The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1913-06-24
STATE AIDED BOAT LINES
WILL SOLVE STATE PR0BI,E FIN

NO1XX-
n Carolina Merchants Asso-
S.IuCted as 10 protect US from uDres-
Souapie competition from a CONNER
riaI STANDPOINT with the Virginia cities
having the more favorable rate.
Roads Admit It.
me representatives of h carriers
ADMITTED that this feature Of our rate
structure is ~indefensible when they
TO the Legislative Commits
son last February thai they would go
INTO a conference for adjustment of
our rate differences on the basis hal
lower proportional rates should be es-
tapl1sned from Virginia cities on
business. 1 rejOiced when
ms concession was promised and
Iooked hopefully TO a fair adjustment
OF u troubles. By their failure to
meet the reasonable expectation OF the
people OF the State when their promise
was put to the final test they have
forfeited n claim for generous treat
ment by the State mt by the people
OF the State. and have put the State
on its mettle to find a way, If any law
fu1 way a be found, to correct this
injustice.
AA61A diS SCoIC ~ lHC SllOk
haul from the Virginia cities on
through business covers the great
bulk Of our freight rate grievances
for probably 80 per cent OF ouz
freight trafic either passes through
the Virginia cities or is based on the
rate via that route, and this high rat
for the short haul enters into the rate
on all this traffic. There are, O.
course, other just grievances, one o.
the O aggravating of which is tn.
peculiarly e~xasperating condition tina
on a number Of the los importan
commodities a load ratings ar
made from the West up to the Vir
GINA cities, where they are permitte<
to break bulk, and for the asst par
Of the haul from the Virginia cite
into the State the rate is the sam,
whether car load or single package
You can easily understand what a,
unfair advantage this gives to Ou
Virginia competitors
The Long and Short Haul Principl
. Will Not Help Us.
But / have an idea that you hav
heard enough Of your grievances an
that You would prefer to conside
; remedies.
And here again l believe that tn
public interest will he served by meet
ing the issue with the utmost cando,
l believe that it will be an advance
2 ment Of the cause if we can eliminat
from the public thought OF the Stat
!, some Of the impossible or impractics
remedies that have been proposed
and that those who have investigate
z the matter know will not bring relic
. And al the head of the list Of tn
: class of remedies l place the agits
: ton for a rigid application Of the lon
! and short a principle. Our evi
8 can not be corrected by a strict al
= = plication of this principle because:
: First. 1t is not a sound conom
f principle TO be applied under all CT
s cumstances and conditions.
Second. We can't get a rigid a
e plication Of the long n short ha
q principle.
. Third. 1t would do us ~incalculab
:" injury, and scarcely any benefit, u
der present conditions. il We could.
Our minds have been to a conside
II able extent nlisled in his matter
u giving undue prominence to the sms
e volume of traffic hauled through Il
n State over circuitous lines, meetil
IS the competition of short lines, at lie
~ rates than to points in this State. tt
has been extremely tantalizing, b
~ the application Of the long and She
- haul principle would not change Il
rate situation a particle. This "
clearly demonstrated when the Sout
~ ern Railway volunteered to withdrs
- from business from the West to I
Virginia cities through North Cal
lima. 1t would leave our rate stu
IL ton exactly the same. and the RI
situation to the Virginia cities exac
the same. except hat the short Ii
roads to those cities would get all I
is, business.
or There are some few rate situate
he in the State which the application
on this principle would remedy nota'
'r- the higher scale of rates on
Southern Railway west Of Salisbu
en- on traffic from the West. and SO
re concession on certain commOd
leS rates across the State to Atlanta,
am very confident hat these matt
art will be corrected by the Interest
re Commerce Commission with the K
ne and short haul act a. it now stand
IS But please get the idea fixed FRI
,H e in your minds that our rate dinfcuf
generally are not that we are cha