Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-08-18

ATLANTA, Ca, Aug. 18.-Presiden
W. A. Winburn u me Central OK tec:.s,
gia Railway Company, presented te
the Railroad Commission of Georgia
the petition of the Railroads of Geor
gia for revision of freight rates
within the State.
He began his statement by tracing
the construction of railroad freight
rates in the South, by explaining their
competition with water rates, and call
ed attention to the fact that the South
least of the Mississippi and south OF
the Ohio and Potomac Rivers) cover,
ed only Is of the total area of the
United States, but contained within
or along its boundaries, slightly less
than IL of the navigable waters of the
United States. 1t is a known fact
that water freight rates are less than
railroad freight rates between the
same or similar points
Resentment OF Inequalities
He stated that the early reports of
the Central Railroad and Banking
Company of Georgia referred to the
trouble the directors of this road had
in explaining to shippers this fact
He brought out that this situation was
extended to other points as the re-
suit of competition between the rail
roads themselves, and by municipality
aided lines that were built for this
purpose. Thus, in the early period of
rail transportation in Georgia, the
long and short haul issue was raised
Even in those days it was shown that
the vast majority of shippers resented
the then inequality of freight rates
rather than the measure of the rates
themselves, which dissatisfaction il
was thought doubtless contributed
largely to the creation of the Railroad
Commission of Georgia in 1879.
Mr.. Winburn brought out the fact
that the Railroad Commission of Geor-
gia was at that time in favor of the
general application of the long and
short haul principle now embodied in
the Interstate Commerce Act, and
cited number of quotations from the
early reports of the Commission bear
ing on this subject And, in referring
later to its (the Railroad Commission
of Georgia. efforts to remove dis
ordinations, and to it's prescribed
scale, he read the following from the
22nd report, page 8, of the Commits
sion:
rs Per Cent Reduction
1.-THE adjustment of these matters
by the standard tariff of rates, afford
ing justice to non-competitiye points
and making rates upon a fair basis
led to a reduction in many instances
of rs per cent"
Mr.. Winburn then referred to the
power given the Interstate Commerce
Commission under an act of 1910 to
fix maximum rates, and stated that in
the same year, the power of carriers
to initiate rates lower to some points
than to an intermediate point was
taken away. In other words" he ex
planned, "the entire matter Of carry
ing interstate lower rates for longer
than for shorter haufs was placed in
the control of the Interstate Com
merce Commission" Continuing on
this line, Mr.. Winburn said:
Fearing that taking away the adj
vantage held by such points as At
lanta, Macon, Columbus, Athens, AL
bany, Augusta, Rome and others
would cripple the wholesale business
of these cities, and would seriously
reduce the revenues of the carriers
the railroads filed petitions seeking
authority to maintain the existing ad
justment. The fear that lever rate
basis would divert the wholesale trade
from these cities to the primary mar
kets in the East and West, and would
impose hardships upon the railroads
If they should lose the second Oh
outbound haul on this business from
the Southern jobbing points, were laic
fully before the Interstate Commerce
Commission at hearings that were
held at Atlanta, Birmingham, Chatta
nooga, New Orleans and Washington
during the period from November
1911, to June, 1912, but the representa-
tives Of the railroads were substantial
ly the only parties who appeared tC
defend the depressed rates to the com
mercial centers.
In spirit VI Order
"The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion has passed upon the matter fl
Order No. 1866, and supplements
thereto, and the railroads have now
devoted more than two years to the
work of revising rates in compliance
with the spirit of the Commission:
order. Generally speaking, this has
been done by advancing the rates tC
the depressed points and reducing
them to the intermediate points, bu
relief from the observance of the Ions
and short haul principle was granted
to a limited extent at Savannah anC
Brunswick, and to a more limited ex
tent at Augusta, Macon, Columbus ant
perhaps a few other points"
Mr.. Winburn declared that tbs
pending petition now before the Rail
road Commission of Georgia seeks t.
harmonic the adjustment of dntra
State rates with the revised interstate
rates. He followed this statemen
with a number Of interesting in
stances showing the anomalous condi
tions now existing which should b.
corrected
He stated that the petition contem