The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-22


Alabama. What carrier can do as 10
| passenger rate depends, almost entirely,
| upon the density of population along its
| lines. Up to a certain point the proper
| accommodation of the travelling public re-
| quires about the same number of pas
! senger trains per day. whether the pop
| ulation be dense or sparse. 1t costs prac-
| tieally as much to run a short train with
! only a few passengers in each car as 1t
| does to run a longer train with every seat
| filled. 1t is possible to fill these longer
trains only in localities where the popula-
! ton is dense and where regular travel
can be depended upon. 1t must be APP
parent to any one that heavy passenger
| traffic, even at low rates, cannot be
| built up unless there is a dense popula-
/ ton from which to draw business 1t
! follows that a ate that might be profit
able in Massachusetts, with "A population
of $40 per square mile; in New Jersey,
with population of 1913 per square mile;
| in New York, with population of 100
per square mile, or in Ohio, with a popu-
! lation of 103 per square mile. would be
! utterly inadequate in Alabama, with a
population Of but 81 PER square mile. The
| force of this comparison Is greatly
| strengthened when it is remembered that
| considerable percentage of the popula-
| ton of Alabama is composed OF negroes
who contribute, relatively, only a small
| proportion of the passenger traffic of the
| state.
Passenger Fares.
Any possible reduction of passenger
fares would be OF comparatively little
benefit to the average individual, but in
the aggregate, 1t would seriously affect
| the income Of the railways, and would
correspondingly impair their ability to ex-
I tend and improve their facilities Ii is
| impossible to provide 10th reduced rates
| and improved service Cheap transporta-
| ton is desirable, bit what every southern
| community needs at this time much more
| than reduce; rates is the greatest pos
, sibe imp ovement in service Increased
: facilities, enabling traffic to be handled
mote expeaitiously and safely. are much
more important to southern travellers
! than are cheaper passenger fares In
| this connection it may be pointed out
| as generally conceded among carriers that
| receipts from passenger service contribute
substantially to net income on only very
| few railways located in the MORE tienseiy
| populated sections of the country, and
that, on most of the reads, passenger re-
ceipts contribute little or nothing to
profits.
| As better passenger service is more I'M
| portant to the south than reduced pas
| senger fares. so is improved freight SER
| vice more important. especially to Br-
| mingham and the state of Alabama, than
! any possible reduction in freight charges.
| The rates at which raw materials are
hauled to your manufacturing establish
ments, and at which your finished prod
| ucts are carried to competitive markets
| are now so low that they constitute only
| a small proportion of the cost Of produc-
| ton and marketing. They are so low. and
the proportion of this low rate traffic to
| the total tonnage of Alabama is so great.
that it costs more in operating expenses
| for the Southern Railway company to
| earn a dollar In this state than in any
| other traversed by its lines.
! Another legislative proposition as to
| which the interests Of birmingham and OF
| the entire state of Alabama, as well az
| of the other southern states, are identical
| with those of the railways of the south is
the proposition to impose penalties on the
| roads for failure to perform services,
| whether such failure be due to negli-
gence or not. No sound objection can
| be made to the imposition of a reason
| able penalty for the willful failure or
| neglect of a carrier to perform proper
service that is within its power, but leg
islation such as the various proposals to
penalize the roads fer failure to supply
cars on demand would so much further
| than this, and would make heavy penal
railway had a sufficient supply of cars to
meet all demands or whether it was pos
| sible for 1t to procure from the car con-
| struction companies all the cars that 1t
nhs imposition Of such penal
ties wout, help the situation and
, would only tend to make 1t worse, as
every penalty imposed would reduce, by
so much. the ability of the road to i'm
prove its service.
Nothing Palmer.
| Aside from the manifest injustice and
| the general futility of such a proposition,
nothing is palmer than that it would
work to the IMMEDIATE and serious disad-
vantage of mo 4 shippers, and especially
| of many of those in birmingham and
| throughout Alabama. The inevitable ten
dency fothe enactment of such laws by
the states would be TO compel the rail-
| ways to violate the fundamental COM
| mon law principle forbidding discrimina-
tions between individuals, which has been
| Incorporated in state and federal statutes.
As such law would be effective only
within the state enactng it, interstate
shipments would have to be disseminated
I against in favor of shipments wholly
| within the bounds of the state. and,
while here and there. an individual ship
per might obtain temporary adVan-
tage. the proportion Of interstate snip
| ments to ntrastate shipments in the Uni
ted States is so large that the great body
, of shippers would suffer Further than
| this such laws would compel discrmina-
| tions between the intrastate traffic IN
! the different states in favor of that IN
which the highest penalty was provided
| thus bringing about a contest between the
| states as to which could impose the hear-
| fest penalties. and compel the greatest
amount of discrimination against shippers
! in neighbcring states.
| At first thought it may seem reasonable
| and Just to impose a penalty for failure
10 supply a car called for by shipper
| equal to the amount of the demurrase
! charge which the shipper must pay for
tina retention of the car beyond the free