The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-06
Chamber of Commerce Sends
It's Traffic Manager to
Protest
MERCHANTS
FEAR HEAVY LOSS
Maintain That Roads Should Not
Assess Public for Improve
ments-Schedule of Adj
vance by Glasses.

discriminate advance in freight rates
and to demand that Richmond mer-
chants and shippers receive a square
from those railways operating in
the Atlantic States Traffic Manager
Goodman, of the Chamber of COM
merce, viii leave Richmond Tues
day night for New York, where he
will attend the hearing called before
the Interstate Commerce Commission
Wednesday,.
The hearing will probably last
through the rest of the week. Both
sides-the railways and the shippers
will be given opportunity to-intro-
duce evidence and argument showing
the justice or injustice of the increase.
The commission will then pass upon
the question, and establish. If posi-
bile. a general freight schedule for
the Eastern roads.
Through it's Chamber of Commerce
Richmond belongs to an association
of Eastern cities, including Boston,
New York, Philadelphia and Balti-
more, which was formed some time
& to protest against the proposed
advance in rates. and TO prevent the
increase, If possible.
Along with the interests of the 9TH
er cities the interests OF Richmond
"@fN oAAA GAAiIiEtA2 1 dG IEp
resented by Attorney Louis d. Bran
deis, VINO has been retained by the
association. Mr.. Brandeis won inter-
national fame during the Ballinger-
Pinchot inquiry, n is thoroughly Ia
miiiar with the economic conditions
which confront the Eastern States.
Lose Thousands.
1t Is conclasively shown tina Rich
mond merchants will lose thousands
OF dollars If the proposed rates are
put into effect, as much of the pro-
duct of Richmond plants and manu-
factories travels as first class. Among
the articles which are shipped from
here, and which would be more heav.
lily taxed are manufactured tobacco,
trunks. bags, boots and shoes, ex-
tracts, books, paper boxes and enve
lopes.
The attitude of the merchants 1,
not tina the railways are not entitled
10 the increase They merely ask {,
be shown IL the roads cannot shop
n a the increase is justified. 1T nat
urally follows that they ara not en-.
titled to it.
According to their present plan the
roads propose to increase the tariff or
first, second and third class freigh,
20 per cent; on fourth class, IL IL
per cent; on fifth class. 10 per cent.
on sixth class. s per cent
For some reason the roads have
then removed from the classification
list a number of articles which arr
termed as commodities" and whicf
are given special rates called com.
modify rates" AS a rule, the pro.
posed rates OF these commodities ar,
lower than those for the classes from
which they Were taken, and invest
CATION has shown that these article:
are those h a move in great yolums
and are handled by some OF the lare
est corporations in the United State.
these corporations thus controlIins
a very large tonnage.
) To these commodity rates" tht
protestant cities will pay the utmos
attention, arguing that the small mer,
chant who ships articles raued a.:
first class should not be forced 10 pay
an increase of 20 per cent. while Tn,
great corporation. shipping good!
Withdrawn from all classification, IL
relieved from practically all advance
Other Questions.
III the rates must be increased tn
shippers VIII demand tina all the
rates be increased proportionately. AM
that the large corporation, notwfth
standing the fact that Ii control.
large tonnage, De made to pay It
share OF the increase.
Local merchants declare that /
their freight rates are increased as tn,
railways indicate they will be unabl,
to compete with manufactures in tn,
West n middle States. With an ad
ditional incubus of a 20 per cent
tariff increase, their selling prices viii
have TO be raised to such an extern
that merchants In other parts of IN,
country can easily undersell them.
II the Investigation before the com
mission shows that the railways mus
rave the money. the shippers will
then ask whether the roads have tn,
right To procure this money by levyinl
upon the public for Improvement
which they claim should be paid GU
of capital.
They show that the roads-or man,
OF them-are paying fair dividends
represents nc money invested. The.
therefore ask why these dividends
ii unds be so urgently reQuired-arD
not reduced. They declare that TIL
| roads want money for improvements
and that all funds which will per
manentiy better the roads should b.
paid out of capital invested or witt
bond issues. Merchants maintain tina
they should not be indefinitely requir
ed to contribute additional sums t.
tho treasury of h roads unless tn
roads enter into an agreement to re
pay them at some definite time by
cut in rates which will effect not oni,
special commodities but all classe
Of freight.