OF THE

BOARD

OF

RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS

OF

NORTH CAROLINA,

FOR THE

Year Ending December 31, 1896.

WINSTON:

M. I. & J. C. STEWART, PUBLIC PRINTERS AND BINDERS.

1896.

OFFICE OF THE BOARD OF RAILROAD COMMISSIONERS.

RALEIGH, December 31, 1896.

To His Excellency ELIAS CARR,

Governor of North Carolina.

SIR-In compliance with law the Railroad Commissioners respectfully submit this their Sixth Annual Report.

Since our last report the mileage in the State has been increased as follows:

The taxable property was increased during the year $1,491,548. Prior to the organization of the Commission as a Board of Appraisers the valuation of the railroad property in the State was placed at $12,424,540. The valuation for the year 1896 is $26,576,096.99, an increase since the establishment of the Commission of $14,151,556.99. From this it appears that about one-eighth of the taxes of the State is paid by the railroad companies.

All complaints, however trivial, have been adjusted by the Commission to the satisfaction of the complainants as well as to the corporations, as is shown by the fact that no appeal has ever been taken from its rulings. The number of complaints have been very small, considering the vast amount of business done by the parties interested, and in no case was it shown that the matter complained of resulted from an intentional disregard of the laws of the State or the rules of the Commission, but simply clerical errors.

The business of the country was during the year greatly disturbed by a war of rates. As a general rule these reduced rates applied to competitive points outside of this State only. To prevent this discrimination the Railroad Commission had notices served upon all the companies having a cut rate in force, to appear before it and show cause why these low rates should not cover all points in this State on the respectve roads and be made permanent, and also to reduce the local rates in this State in the same proportion. From