates, and pc
tition to this effect is to be made by
the railroads to the State Railroad
Commission.
Statement OF President
The statement Of the railroad pres
idents is as follows:
ITO The People Served BY The Rail
roads OF The South:
"An order Of the Interstate Com:
merce Commission, pursuant to re-
quirements of Federal law, compels a
general revision OF Southern freight
rates. It is proper that the people of
the South should be informed as to
the reasons for this revision and the
principles upon which it is being made.
Excepting the Norfolk & Western,
Chesapeake & Ohio and Virginian Rail
ways, which lie in Official Classified
ton territory the railroads of the
Southeast receive virtually no part of
the five per cent increase in rates
recently acquiesced in by the Inter-
state Commerce Commission. While
the need of the carriers of the South
for increased revenue is certainly no
less than is that of the Northern and
Eastern roads, that need Is in no way
related to the revision of rates now
In progress which arises solely from
the necessity Of more nearly conform
ing to the so-called long and short
haul clause" of the law as amended
in 1910, and as now construed by the
Interstate Commerce Commission.
"The original Act to Regulate Com
merce forbade the making of lower
rates for longer than for a shorter
distance within the same line or route
under substantially the same circum-
stances and conditions. The carriers
were free to meet competition as they
found it and were required to answer
only upon complaint as to the reason
ableness Of their acts.
1.-THE amendment Of 1910 deprived
the carriers Of the right to initiate
departures from the long and short
haul requirement, and they may no
longer meet competition as they find it
ii the long and short haul requirement