Birmingham age-herald., 1895-09-12
WITH THE RAILROADS.

For about two years the southern Wholesale Jobbers' association, composed of the wholesale grocers of the principal cities of the southern states, has been endeavoring to obtain, through the Southern Railway and Steamship asso- citation, a readjustment of rates on the food products, or necessaries of life viz: All kinds of packing house products, flour, meal hominy, grits, syrups. sugar, molasses, soda and soap, demanding an advance Of cents per hundred pounds on all such shipments in less than car load lots; the present established rates to remain in effect applying on car load shipments only. This readjustment was not considered feasible by the Southern Railway and Steamship association. and the proposition was voted down by the executive committee of the Southern Railway and Steamship association twice. The Southern Wholesale Jobbers' association, however, continued to press its demands; and being under the i'm pression that the Louisville and Nash vile Railroad company has opposed their proposition, decided to force the issue by entering into an agreement to boycott the Louisville and Nashville Railroad company in the routing of all goods purchased by members of the associa- ton.
  effective July 20. Montgomery, Macon and Selma wholesale grocers commenced upon that date diverting, all their ship ments from the Louisville and Nashville Railroad company. The Birmingham wholesale jobberS did not pass feSolu- tions supporting the Southern Wholesale Jobbers association until September 3.
 Mir E. A. deFuniak, general agent of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad company, was seen or this subject, and
 
 ent applied by the Louisville and Nash- vile Railroad company is applied by every other road south of the Ohio and Potomac and east of the Mississippi rivers This classification provides equal rates on car load and less than car load lots of food products or necessaries of life.
 This classification has been in effect for the last twenty-five years and We be- lieve that the readjustment of the class.- fication upon the basis proposed by the southern wholesale jobbers would have the effect of seriously imperling a sys- tenn of rate structure very beneficial both to the jobbers and the railroad com pany in operation on the Louisville and Nashville system of railroads. The Lou isville and Nashville Railroad company has consistently supported a reasonable adjustment of rates to and from jobbing and manufacturing centers of the south. The adoption of the plan proposed by the Southern Wholesale Jobbers' association would have the effect of increasing the cost of food products at smaller points throughout the south buying in less than carload lots, cents per 100 pounds to such local points as base upon one com bination and 12 cents per 100 pounds to such points as base upon two combina- tions.
 We have consistently opposed the Southern Wholesale Jobbers' proposition for readjustment," said MT. deFuniak "on the grounds that we could not main tain this adjustment, the interstate com merce commission having ruled on this point in the case of Thurber vs the New York Central, in which the commission round that a difference in rates upon carloads and less than carloads of the same merchandise between the same points of carriage so wide as to be de- structive of competition between the large end smaller dealers, especially upon - articles of general and necessary use, and which under existing conditions of trade furnish large volume of business to carriers, is unjust, and violates the provisions and principles of the act
 Again, the rates on a large part of the entire traffic handled into the south and between many points in the south, are controlled by rates made by water carriers plying the Mississippi, the gulf and the south Atlantic points, and up and down the numerous navigable streams penetrating that section. These water carriers in their classification
 
 less than carload lots on the articles mentioned. They cannot be controlled 5y the action of the Southern Railway and Steamship association committees or the lines of the south. This produces another element of confusion and dis elimination. l believed this action of the Southern Wholesale Jobbers association is condemned by the retail merchants and consumers, as well as by the entire press of the state, and several of the cities of the south have declined to SUD- port the association in their fight against the Louisville and Nashville Railroad company"
 Mention was made in Tuesdays Age Herald of a considerable amount of track being put down by railroads centering here. The Southern has been actively in this work recently, and has placed 500 feet of sidetrack at the DeBar- deleben mines, also long piece of siding at the recently opened quarry. Both are located on the Brarfield, Blocton and Birmingham road.
 At the Aldrich mines at Hargrove, on the Blocton branch the Southern has put in about 350OO feet of track and also track at Blocton.
 flour in barrels and cents per hun dred on hay grain and other farm prod ucts, known as classes c, D and F, was inaugurated by the southern railroads. IneSe rOduS nave ueClueu 10 restore tne cut, and on September 16 it will go into effect.
 Travel on all the roads entering tho city has been very large the past few days. especially on the Louisville and Nashville northbound trains The Louis vile and Nashville is hauling hundreds of passengers to Louisville on account of the Grand Army of the Republic as- sembly. The Alabama Great Southern is making great preparations for handling many passengers from the south to the dedication of the battlefields near Chat tanooga.
 MT. J. c. Shepherd, general freight agent of the Louisville and Nashville, with headquarters in Montgomery, is in the city
 ME Rin F. ReasleY. the YOung hustler