Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-11
Washington Merchants Appeal
to Interstate Commerce
Commission.
TWENTY-ONE RAILROADS
ARE NAMED IN PETITION
Charge Made That City Is Discrm.
mated Against and Busi-
ness Is Retarded.

The exceedingly high freight r,tes 90
and from Washington were attacked 4, .
| petition filed with the Interstate CON,
| merce commission this morni,g o.a,,
) ."ehty-one railroads and steamboat lin.
transporting freight to and from w.sh
inston The petition was filed bv sere,
washington merchants on behalf OF them
serves and "all other receivers and shin
pers of freight similarly situated"
Inc case. which was prepared hv the
freight Audit and Adjustment Company
or this city. viii be handled before tbe
commission by Wade II. Ellis. former as
slstant attorney general, who at one t,me
| looked after the governments interstate
! commerce cases. assisted by A. E T.
Leckle. In addition to an attack on the
| rates. the petition asks for reparaton for
the oFercharges for the past two years
"hich, 1t has been estimated would
amount to several hundred thousand dol
lars. Although the case was precipitated
by the withdrawal of free store door de-
| livery, it does not mention this practice in
| the complaint
Nj. NJ.
| Caskie. assistant manager OF the Freight
| Audit and Adjustment Company, literally
to put Washington on the map" as a
manufacturing and jobbing center and
the petition itself declares that the city's
| growth as commercial center has been
| retarded by the operation Of the freight
| rates TO and from Washington. Ac-
cording to Mr.. Caskie, articles can b..
| shipped from New England and other
northern points to points south of WASH
| ington at rate much below that charged
| on Washington traffic He also declared
| that Baltimore also can ship goods to
| the far south at a rate much lower than
| washington In other words. Washing
| ton stands off by itself as a high rate
city.
| BY these rates. which have been In
| operation for many years, according 10
| MT Caskie. Washington has been de-
| prived OF the advantage of her location
| as commercial city, while cities and
| towns all around her have flourished and
grown under advantageous freight rates
| Those who have instituted this case
are o. J. DeMoll & Co., John C. Let's
Grocery Company. Inc: F. p, May Harff-
| ware Company, Henry 7, Offterdinger,
X. Kneessi's Sons, Mackenzie Bros. and
the Pompeian Company. 1t was stated.
| however, by Mr.. Caskie that other firms
undoubtedly will ask the permission OF
the interstate commerce commission to
| intervene as complainants.
Railroads Named Defendants.
| The railroads named as defendants IN
the petition are the Washington and Old
Dominion railway, which comes into the
case through its new Bluemont branch;
Southern Railway Company. the Chesa-
peake and Ohio Railway Company. Nor
] folk and Western Railway Company. the
Pennsylvania Railway Company. Pennsyl-
vania Company, Philadelphia, Baltimor.
and Washington Railroad COMPANY.
| Washington-Southern Railway Company.
the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Com
pany, the New York. New Haven and
Hartford Railroad Company, Seaboard
| Air Line railway. Boston and Maine
| railroad Maine Central railroad, Boston
and Albany Railroad Company, Atlantic
Coast Line Railroad Company, New
York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad
Company, Philadelphia and Reading
Railway Company. the Western mary
land Railway Company, the Central Ran
road Company of New Jersey, the Della
ware. Lackawanna and Western Railroad
Company and the Norfolk and Washing
| ton Steamboat Company.
| After declaring that Boston, New York.
| PHILADELPHIA, Trenton, Wilmington and
| Baltimore are typical points IN Wen
! defined rate territory, known and desls-
mated as New England and eastern cities
rate territory. and that the rates !"
1 w
/ this rate territory are based upon or nav
| a definite relation to the rates from the
| points mentioned as shown by the tariff
! on file with the commission. the complaint
/ saws that all of these tariffs are eNces-
! sive unreasonable and unjust, and in vfo-
! lation of the act to regulate commerce:
| that the rates are discriminatory. ana
| constitute an undue preference and al
! vantage to the receivers OF freight IL
other localities over the comp'ainants
! and other receivers of freight in the city
/ Of Washington, and subject the com
plainants and other receivers in this CITY
| to undue and unreasonable disadvantage
The complainants assert that what the
lines exact for the transportation OF
! freight from this city to various points ~
| Virginia North Carolina. South Carolina.
Georgia, Florida. Alabama Alabama ta,, ana M,ssis MIS- -
sippi is excessive, uiscriiiiHd.ots anu "
| violation of law.
The petition then takes up the matter
| Of Washington's advantages as com
| mercial center. which has been retarde"
Inv the railroad rates. The document, on
! this point. says:
Business Here Retarded.
."rhat Washington is city of about
n, 600 population. and is a gateway be-
tvaen the north and the south; that ii is
located on the main lines of defendants.
that II is a natural distributing center
for noi,,ts in the south, and. but for the
unlawful. excessive and discriminatory
rates charged by defendants. would de-
rive the full benefit from its natural To-
cation and become a large manufacturing
iobbing and retailing center: that com
nlainants and other receivers and ship
ners of freight in Washington compete
with merchants and manufacturers in
various cities in the eastern states. par
ticularly Baltimore, Alexandra and
richmond and manufacture and deal in
the same articles as are dealt in by the
merchants and manufacturers of those
cities: that the rates exacted by defend
ants for the transportation OF class
freight to Washington from points in
New England and eastern cities rate ter
ritory and from Washington to points In
the states Of Virginia, North Carolina.
South Carolina. Georgia, Florida, Ala
bama and Mississippi constitute an un-
lawful discrimination against the city or
Washington, complainants. and other re-
ceivers and shippers Of freight therein
in favor Of Baltimore. Alexandra anu
Richmond. and shippers and receivers or
freight therein.
THAT on class freight to washington
from points in New England ana east
ern cities rate territory and from wash
ington to points i'm southern and Carolina
territory complainants and other receivers
and shippers of freight in Washington are
compelled to pay charges on fast freight
co Far in excess Of the rates charged
an class freight to Baltimore, Alex
andria and Richmond from New England
and eastern cities rate territory ana
from Baltimore. Alexandria and Rich- :