Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1910-03-31
What Is Meant By Port Rates

in the next campaign.
1t that Georgia is entitled to the advan-
tage of her front at least two good ports Sa-
yannah and Brunswick.
The average may not know that the peo-
pie of the state under the present conditions, do
get tho full benefit to which they are entitled from
the ports.
To protect the railroads in the long all-rail haul
from eastern points, the freight rates from the
ports, Savannah and Brunswick, to the Interior
greater than the rates from the interior to the ports
on certain classes of freights, representing large
part of the freight business from the northeastern
manufacturing centers.
The following explanation from the Atlanta
Journal is plain and to the point that it ought to
be read and stud ed closely by every voter:
What is r9eant by port rates?
"The phrase 'tsef has so frequently been dis
torted from it's real meaning by persons seeking to
bec'oud clear and simple question of business fair
play that word of explanation is pertinent.
port rates are so called from the fact that they
are the rates charged by the railroads shipments
from Georg'as ports, Savannah and Brunswick, to
the interior cities of the state-Corde'e EIoultrle
Quitman, Thomasvil,e, Albany Americas, Dawson
Hawkinsville, Macon Griffin, Atlanta, Gainesville
Eome, Daton, Columbus, Athens and all other in
terror points.
''If the railway freight rates from the ports to
these inland points were reasonable or even normal
there would never have been port rate issue But
these rates are excessive and abnormal; they are
constructed upon purely artificial and arbitrary
basis and that is at the bottom of the who'e dis
custom
Under natural conditions Georaia's interior
cities, as we'll Savannah and Brunswick would
profit richly by the circumstance that the state
fronts upon the ocean and owns two of the most
favored ports along the Atlantic coast. For trans
nortatiOn is much cheaDer bY water than by rai!.
The interior cities would, of course not share in
this advantage to the extent that Savannah
and Brunsw ok do but they should share IN proper
ton their distance from the ports. That is to say,
Athens Atlanta and Rome entitled to the bene-
fits of ocean competition from eastern cities to
Georgia ports.
But under existing conditions, the rates
charged by the railroads for carrying freight from
the ports to inland points so high as to de-
stroy this advantage entirely. And the rates are
fixed to accomplis this very end. They are pur-
posey constructed to protect the long and expen-
sve all-ra h?ul from eastern cities, and not o.. the
just logical basis of afording the carrier fair
compensation for the cost and value of the SER
vice rendered
1T is this arbitrary and artificial method of
fixing the rates from the ports Of Savannah and
Brunswick to interior cities that constitutes the
chief injury and injustice. merchant in any one
of these cites is entitled first of all to the water
rate from New York Boston to the Georgia port.
He is next entitled to reasonable and normal rate
from the port to his own town. This combination of
rates would represent just charge for transporta-
ton from New York or Boston to the inland Geor-
gia city 1t would represent far AID natural
method of fixing rates.
But the method enforced by the railway lines
is this They make the cost of transportation from
the port to the interior city high that the mer
brn rOOdC Inv wa
ter as by rail Thus these port rates they exist
today are one of the greatest barriers known to
business opportunity in Georgia. They crush out
the value of ocean competition and compel the
merchant to pay for the long rail haul.
CONSIDER an instance two of present
port >rates in operation.
"The Central of Georgia railroad charges %
cents hundred pounds to bring of wagon
axles or wire fences from Savannah to Atlanta. Yet
the road will carry the same from Atlanta to
Savannah at the rate of 10 cents hundred pounds.
Why this amazing and illogical difference? The ex-
PLANTATION is this The Central of Georgia puts
this excess of 10 cents per hundred pounds in order
to make the cost of shipping iron from Pittsburg to
Georgia interior points partly by water and partly
by rail equal to the cost of shppn it all the way
by the long and expensive rail haul >
Cut this out dear reader if you voter and
paste it up where you read it several times
It's matter CT information the average voter of the
state stands in need Of.
The moving pictures" have to stay, and
already they WELD great influence over the
minds, particularly of the young. This influence
should be directed with a view to the permanent