The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-21
TRAFFIC OFFICIALS
INVITED To CONFER
/. ON RATE SITUATION
Will Meet Here July 2 With
Chamber of Commerce
Directors
TO TAKE UP NATTER
IN FRIENDLY WAY
Letter From Northington to Heads of
Traffic Departments Points Out
Discrimination Against
Birmingham

| railroads and transportation commlt-
tee of the Chamber of Commerce, has
written a letter to the traffic officials
of the several railroads of the district,
| inviting them to meet the board of di-
rectors and committee of the cham
Der, the numerous shippers of Bir-
mingham and the Merchants and Man
ufacturers' association, on July 2 to
discuss freight rates on the lines enter,
ing Birmingham.
| Not only have the local traffic man
ayers of the district been invited to
attend but the heads of the traffic de-
partments located in other cities. 1t
| is expected that more than 80 officials
| representing those lines will attend the
conference when the equitable adjust
ment of freight rates will be discussed.
| The letter that has been sent out
is as follows:
| Letter of Invitation
I "It is the earnest desire of the board
of directors of the Chamber of Com
mingham, and of the Merchants and
Manufacturers association to hold a
conference with traffic officials of the
several railroads of, this district at an
early date. Will you kindly inform me
| If you can attend such meeting at
the Chamber of Commerce in Birming-
ham on the morning of July 2? We
learn that a lengthy meeting of the
southern classification committee will
be held in Atlantic City beginning
about July s, and SO suggest the earlier
date as being more convenient for you.
| Manufacturers and wholesale houses
here have made complaint that they
are seriously handicapped because OF
freight rates which favor other south
ern cities at the expense of Birmingham
and we also are seriously hindered in
bringing new industries here because
of the same condition.
| our Investigations show that rail
and water rates from eastern cities
deny to Birmingham the same adjust
ment to other cities similarly sit :
uated in southeastern territory; that
| all-rail rates from eastern cities are
| in numerous cases higher to Birmin g.
ham than to competing cities more re-
motely located, violating in spirit and
letter the long and short haul clause;
also that we are deprived of our nat :
ural advantages with respect to our
proximity to our only gulf port, Mobile,
while Atlanta is given the full benefit
| of its port at Savannah
I'VE believe we are paying a higher
rate than other cities of the south in
a similar position and we are simply
| taking up in a friendly but serious way
a matter which is apparently a discrim-
| ination against our city.
| There is no desire on our part to OBJ
| tain any rate advantage unless it ia
| justified by our location or by othef
business conditions We simply feel that
we should have a fair and equitable
| adjustment of rates.
Requesting the pleasure of an early
reply, l am, sincerely yours,
IN. p. NORTHINGTON,
| chairman Railroads and Transporta.
| tion Committee"
Officials Expected
| The traffic officials invited to attend
are l.. Green, freight traffic manager
Southern railway. Washington, d. c.:
| l.. Sewer. general agent Southern rail-
way, Birmingham; r. L. Simpson gem
| eral freight agent Southern railway, Bir-
mingham; c. r. Capps. vice president
Seaboard Air Line railway, Norfolk. Va. !;
| E. 4. Chanelor, freight agent Seaboard
| Air Line railway, Norfolk Va; e. T.
Wilcox. assistant general freight agent
| Seaboard Air Line railway, Birmingham;
| c. b. Compton, freight traffic manager
Louisville and Nashville railroad, Louis
| vile, KY; d. NJ. Goodwin. general
! freight agent Louisville and Nashville
| railway, Louisville, KY; Lee Clary, gen.
eral agent Louisville and Nashville rail-
road Birmingham: j. l.. Edwards, traf-
| fic manager Atlanta, Birmingham and
Atlantic railway, Atlanta, Ca; c. B. Keal-
| hofer. general freight agent Atlanta, Bir-
mingham and Atlantic railway, Atlanta,
Ga; v. E. Whitaker, general agent At
| lanta. Birmingham and Atlantic railway,
Birmingham; w. A Winburn, vice presi-
dent Central of Georgia railway, Sa-
vannah, Ga; c. T. Airey, freight
| traffic manager Central of Georgia
railway; N. B. Wright, general freight
agent Central of Georgia railway, Sa-
vannah, Ga: f. 7. Steele. freight traf-
| fic manager Alabama Great Southern rail-
way, Birmingham; G. p. Bliss freight
traffic manager Queen and Crescent, Gin
cinnati; II. A. Povelite. general freight
agent Queen and Crescent, Cincinnati; r..
B. Bower, vice president Illinois Central
railway, Chicago: D. w. Longstreet.
| freight traffic manager Illinois Central
railway, Chicago; Joseph Hattendorf. gen.
eral freight agent Illinois Central railway.
Memphis; e. F. Stovall general agent IL
linois Central railway. Birmingham; Hal
den Miller, freight traffic manager Mo-
bile and Ohio railway. st. Louis; J. NJ.
Denyren. general freight agent Mobile and
Ohio railway, st. Louis; w. B. Biddle.
Frisco lines, st. Louis; C. p. Jackson. as
sistant general freight agent Mobile and
Ohio railway. Birmingham; j. A. Mid
dleton. freight traffic manager Frisco
lnes st. Louis: d. F. McDonough. gener-
al freight agent Frisco lines. Birming-
ham; G. s. Raines, general freight agent
Seaboard Air Line railway, Norfolk, Va;
]. H. Doughty, general agent Frisco lines.
Birmingham; i. s. Steele, freight traffic
manager New Orleans and Northeastern
railway, New Orleans.