The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-22
MERCHANTS |: WILL.
FIGHT 4 RAILWAYS A 5.
Freight Conditions Are y; a Menace N
to Successful Business
Enterprise.
.sEayicz /: GROWING SLOWER 81 q.
Twenty Thousand @ Jobtbe tar::i lin il.
Twenty-Five States t. Force
Commission to Act.
'sERVI CE GROWING SLOWER
Commission to Act.

y 49,
n The movement Inaugural ted In Rich
imond to compel the various railroads of
the country to make more speedy move.
ments and deliveries Of freight is being
taken up not only by al prominent JOB
bers, but by the great bustne ss associa-:
tons throughout the country. i:53 81,
s5s 10 Mr.. John DOMAIN, VII e-president Of
the w. s. Donnan Hardware Company.
and Mr.. 7. Peyton. Giles, OF the Stephen
Putney Shoe Company, belongs the credit
OF having Instituted the crusade for bet.
ter freight conditions, for their efforts
for the past eight weeks have been ear
nest in this direction.
n They have already received notice Of
the unqualified endorsement " Of many
large firms, corporations and other large
bodies in the States OF Alabama, Arkan-
5sas, Delawaret Florida, Georgia. Iowa,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Ne-
3braska, N ew Hampshire. North Carolina,
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.
Ohio, South Carolina. Massac husetts.
Michigan, Tennessee. Texas, Virginia
Visions In y West Virginia and the Dis
trict Of Columbia. 81 ss3
Mr. Donnan in speaking Of the horrible
situation that confronts the merchants
said: I'VE have behind us already more
than &C, 900 powerful merchants besides the
many manuEac turers In twenty-n nine
States, who for years past have suffered
on account OF freight conditions. AS soon
as we are organized we will ask our
Senators and Representatives to force
the Interstate Commerce Commission to
remedy the evil and to compel the rail-
roads to move freight at least $50 miles
every "a hours. or pay q rebate for the
delay. We now pay the railroad demur-
rage for every day we hold @ car. n att
why should not the railroads pay the
sama? AS an example Of how the rail-
roads are treating the Richmond mer-
chants will "A cite a few Instances q
delayed freight: ID 81 ssS;5 #
1--WE had AZ shipment from Norfolk to
Richmond which took q days; one from
p! Charleston. w. Va, which took 81 days;
one from Jarratts 20 miles south Of Pa
tersburg, which took 20 days. Tha Stephen
Putney Shoe Company shipped q, solid
carload OF shoes for distribution, and
Is days passed before the last case OF
shoes lett Richmond, It took z days to
move three cars OF bricks from Fulton
to the Hermitage yards ct the head OF
Broad Street Ono road accepted freight,
and days later phoned sthe shipper ask.
llS IlO W 1Oulo ~ <AIlOtIlS4 tASOSPS'A
freight and held it In the Richmond
depot from March 18th to April 18th. whils
still another accepted fifty shipments
between Monday and Saturday and did
not ship until the following week. can
prove every one OF these statements
Dor have the bills OF lading In my
Office" s5t.5 ia Z. st
N1essrs, Giles and Donnan have issued
end widely circulated q pamphlet on the
subject. in which they have some I'm.
pressive figures. Tables are given show
Ing that from actual Instances the aveT-
ngc movement of shipments from Rich-
rnond, Va, in 1908 was $3.50 miles per
day. or 26o miles per hour. In 1906 the
average movement on shipments from
this city was 6161 miles per day of twsaa-
ty-four hours and 257 per hour, con-
trasted with 100 miles per day by the old
canal packets drawn by horses and 14s
miles by the stages, II 5