Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-08-18
RATES HEARING BEGUN
WITH PROSPECTS FOR
LONG FIGHT IN CASE
State Railroad Commission
Takes Up Petition Of Roads
for Revision of IntraState
Freight Tariffs

The hearing of the petition of the
| railroads of Georgia for a general re-
vision of Georgia intrastate freight
rates was commenced at 10 o'clock
Thursday morning before the railroad
commission.
owing 70 the large number of rail-
road men and shippers present the
hearing was held in the senate chamber,
| where the daily sessions will continue.
| A large number of the executive
heads and traffic officials of the railroads
| of Georgia, with their attorneys, were
| present in support of the petition, while,
on the other hand, the Georgia Shippers
| association was represented by large
number of its officers and members in
| opposition to the petition.
The petition of the railroads involves
the most radical and far-reaching adj
vances in Georgia intrastate freight
/ rates that any state commission was
ever called upon to authorize. The
! shippers of the state have organized to
resist the advances and have been hard
| at work for several months. 1t has
been estimated 3y the shippers associa-
| ton that If the proposed rates are
| authorized by the commission, they will
increase the transportation charges Of
the state Of Georgia approximately
100000 per year.
TO LAST FOR MONTHS.
cover several months The railroads
will first be required to justify the rates
| they propose, and the shippers will then
be given time 10 prepare and present
their case In opposition to the advances
| proosed.
I The hearing began when ]. NJ. Smith.
| secretary of the Brunswick board of
trade. stated that the board of trade is
satisfied with the proposed new rates.
ORDER OF PROCEDURE
c. Murphy Gambler, chairman of the
railroad commission, stated that the or
der of procedure would be the same as
that which obtained at past hearings.
namely, that the railroads as the petit
TONERS, would be required to Justify
the rates they proposed and that the
shippers would then be given the oppor-
tunity for presenting evidence in re-
buttal.
He asked whether the railroads had
outlined a program showing the order
in which their subjects would be pre-
sented and. the probable time which
each subject would require. He said
this information was requested in or
der that shippers might know on what
day to attend the hearing
Merrill Galloway, of Macon, the at
torney in charge of the railroads con-
duct of the hearing, stated that the in
by Friday morning if possible.
Chairman Gambler announced that
daily sessions would be held from 10
o'clock in the morning to 1 o'clock in
the afternoon, and from o'clock in
the afternoon to such hoer as the COM
mission saw fit to adjourn. He said no
sessions will be held on Saturday aft.
ernoons.
LARGE AMOUNT OF DATA.
Mr. CanHlar Sfa tai hot ha
sion has worked out a large amount of
data and analysis bearing on the pro.
posed rates. J. Prince Webster, rate |
expert of the commission, read an out |
line showing the nature and scope CT |
this data.
w. A. Wimbish, chief counsel for the |
shippers, asked if copies of the data and |
analysis are obtainable, and when told |
that no copies have been made, he asked |
that the information be made a part OF |
the record Mr.. Gambler said that this |
will be done.
Attorney Galloway then introduced W. |
a. Winburn, president of the Central Of |
Georgia railroad, who presented to the |
commission a statement outlying the |
general conditions they will show in |
justifying the rates requested.
Attorney Wimbish asked several ques-
tions of Mr.. Winburn when he had con-
them on the ground that Mr.. Winburn |
was not on the witness stand and thu |
objection was sustained.
A. c. l.. PETITION.
At this point the question was asked /
whether the Atlantic Coast Line rail- /
road is petitioning the commission to
be transferred to class c. Attorney |
Wimbish wanted to know if this was
true, and Attorney Galloway stated that |
while the Atlantic Coast Line had not |
filed a separate petition specifically |
asking to be placed in class C, it is ask
ing to be allowed to charge the same
rates that class c roads are asking to |
charge. Therefore, he said. in effect |
ii is the same if the road was ask |
ing to be placed in class c.
Attorney Wimbish insisted that the |
Atlantic Coast Line be required to file |
separate petition. The commission |
ers consulted and decided that this is |
not necessary.
r. A. Brand, vice president of the |
Atlantic Coast Line, took the witness |
stand and testified to the general con
ditions on which the Coast Line bases
its petition to be allowed to charge the |
same rates which class roads are
asking to be allowed to charge.
MIR. BRANDS DATA.
Among the reasons cited by Mr. |
Brand in support of the claim of the
Atlantic Coast Line railroad that it |
should be allowed to charge class c |
rates were the following:
That so per cent of the territory |
served by the road is in a primitive |
state Of cultivation; that the lumber
and naval stores handled by the Allan
tic Coast Line is slowly but surely de- |
creasing; that the earnings of the road |
on intrastate traffic in Georgia are not |
sufficient to pay the cost of intrastate |
operation in Georgia; that fuel charges |
OF the road are higher than fuel charges |
of class G roads; that the road has a |
higher proportion or bridges and tres
ties in Georgia than i'm any other state
1T serves; that the road has a smaller |
population per square mile in its terri |
tory than class G roads; that taxable !
values are smaller i'm it's territory than !
in class c territory; that its earnings /
per mile on intrastate traffic in Geor-
gia are lower than the corresponding |
earnings Of class G roads.
When Mr. Brand concluded his state
ment, Attorney Wimbish asked him il |
he would furnish information showing |
the capitalization, earnings. dividends
and other facts throwing light upon the |
general financial condition of the At
lantic Coast Line. Mr. Brand said he |
would undertake to do SO, and Attorney
Wimbish handed him a list of the facts
desired