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THE JEFFERSONIAN Vol. 111. No. 9. Legislature to Look Into Cost of Nelv Commission, That the annual cost to the state of the new railroad commission will be a subject of eom metit and consideration at the coming session of the legislature, there does not appear to be any question. The prospect of such inquiry is already the subject of current gossip at the capitol. The annual expense to the state of the pres ent railroad commission is approximately $35,- 000, or more than three times as much as the cost of the old commission which involved an annual expense of SII,OOO. Under the old regime there were three commissioners at sal aries of $2,500 each, one secretary at SI,BOO, a printing fund of SI,OOO and a contingent fund, for porter and stenographer, of SBOO, making the total stated. The new railroad commission spends more than double that amount in permanent sala ries alone, jiot to speak of printing, contingent, track-walking and other funds. Here are most of the items of present expense: One chairman, $4,000; four commissioners at $2,500 each, $10,000; one special attorney, $2,500; one special auditor, $3,000; one secre tary, $2,000; one stenographer, $1,200; one stenographer, $900; three track walkers at $2,400 each, $7,200; printing fund, $3,000; one porter and contingencies, SBOO, making a total of $34,600. May Get Rate Experts. It is stated, however, that the services of one of the track walkers have recently been dispensed with and that another will probably soon be laid off, leaving only one on the reg ular pay roll of the commission. While ex pense will be reduced in this way, there is another item, not yet brought into play, which will practically make up for it. The commis sion is authorized under the law to employ rate experts to assist it in its investigations, at an expense not to exceed $4,000 a year, an office or offices "which will come into commis sion later on. Although all of the expenses as stated were provided for in one new railroad commission act, because of the fact that it was not finally passed until the last night of the session, pro vision for meeting them was not made in the general appropriations bill. Certain of the commission’s expenses, it is understood, have been paid from the contingent fund b£ the governor because there were no other funds available, and for salaries or portions of some salaries, there will be a little waiting until the appropriations can be secured. The general appropriations bill provides, without specifying any number, that each of the railroad commissioners shall be paid $2,500 a year. Hence each one of the five may A Weekly Paper Edited by THOS. E. WATSON and J. D. WATSON. Atlanta, Ga., Thursday, February 27, 1908. draw that amount, but Chairman McLendon will possibly have to wait until an appropria tion can be made to get his additional $1,500. Judge James K. Hines, sper'al attorney, may also wait for a part, at h e his salary; and so with others. p It is generally undersf of the special auditor am. have been paid out of the co.. J The track walkers were paid S2OO . os° each, and the special auditor’s salary is a month and expenses when he is away. Following a three months’ visit to Savan nah, where he went for the purpose of examin ing the books and accounts of the Central of Georgia Railway Company, the special audi tor put in a bill for $1,250, approximately, for salary and expenses, an average of more than S4OO a month or at the rate of about $5,000 a year. To Be Heard from in Legislature. When the legislature meets next summer it will be asked for appropriations to make good all these unpaid salaries and other expenses, as well as for others to provide for similar expenses during the coming year. ‘‘When these requests for appropriations come,” remarked a member of the legislature who has already looked into the matter to some extent, “I think it is going to open the eyes of members of both houses as to this addi tional burden of expense put upon the state. It will be recalled that one of the chief ob jections made to the bill at the last session was the expense involved, and the addition of two new members to the board, making, with the increased salary for the chairman, an additional expense of $6,500. went through on the last night of the session by the narrow margin of one vote. The increase in the tax rate and the status of financial conditions are not going to make the members any too will ing or speedy in the matter of making appro priations. “The question will naturally arise as to whether the new comhrission is worth three times as much as the old one; has it been of that value to the state; has it done any more than could or would have been done by the commission as formerly constituted had it been given increased powers? “We know that the old commission with out increased powers brought about both freight and passenger reductions; the new commission has done neither but, as I am in formed, will probably soon authorize an in crease in passenger rates in certain lines which were put by the old commission below the 2 1-2 cent basis. “You can - count on it, all these things will furnish wide field for discussion, and some pretty pointed discussion at that, when the subject of the railroad commission occupies the attention of the legislature at its coming ses sion.”—Atlanta Constitution. BROWN IS URGED TO ENTER RACE. Former Railroad Commissioner Joseph M. Brown yesterday gave out a statement relative to the frequently repeated rumors that he would enter the race this year either for gov ernor or railroad commissioner. While Mr. Brown says nothing definite in ’this statement beyond the fact that he has re ceived numerous letters urging him to make the race for one or the other of these posi tions, he promises to make a definite state ment to the people of the state within a short time, and the belief is that if he decides upon either course, it will be, as The Constitution recently stated, an announcement of his can didacy for railroad commissioner, for one of the places held either by Commissioner Hill yer or Commissioner Calioway. Both of these will be candidates for re-election, as will also Commissioner H. Warner Hill, former chair man of the commission. Mr. Brown’s ambition, as he states, does not thru to politics, and it is recent condi tions which may prompt in him the desire to ask election as railroad commissioner. His candidacy tor this position, therefore, may be considered the most likely supposition. In speaking of the recent discussion of his rumored candidacy, Mr. Brown said: Mr. Brown’s Statement. “Following my letter to the people of Georgia some weeks ago, wherein I showed that instead of the leading railroads of this state being owned almost exclusively by capi talists living outside of Georgia, they were, on the contrary, owned in great measure by thousands of Georgia ladies and orphans, and by educational, charitable and religious organizations, I received a number of letters asking me to run for railroad commissioner or for governor of Georgia. To these I made answer that the establishment of correct infor mation in the minds of the people was more my desire and aim than was the holding of any political office. “Since the publication last Sunday of my last letter, wherein I showed that if Gov ernor Smith had succeeded in his attempt to make effective the port rates which he ad vocated, he would have ruined the manufac turers and disastrously damaged the jobbers of Georgia, I have received a multitude of letters from every quarter of the state urging me to run for governor. “No one of responsibility could fail to feel profoundly grateful for such expressions as have come to me from old Confederate sol diers, and from labor organizations, farmers, (Continued on Page Four.) Price five Cents.