The Washington herald., 1911-09-23

Herald, have been waging during the
last year against the charging of addi-
tional rates for the delivery of goods
to suburban sections was renewed yes
terday, when Caesar E. Casassa, con-
fectioner, of 3I42 Fourteenth street
northwest, filed formal complaint with
the Interstate Commerce Commission
against the Pennsylvania and the Balti-
more and Ohio railroads for refusal to
make free delivery of freight in Mount
Pleasant
OUTSIDE ARBITRARY ZONE.
The railroads have a free delivery boun-
dairy line, which is intended to bound
the industrial zone Of the city. This line
extends along Florida avenue from Sew
enth street to the intersection of P street.
crosses Rock Creek, and then extends
along P street to Thirty-sixth street, en-
bracing the entire Georgetown shipping
district. Charges are made for the deliv-
cry of goods beyond this line.
Mr.. Casassa contends that the Mount
Pleasant section is much nearer the
freight yards than Georgetown and other
districts included in the free delivery
zone. He states in the petition that prior
TO 1907 there was no charge made for the
delivery of goods in Mount Pleasant, and
that the free delivery zone apparently
did not exist before that date. He says
that since the policy of charging for the
delivery Of goods in Mount Pleasant was
moved much nearer than when the goods
were delivered free.
Mr.. Casassa said last night that in
many cases the delivery charge is nearly
as much as the freight charge He
showed a reporter for The Washington
Herald a bill for the delivery OF a case
Of candy. weighing lis pounds, to his
store. The freight charge was 81 cents.
and the drayage charge 25 cents. Mr..
Casassa has a number of such bills. One
showed a freight charge of Is cents and
a drayage charge of 10 cents.
Merchants in Protest.
The Columbia Heights Citizens Asso-
citation and several individual merchants
Of Mount Pleasant have filed informal
complaints against the alleged unjust
charges with the Interstate Commerce
Commission. Warren A Humphrey filed
a complaint early in the summer but it
was informal and no action resulted.
On June 30, Mr.. Casassa wrote to the
Interstate Commerce Commission. setting
forth the grievances of the merchants Of
the locality.
In the letter. the Norfolk and Wash
ington Steamboat Company was named
in addition to the two railroad COM
panies, as Mr.. Casassa is compelled to
get some OF his goods to the city by
water. and is required to pay charges
for delivery beyond the free delivery
limits.
On July Mr.. Casassa received a re-
ply from the commission that the rail-
road companies had been requested to
submit statements in regard to the in
formal charges, but that the commits
sion had no Jurisdiction over the trans
portation of goods entirely by water,
and that. therefore. no action could be
taken concerning the charges against
the steamboat company.
Attitude of b. & o.
On July p a reply was received from
c. S. Wight, general traffic manager of
swer to the complaint. The company
stated that the free delivery zone was es-
tablished many years ago, and that
have always been made
for the delivery of goods beyond the
imaginary line. Mr.. Wight said that the
line was established not from a stand
point of uniform distance from the
freight station, but so as to include the
Industrial sections of the city, regardless
Of their location. He stated that al
though Mount Pleasant has been settled
since the establishment of the line, the
territory is in no way comparable with
Mount Pleasant is primarily a resi-
4ential section reads the letter. The
portion of Georgetown included within
the free delivery limits, on the other
hand, not only contains a very large
number of stores, but industries many
Df which produce freight for return
oads. 1t should also be borne in mind
hat since the free delivery line was estab-
ished the transportation expenses, per 100
not only of the railroad service,
Dut Of carriage delivery, have increased.
These expenses have not been counter
balanced by increase in rates.
Refusal by "Pennsy."
An answer was also received from the
Railroad. which refused to
,xtend the free delivery limits on prac-
ically the same ground as the Baltimore
md Ohio Railroad. Judson c. Clements,
chairman Of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, sent a letter to Mr.. Casassa
the answers from the rail-
Dads, in which he stated that as the
ailroads refused to change the rates, no
Iction could be taken by the commission
lntil formal complaint had been filed.
Where carriers decline to voluntarily
hange existing rates or regulations"
eads the letter, "the commission can
My exercise its power to correct unrea-
enable or discriminatory rates or regu-
ations in a formal proceeding after full
Iearing."
Mr.. Casassa says that many merchants
ave established places of business in
dount Pleasant during the last two or
hree years, and that the community Is
s much entitled to free delivery as
and other remote sections,
which are now within the limits.
Twenty days win be granted the rail-
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