Central Iowa Rwy. Central R. R. of New Jersey Central Vermont R. R. Centreville, Moravia and Albia R. R. Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago R. R. Cheshire R. R. Chesapeake and Nashville Rwy. Chicago and Alton R. R. Chicago and Atlantic Rwy. Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Rwy. R. R. Clarkesburgh, Weston and Glenville R. R. Cleveland, Akron and Columbus Rwy. Cleveland, Lorain and Wheeling Rwy. Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis Rwy Colorado Midland R. R. Columbus and Cincinnati Midland R. R. Concord R. R. Connecticut River R. R. Cornwall and Lebanon R. R. Coudersport and Port Allegany R. R. Cresson and Clearfield County and New Crown Point Iron Co.'s R. R. Cumberland and Pennsylvania R. R. Danville and New River R. R. Delaware and Hudson Canal Co. Delaware, Lackawanna and Western R. R. Des Moines, Osceola and Southern R. R. Detroit, Bay City and Alpena R. R. Detroit, Lansing and Northern R. R. Duluth and Iron Range R. R. Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Rwy. Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley and Pittsburgh R. R. East Broad Top R. R. and Coal Co. East Coast Steamship Co. East Tennessee and Western North Caro lina R. R. Eastern Kentucky Rwy. Elmira, Cortland a: d Northern R. R. Erie and Wyoming Valley R. R. Evansville and Terre Haute R. R Eureka and Palisade R. R. Eureka Springs Rwy. Eutawville R. R. Fall Brook Coal Co. Fitchburg R. R. Florida Midland Rwy. Fonda, Johnstown and Gloversville R. R. Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Franklin and Megantic R. R. Fulton County Narrow-Gauge R. R. George's Creek and Cumberland R. R. Green Bay, Winona and St. Paul R. R. Herkimer, Newport and Poland R. R. Indiana, Bloomington and Western Rwy. Jacksonville and Atlantic R. R. Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Rwy. Kanawha and Ohio Rwy. Kentucky Union Rwy. Lake Erie and Western R. R. Lake Erie, Alliance and Southern Rwy. Lake Superior Transit Company. Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Rwy Lehigh and Hudson River Rwy. Long Island R. R. Louisville, Evansville and St. Louis Rwy Manchester and Lawrence R. R. Marietta and North Georgia R. R. Marietta, Columbus and Northern R. R. Mason City and Fort Dodge R. R. Meadville and Linesville Rwy. Mineral Range R. R. Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western Rwy. Minneapolis and Pacific Rwy. Minneapolis and St. Louis Rwy. Minneapolis, Sault Ste. Marie and Atlantic Minnesota and Northwestern R. R. Mississippi River and Northwestern R. R. Mont Alto R. R. Montour R. R. Montpelier and Wells River R. R. Narragansett Pier R. R. Natchez and Vicksburg Packet Company Nevada County Narrow Gauge R. R. Newburg, Dutchess and Connecticut R. R. New York, Florida and Charleston Steamship Company. New York Central and Hudson River R. R. Norwich and New York Transportation Co. Ohio Southern R. R. Ohio Valley R. R. Old Colony R. R. Olympia and Chehalis Valley R. R. Oregon and California R. R. Pacific Coast Rwy. Peach bottom Rwy. Pennsylvania Company. Peoria and Pekin Union Rwy. Peoria, Decatur and Evansville Rwy. Philadelphia and Atlantic City R. R. Philadelphia, Newton and New York R. R. Pittsburgh, Cincinnatti and St. Louis Rwy. Potomac, Fredericksburg and Piedmont Providence and Springfield R. R. Richmond and Allegheny R. R. Rome and Carrollton R. R. St. John's and Halifax R. R. St. Louis and Chicago Rwy. St. Louis and Hannibal R. R. St. Louis, Alton and Terre Haute R. R. St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Rwy. Scioto Valley Rwy. Shenandoah Valley R. R. Shenango and Allegheny R. R. Shepaug, Litchfield and Northern R. R. Sinnemahoning Valley R. R. South Florida R. R. Syracuse and Baldwinsville R. R. Terre Haute and Peoria R. R. Toledo and Ohio Central R. R. Toledo, Columbus and Southern Rwy. Toledo, St. Louis and Kansas City R. R. Ulster and Delaware R. R. Valley Rwy. Vaca Valley and Clear Lake R. R. Walden's Ridge R. R. Walkill Valley R. R. Waynesburg and Washington R. R. Western Railway of Florida. West Virginia, Central and Pittsburgh White River R. R. Wichita and Western R. R. Wilkes Barre and Western Rwy. Wilmington and Northern R. R. Wilmington, Chadbourn and Conway R. R. Woodstock R. R. Youghiogheny R. R. Zanesville and Ohio River Rwy. III- Le ters and documents from curriers which accepted the invitation of the Commission to make a statement concerning the circumstances and conditions of traffic which they claimed made their case exceptional. ALLEGHENY VALLEY RAILROAD. DEAR SIR: I have your circular of October 20 in regard to the rates to and from interstate points, and in reply would say that the Allegheny Valley Railroad is a corporation wholly within the State of Pennsylvania, and therefore the only interstate rates that we have are made by reason of our connections with other lines. The rates in force and issued by this company are all made to conform with the provisions of the interstate-commerce act as understood by us, viz, that in no case shall a higher rate be charged for a short haul than for a long haul, and to our best knowledge there is no deviation from this rule, except one case, of which I advised you under date of May 21, 1887. The circumstances governing this case are as follows: Aft In November or December, last year, before the interstate-commerce bill was agitated or came under discussion, an agreement was made with Galusha A. Grow, owner of Brady's Bend Mining Company, agreeing to a rate of 85 cents per ton on 120,000 tons of coal to be shipped in cars furnished by the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada to that company for its supply purposes, same to be in effect from May 1, 1887, to May 1, 1888. erwards, when the interstate-commerce bill was passed and all rates were revised, it was arranged between this company and its connections and with competing roads that the rate on coal, dating from April 16, 1887, should be $1.15 per ton (reduced June 1 to $1.10 per ton) to Buffalo, and at this rate all coal has been charged since that date. Mr. Grow, in addition to the coal shipped to Buffalo for the Grand Trunk supply at 85 cents per ton, has shipped considerable coal to Buffalo for miscellaneous trade, on which he has paid $1.10 per ton, but the other mines in the neighborhood of his mine have all been charged on a basis of $1.10 per ton. There are three mines north of Mr. Grow's mine that ship coal to Buffalo, and are charged at the rate of $1.10 per ton, while we are carrying out the agreement made with Mr. Grow on the basis of 85 cents; but we have taken the position that we are morally bound to carry out the contract with Mr. Grow on the basis of 85 cents per ton, and that the charging of $1.10 per ton on other coal was not a violation of the law, the circumstances and conditions governing the making of the rate not being similar. This conclusion was reached after full consultation with Messrs. Hampton & Dalzell, attorneys for the company, and William Scott, attorney for the receivers. No other mines are affected by this rate, as they have no contract with the Grand Trunk Railway Company. Yours truly, C. C. MCCAIN, Esq., E. H. UTLEY, General Freight and Passenger Agent. Auditor Interstate Commerce Commission, Washington, D. C. ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY (WESTERN DIVISION). DEAR SIR: Replying to your circular favor of the 23d, which was addressed to me at Topeka, I presume that the circular letter to which you refer was similar to the one addressed to me as vice-president of the California Southern and California Central Railroad Companies, which I have forwarded to our traffic manager, Mr. W. F. White, for information, and I am advised by Mr. White that he replied to a similar letter addressed to him in the following language: "So far as these lines are concerned, we have been accepting our proportion of rates, which are less than intermediate rates on business between Los Angeles and San Diego on the west, and the Mississippi River and points east thereof on the east, which rates were made necessary by the competition of water carriers and foreign railroads. "With this exception we have no knowledge of having deviated from section 4 of the act to regulate commerce," and as this statement of the facts applies as well to the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, western division, as to the California Southern and California Central Roads, I presume this is all that you require. Yours truly, C. C. MCCAIN, Esq., Auditor Interstate Commerce Commission, Washington, D. C. C. W. SMITH. ATLANTIC COAST LINE. DEAR SIR: Replying to your circular of October 20, 1887. As a rule, we have be tween points on our line no rates that are lower for a long than a short distance, the following being the exceptions: The rates from eastern cities to Tarborough are controlled by the water lines to Norfolk, and thence by water and water and rail to Tarborough; our rates being no lower, at any time, than the rates so made by the lines referred to. The rates to Wilmington are controlled by the ocean lines, our rates being always higher than the ocean-line rates. The rates to Fayetteville are controlled by the ocean lines to Wilmington, in connection with the rates of the lines on the Cape Fear River, our rates being higher than the rates of the water lines. The rates to Charleston are controlled by the ocean lines, our rates being higher than the rates of the ocean lines. The rates to Columbia are controlled by the ocean lines to Charleston, and the rates from Charleston to Columbia authorized by the South Carolina Railway Commission; our rates being the same as by that line. The rates to Wadesborough are controlled by the ocean rates to Wilmington, plus the rates of the Carolina Central road from Wilmington to Wadesborough. The rates to Goldsboro are controlled by the ocean lines working via New Berne, N. C., and the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad thence to Goldsborough. While Goldsborough at present is not one of the points to which lower rates are made for the long than the short distauce, it is mentioned here because it is likely to become one at any moment, as the competition created by the lines via New Berne seriously threatens the maintenance of our rates to Goldsborough, which are all much higher than the rates in use by the line via New Berne. Wherever the rates are lower from eastern cities for long distances than short, they are also lower from Richmond and Wilmington. Wilmington, by long usage, which is regarded as equitable, has used the same rates as Charleston; the Charleston rates being fixed, in most part, by the line leading directly through Augusta, to wit, the South Carolina Railway, the rates from Richmond being always the same as the rates from Norfolk or Portsmouth; these two points, in the territory we reach, having relatively the same commercial position as well as equality of dis tance. The above seems to embrace all points on the system of the Atlantic Coast Line, its branches and leased lines, where the rates are less for a long than a short distance, in the same direction--the shorter being within the longer. There are, of course, many points beyond our termini to which we have lower rates for long distances than intermediate points; such as Savannah, Jacksonville, Augusta, At |