The Washington times., 1910-09-01
Appeals TO Commerce Com
mission to Enforce a Di-
vision of Earnings.
LUMBER INTERESTS
BEHIND COMPLAINT
AIlege They Viii Be Crippled Un-
less They Get Share of
Freight Receipts

When the Paragould and Memphis
railroad fled a complaint with the In
terstate Commerce Commission today
against the st. Louis and san Francisco
railroad, the first step in the bitter fight
between the short lines Of the South
and the trunk lines was taken
This fight over the basis OF inter-line
business between these two classes o.
carriers invoIves the profit now made
by The lumber interests shipping from
the short roads and, IL is said by Ium-
bermen may cripple the business 10 the
point OF bankruptcy in some sections.
some time ago the larger roads Of the
South and Southwest announced through
the commission that they would no
logger receive shipments from the lurn-
bd roads il a division Of the freight
charges had 10 be made They took
the position that the lumber lines were
privately owned and were, therefore,
disqualified 10 participate in joint
freight charges
Lumber Men Protest.
This announcement raised a storm.
Many big lumber interests had built
their own railroads connecting them
with the large roads and had main
taired those roads by dividing the
freight receipts To deprive these short
Ct lines OF any share in these receipts
meant, they now claim, that they could
not operate
Without tie use Of the short line.
therefore, Re lumber companies could
not deliver their stock TO market If
they hauled IL 10 the junction point and
there transferred it the extra handling
they set forth would eat up all profit
When negotiation between the owners
r-f he a. - e
me longer ones failed. the lumber DeO-
pie decided TO appeal 10 the Interstate
commerce Commission The petition Of
the ParaEould and Memphis railroad
parties concerned in the controversy
Are Common Carriers.
Il is shown by the petitioners IN
The specific case now before the com
mission. that the shorter road is in
cOrDOrateG and is operated as a com
mon carrier While il is true, II is
owned by the lumber interests along
its line, IL is also true that other
freight than lumber is being shipped
70 ana from the junction point on the
St Louis and Santa Fe railroad
Ihese facts are said by the lumber
men 10 be equally true Of practical
" ali Of the short lines in the South
and Southwest They all claim to be
common carriers doing an interstate
business and are therefore entitled
70 exchange freight with ali lines
which they physically join.
The lum her people say shat with
out an actual interchange Of freight
business, the short lines will not have
enough cars TO haul the freight and
that the shippers and not the short
railroads, viii be the greatest losers
Stubborn Fight Expected
The LumbeTmen's Bureau Of Wash
iugtOn viii represent the lumber in
terests in the hearing before tI.2 In
terstate Commerce Commission, while
the small railroads viii be represent
ed by their attorneys.
There Is no doubt but that the
trunb lines viii make a stub born fight
against dividing the freight receipts
with their small connections and viii
claim that there is no profit for them
after such a division is made.