The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-01-11
COASTWISE WAR ON
-voRT TO END RATE DIFFER
ENCEs PROVES FUTILE.
SAVANNAH LINE IN FIGHT.
or.x STEAMSHIP COMPANY RE-
pUcEp RATES TO MEET
COMPETITION.

"a n. Ever-One of the NAL
,orv,s connections Refused TO Res
core HarmOny-TO Cancel New
-.tURerOrd Year for American
..,,srce-Notes of Interest to
shippers.
There seems to be no prospect of an
,,,,, settlement of the rate trouble
,-...aan the Atlantic port lines and
.s,ir rail connections on traffic to Mis-
wi river and Texas points. The rate
war has been on ever since the early
,,,r+ of the fall, and although in No.
r,bar some of the lines directly con-
,s.,ad withdrew from the fight and
..stored the old rates, a recent effort
:. ra-as+ablish harmony among the
uarring interests has failed and the
.;+ration is said to be as demoralized
as ever.
At recent conference of represen-
.,,i,,ss If South Atlantic and Virginia
ort lines and their rail connections
i was learned yesterday an arrange
,,ant was made whereby normal tar
,s- were to be restored. This agree
.,o,+ was reached with the under
lending that it should receive the
sonroval of absentees before it was
rrt info effect. No trouble, 1t seems,
was anticipated on this score, and a
number of lines went ahead and had
NOW tariffs or announcements prepared
yestoring the old rates.
Tba Mallory Line, it is understood,
ootIal1v issued a notice to that effect,
and other lines were about to do the
same when a certain lne-one of the
NalIorys connections which had not
bean represented at the meet1ng-re-
fused to participate in the restoration
If normal rates. The Mallory notice
vim therefore be cancelled, so the New
York Journal of Commerce announces,
and the similar tariffs which were to
have been issued by other lines will
not he issued. The situation remains
pr9ntjcally the same prior to the re-
cent meeting,
savannah Line Rates Below Normal
Tariff.
we'll Informed traffic official, who
was in the city yesterday, is authority
for the statement that the Ocean
Steamship Company of Savannah and
the lines connection to Memphis, the
Mallory via Mobile to st. Louis, and
the Mallory and Morgan lines via
Galveston. are all quoting rates below
the normal tariff.
The rate war began last October
when the Mallory Line, with its ally,
the Mobile and Ohio Railroad, cut the
regular tariff to the Missouri river, the
reduction amounting to cents per 100
~, ba Grct n1a with
proportionate cut on the other classes.
This cut was not in effect long before
it was met by the Savannah and other
competing lines. The regular tariff
was reduced from SLAP to Mallory rate
s137.
On Nov. II the Old Dominion Steam
ship Line, with its rail connections. re-
stored the old rates, the reduced tariff
made to meet the Mallory cut being
discontinued on and after that date.
The Southern Railway Baskerville line)
issued a notice to this effect, applying
to Kansas City, St. Joseph, Atchison
Leavenworth Omaha and South Om-
aha, and like action was taken by the
Norfolk and Western and by the Ches-
apeake and Ohio. The Mallory Line
still adhered to its cut rate policy, as
did the Savannah line.
The Mallory Line has been sharply
criticized by its competitors for it's cut
rate methods, but a good deal of the
blame for the generalization in these
rates is placed upon it's connecting rail
line, the Mobile and Ohio.
How Cut Was Made.
The irregularities via the Mobile and
Ohio route were not the only source
OF trouble. The Virginia lines had
been waiting for chance to attack
the Mallory Line with it's own weap-
ons and with the same secrecy. it is
said. 1t was discovered by the NAL
lory people, it is claimed, that these
lines had been quietly quoting the Gulf
line rate of $1.62 to Texas common
points; whereupon the Gulf lines. re-
tahated by dropping their rate from
Virginia cities to $1.37, that being the
81 Louis scale of the authorized rate
OF $l.62 through the New York port.
Inc Morgan Line is a Southern Pa
enc corporation and says it is by no
means in accord with the seeming pol
icy OF the Mallory Line to cut rates,
put TO protect its own interests it has
peen obliged to meet whatever tariffs
me Mallory issued. This has also been
me position that the Savannah line
mas found itself placed in. If they ex-
Pected to continue to compete with the
Mallory Line the only thing for them
10 90 was to meet the tariffs set by
that line.