The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-10-11
RAILROADS ASK FOR
STILL HIGHER RATES
RANGE AS HIGH AS 1870 PER
CENT. HEARING is ONE OF
GREAT IMPORTANCE.
DISCRIMINATION WIDESPREAD

Railroad Commission Wants Shippers
To Supply 1t With Information.
New Schedules Will Be Considered
At Early Date.
ATLANTA, Ga.-Oficial informa-
ton obtained today shows that the
statement made by B. Gilman, mana
ger of the Macon traffic bureau, that
the schedule of freight rates filed by
the common carriers in Georgia with
the railroad commission, under its or
der of July IA, present prospective in
creases in rates ranging as high as
1870 per cent in some instances.
In others there are average increases
of 10 per cent. That fact, however, is
not indicative of the schedules filed by
the carriers being granted by any
means, but is presented as a reason for
the statement made last week that the
approaching hearings on general re-
vision OF the freight rates is the most
important matter of the kind which
was ever before the state commission,
and for that reason it is desired by the
commission that the principal shippers
of the state supply it with all the BEN
ehcial and abdul information available
by the time the hearing begins.
Equalizing Rates Ordered.
When the commissions order was
issued to the carriers to prepare Sc
ries of equalizing or leveling rates,
which would remove existing discrim-
nations in the state it was not con-
terflplated that there would be any av-
erage increase of rates at all. In fact
the direction of the commission was
that such a schedule of tariffs be pre-
pared without any general increase in
revenue flowing from them. The rea-
son for the order, the commission stat
ed at this time, was that "the basing
point rate structure in Georgia was
condemned and ordered removed by
this commission under date of the third
day OF November 1918, which order
was suspended on account of federal
control of railroads"
There are at the present time, the
commission continued, approximately
twenty-one hundred towns and cities
in Georgia suffering from discrimina-
tons in freight rates by reason of
some thirty towns and cities having a
lower and preferential freight rate"
Illustrative of that fact it is cited
that shipment OF sugar from Savan-
nah to Dalton moves on lower freight
by II cents than the same shipment
could move from Savannah to Mariet-
ia, which is some fifty or more miles
nearer Savannah than to Dalton. That
is brought about by Atlanta being a
base rate point and the shipment be-
ing made from Savannah on the At
lanta rate plus the local rate from At
lanta to Marietta, combination which
made higher rate than the through
rate from Savannah to Dalton.
Applies All Over State.
Ali over the state the same ilustra-
ton applies, and in 1918 the commits
sion undertook to bring about a revis-
ion in the rate-making structure which
would remove those determinations by
a process of equalization or leveling
of rates. The sought-for result would
in some instances bring up the heavily
depressed points and lower the elevat-
ed points
About the time that plan was getting
in shape for final adjustment the fed
eral government took over the rail-
roads, and the director general direct
ed an increase in freight rates over
the old existing rates at that time from
Is to o. per cent.