The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-22

Col. E. L. Russell's reply for the Mobile
and Ohio railroad:
August 16, 1910.
Mr. Albert P. Bush, President and Chair
man; Mr. Charles A. Cunningham, Mr..
H. Phillans
Dear Sirs-Referring to your letter of
August 10, addressed to the Mobile and
Ohio Railroad company, and the South
ern Railway company upon the subject
of shipside rail rates to Mobile. both OF
which companies 1 have the honor to
represent in this controversy, and to the
report of your special committee to the
president and directors Of the chamber of
commerce, and also to the copy of the
resolutions adopted at a meeting of the
board of directors of the chamber of COM
merce, held August s, 1910, l beg to re-
ply as follows:
AS I understand 1t, the entire point IN
volved in this controversy rests upon the
recent action of these companies in
amending one of their tariffs covering
export and import traffic at Mobile, linn
ting shipside delivery on traffic covered
thereby to docks reached by the rails
Of these companies, and thus bringing this
tariff into harmony with their other tar
ifs issued months ago and which covered
similar limitations as to shipside delivery
at Mobile. This point is presented by that
Pdib VI bbc TtpOll VI yOul SPNSioA WIN
mittee, which says:
In view of the fact that all rail lines
delivering to Galveston New Orleans,
Mobile Except the Mobile and Ohio and
Southern) and Savannah, deliver to any
wharves at which vessels have, been as
signed or have arranged for berths, alb
sorbing the switching and wharfage
charges where rates are quoted for ship
side delivery, or whose rates are not
ta1 Pr, eIf, l>,,t ofa nl,o
Ia made in addition to freight for such
shipside delivery, it would seem to be only
equitable that all rail lines reaching Mo-
bile should deliver the cargo to any dock
designated by or requested by the ship
per, and at which the steamship has ar
ranged her berth and wishes to book
her cargo"
Your finding is that Mobile is discrim-
mated against as compared with Calves
ton, New Orleans and Savannah For you
to so find you must have from your in
vestigations first determined that condi-
lions at these several ports similar to
those at Mobile. In this l believe you to
be mistaken. There are certain controll-
ing differences existing between condi-
tions not only at the points referred to
by you, but at others with which the port
OF Mobile is brought into much more di-
rect competition, which make 1t impossible
lOI lllc lultS VI HillCh yOu Complain " bC
discriminatory.
At New Orleans the docks and shipping
facilities are owned either by the rail-
roads leading to that port or by the mu-
nioipality. The Southern Railway COM
pany and the St. Louis and San Fran
cisco Railroad company, having joint
ownership in their terminals through
equal holdings of the stock of the New
Orleans Terminal company. II one line
u nittf o. q
to another line for shipside delivery the
line making the delivery Of course guar
antees to the original line issuing the
bill of lading that delivery to ships shall
be finally and fully accomplished The
various lines at this port have direct
connection with shipside at all municipal
docks by their own rails or through
public service corporation.
At Galveston, with the exception of the
Southern Pacific, which owns two small
piers, all docks are owned by a public
service corporation, in which the munich
pality is largely interested. An arrange
ment exists at this port by which each
line can complete shipside delivery
through this corporation with full pro-
lection as to the fulfillment of its con-
tracts.
At Savannah all of the terminal facili-
ties for handling export and import traf-
flc are owned by the rail lines reaching
that port with the exception of one dock
owned by fertilizer factory, and used
exclusively for its own business.
At Gulfport, Miss, all of the terminal
facilities are owned by the Gulf and Ship
Island Railroad company.
At Pensacola the Louisville and Nash
VILE Railroad company owns all of the
facilities for export and import business.
At Port Tampa there are privately
owned docks, but the railroads do not
make shipsde delivery at these docks at
the expense of the rail lines.
Tampa is to be thus seen the only port
with which we are brought into connec-
tion or competition where there are any