Report of the Railroad Commission. OFFICE OF THE RAILROAD COMMISSION, TALLAHASSEE, March 1, 1898. To the Honorable W. D. Bloxham, Governor of Florida: SIR-In compliance with the requirements of Section 16 of the act creating the Railroad Commission of Florida, approved May 8, 1897, we have the honor to submit this, our first annual report. Said section provides as follows: "It shall be the duty of the Commissioners, by the first day of March in every year to make to the Governor annual reports of the transactions of their office, and to recommend from time to time such legislation as they may deem advisable under the provisions of the act." Organization of the Commission. The Commission organized at Tallahassee on July 1, 1897, elected a chairman, and Mr. John L. Neeley was made secretary. On the sixth of said month the Commission ordered that a letter, of which the following is a copy, be addressed to each of the railroad companies doing business in the State of Florida: Please furnish the Commission with three copies each of local joint and through freight tariffs, including vegetable, orange, strawberry, special and commodity rates, together with such classifications as are now in effect and used by your railroad.. Our object in making this request is that we may ascertain what the charges of your road are for transportation of freights, passengers and cars thereon. An early compliance is requested. Rules, Regulations and Rates Adopted. Section 8 of the Railroad Commission Law provides, "That said Commissioners shall make and furnish to each railroad corporation doing business in this State, as soon as practicable, a printed schedule of just and reasonable rates and charges for transportation of freights, passengers, and cars on its railroad or railroads under its control or management." And it further provides, "That the said Commissioners before revising, fixing, adopting or allowing any such schedule, or prescribing any such rules or regulations, shall give public notice of their intended action, in such newspapers and for such time as shall be deemed fair and advisable by said Commissioners to all railroad corporations to be affected, and to the public generally, of the times and places of their meetings, and all railroad corporations and persons interested shall be entitled to a just and fair hearing before said Commissioners." In obedience to said provisions of the law, the Commissioners had published in certain newspapers, the following notice: OFFICE OF RAILROAD COMMISSION, In accordance with the Railroad Commission Law of the State of Florida, approved May 8, 1897, the undersigned, the Railroad Commissioners of said State, have made certain schedules, rates, rules and regulations, which they propose and intend to revise and adopt for the government of the transportation of freights, passengers and cars, on the railroads in said State. Now, therefore, Notice is hereby given to all railroad corporations doing business, wholly or in part, in said State and to the public generally, that said Railroad Commissioners, before revising, fixing, adopting or allowing said schedules, rates, rules and regulations, will hold a meeting for the consideration of the same at Tallahassee on Wednesday, the 25th day of August, 1897, at 9 o'clock a. m. All railroad corporations and persons interested will be entitled to a hearing. R. H. M. DAVIDSON, H. E. DAY, J. M. BRYAN, Commissioners. Pursuant to the foregoing notice, the Commission met at its office on the 25th day of August, and on that day and the day ensuing representatives of the following railroad companies appeared and were heard, to-wit: The Florida Central & Peninsular, the Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West, the Plant System of Railways, the Florida East Coast, the Louisville & Nashville, the Carrabelle, Tallahassee & Georgia, and the Yellow River Railroad. The representatives of the companies moved, because of the importance of the matter and the voluminous nature of the schedules, rates, rules and regulations proposed to be adopted by the Commission, that they be allowed thirty days' further time to consider the same and to prepare and present objections thereto, if they desired so to do. After hearing argument on the same, the Commission made the following order: "The motion of the representatives of the railroads, asking for further time to consider the schedules, rates, rules and regulations, and to prepare and present objections thereto, if they desire so to do, having been considered. "It is ordered, by the Commission, That the representatives of the railroads, and all other persons interested, shall have for the purposes aforesaid until 4:30 o'clock p. m., on Monday, the 20th day of September next." On that day, the Commission being in session, the representatives of the railroads heretofore mentioned, also a representative of the Georgia Southern & Florida, and Judge G. P. Raney, in behalf of the Palatka Board of Trade, and General W. H. Milton, in behalf of the citizens of Marianna, appeared and addressed the Commission. The consideration of the matter was continued day after day until September 30, when the Commission adopted the rules and regulations and the schedule of rates which are set forth in the appendix hereto, and ordered that the same go into effect on November 1, 1897. (See Appendix.) Printed copies of the above-mentioned rules and regulations and schedule of rates were furnished to each railroad corporation doing business in the State as soon as practicable after their adoption, as the law requires: Sessions of the Commission Elsewhere Than at The statute creating the Railroad Commission provides that "The office of said Commissioners shall be at the Capital at Tallahassee, but they may hold sessions anywhere in the State at their discretion." By virtue of this authority, and for the purpose of accommodating all persons interested, so far as they could, the Commissioners caused to be published the following notice : OFFICE OF RAILROAD COMMISSION, STATE OF FLORIDA, TALLAHASSEE, November 20, 1897. For the convenience of shippers and other persons interested who desire to be heard by the Railroad Commission of the State of Florida, sessions of said Commission will be held at the following times and places, to-wit: The Commission met at the times and places mentioned in the foregoing notice; and during the month of February, in accordance with a similar notice, sessions were held at the following-named places: St. Augustine, Daytona, Titusville, Eden, West Palm Beach, Lemon City and Cocoanut Grove. The most of these meetings were well attended by growers and shippers, and it is the intention of the Commission to hold meetings at an early date at places west of the Apalachicola River and elsewhere in the State. Petition for Increase of Commission's Rates. On November 22, a communication was received from Mr. D. F. Jack, Freight Traffic Manager of the Plant System, of which the following is a copy: SAVANNAH, GA., November 20, 1897. Messrs. R. H. M. Davidson, Chairman, Jno. M. Bryan, H. E. Day, Commissioners, Tallahassee, Fla.: GENTLEMEN-The undersigned, representing the Plant System of Railways, respectfully suggests that the reductions in the rates on freight traffic as recently promulgated by your honorable body for the use of the different lines comprising this System do not permit the roads of the System to earn operating expenses, and earnestly urge that a suitable increase be allowed, and to that end, that your honorable Board will fix an early date for a hearing on this subject. In the meantime, we would call your attention to the injurious effect which the application of the continuous mileage tariff will have on the various lines operated by the Plant System, and especially in view of the present depressed condition of business and the consequent light movement of traffic between points in Florida. In illustration of the effect of the standard tariff, we would state that this makes a reduction between points on the S., F. & W. and Charlotte Harbor Division of the Florida Southern Railroad of from twenty to fifty per cent, notwithstanding the fact that the operating expenses of the said Charlotte Harbor Division under the rates formerly in effect exceeded the gross earnings. Similar reductions have been made to and from points on the St. Cloud Sugar Belt, Florida Southern (main line), St. Johns & Lake Eustis Railway, and Sanford & St. Petersburg Railroad, none of which divisions have, during recent years, been able to earn operating expenses. It will be readily seen that if these lines were unable to earn expenses with the former rates that the effect of these reductions |