The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1911-04-22
SWITCHING CHARGES.

Inc georgia railroad commission
yesterday heard testimony etc, on
the moOted question of switching
| charges in the state. which Of course
is of deep concern 70 every city and
to Gerry station on tie line Of eye~y
ai.r0ed in Ge1-yia IL tie present
hearing the railroads operating in
Georgia are asking tie commission
for power TO increase their present
rates for switching from 81 per car
to a regular tariff ranging from
minimum of 81 as high as perhaps
SO per car load.
The time was in Georgia. when the
railroads were very happy to make
such switchings as shippers desired.
without extra toll--the matter of de-
livering loaded cars of freight to the |
order of shipper was regarded as a
portion of the tariff assessed for the |
hauling Of the freight and the rail- !
roads managed to as we'll under that
plan as they have been doing under /,
the present law and as they would !
perhaps do, if the rates were effective
asking the railroads to perform this I
service and was Agreeable to the rate |
OF - per car. as is now CHARGED. il /
believes that the new rate asked for /
would work very severe hardship
on local shippers as well as on those |
all over the state. 1t is TO be boned
that the commission will not grant
the authority to increase this rate ms
asked for.
The Atlanta Journal Of yesterday.
discussing tie matter, says:
The so-called switching rate
case that comes before the rail
road commission today is of far
reaching importance to industries
throughout Georgia.
The railroads ask to advance
their dlarge for local switching
from two dollars a car to tariff
that would amount, in some in
stances, to as much as twenty-five
dollars a car Such request is
contrary to precedent that has
5eca cstablis. ed Tor nearly thirty
years. The present switc, inc
ftl' was inaH%Hrated the Geor-
sia railroad commission III 1854. p.
During this period it has proved
iatiy compensatory to the roads.
80 was it considered in 1902
When the carriers sought to in.
crease The rate. At tlat time the
commission denied their request
There appears TO be no reason
why this decision should he re-
FelScd after nine years. during
"Ilich the roads ave presparad !
rs hcVc, before and during which
their patronage in the rarttc,Ilsr
business Of local switching has
Greatly multiplied
Many factories and Warehouses
'aNe been established along the
lines Ct the various railroads in
the belief that the twodollar.per.
car rate would be permanent. In
deed. the roads have used this
rate as an inducement to invest
ors to locate their plants along
tracks beyond the city limits.
Now that these concerns have
gone 10 the expense OF buildings
and equipment and are dependent
largely upon their locations. IL
would palpably unfair for u1e
roads to advance tleir switching
charges. The fact is that in the
long run such policy would
prove harmful to the roads them.
selves.
1t would discourage the further
establishment of such industries
and wuulG thus fall heavily
upon commercial development.
The proposed advance would
affect not only Atlanta. but also
every station in tie state. There
is no evident reason why this
proposed increase should be PEI
mi;ted. The rate that has been
justified by a test of nearly three
decades should stand.