The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-07-21
PENNSY TO STOP
FREE DELIVERY
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE

IT feel: said Mr.. Andrews, that our
only redress can be found In forming an
alliance with the merchants Of Baltimore
and make q united demand that the pres
ent freight rates be lowered. II We are
forced to pay carriage Of freight from the
station to our doors it Practically will
| amount to an increase in the present
rates of from 4 to cents per hundred
pounds. I will call a meeting Of the
freight and transportation committee to-
day with a view of working hand in hand
! with the Baltimore merchants in seeking
a reduction OF the present freight rates"
The present arrangement was originally
adopted in both cities as temporary
expedient. 1t is claimed. The practice
in Baltimore was established in $50 At
that time the Philadelphia Wilmington
and Baltimore Railroad Company was
the only rail line serving Baltimore from
the East, and free delivery was inaugu-
rated for the prompt relief of the cars
and warehouses Of the railroad company.
The arrangement, OF course. only applied
to the traffic reaching Baltimore over that
line. l. e., shipments from New York,
Philadelphia, and intermediate points, and
from New England territory.
This practice never has applied on traf-
fic to and from the North and West
reaching Baltimore over the lines OF the
Northern Central Railway Company.
Further. the arrangement was only ac-
corded to traffic OF the first, second or
third class under the official classical
tion,' l. e., shipments which ordinarily
move in less than carload lots. and con-
stitute the bulk Of warehouse" or plat
form freight.
Thirty Years Standing.
In Washington, the making of free de-
liveries of certain classes of shipments
began in 1855. as a temporary plan to re-
lieve the serious congestion which had de-
veloped in the local terminals. The prac-
tice there, too, was confined to shipments
originating in the territory adjacent 20
the Atlantic Seaboard and north Of Will
mington
As the plan Of free delivery was not
intended to continue either at Baltimore
or Washington. no increase in freight
rates was made to pay for the added
service. Indeed, though the practice has
been continued. there has been an actual
decrease in freight rates to Washington
and Baltimore from the territory az
fected.
For example, rates on traffic Of the
first three classes Of the Official CLASH
fication' from New York in cents per
hundred pounds have been as follows:
NEW YORK TO WASHINGTON.
LIST Class I'd Class Sd Class
1SS3....... So 45 30
1918. 81 81 IS
NEW YORK TO BALTIMORE.
LIST Class I'd Class Sd Class
1sS3...-.... 80 40 Is
1913. 81 g q
From time to time there have been
complaints from other cities that this |
practice constituted undue favoritism to |
Baltimore and Washington shippers and |
receivers. But the merchants in the out |
lying district at Washington complained |
that even there a too restricted area |
was covered by the free delivery" This |
resulted in an order of the Interstate |
Commerce Commission that If this prac- |
tice was to be continued in Washington |
at all it could not be confined to the |
limits which had been in effect for a |
tended still further.
As there was no justification under the |
original purposes of the practice for such l
extension, the railroad companies i'm 1
mediately sought to abandon the practice |
entirely. The Interstate Commerce Com
mission, however. has just issued a de- |
cision holding that free delivery at WASH
lngton must be continued as long as it /
Is maintained at Baltimore.
The situation at Baltimore and Wash
rgton is unique, as the invariable prac-
lice on American railroads at other points /!
IS to accept and deliver freight at regular /
stations. There is little doubt that the
practice of free drayage would not ka-e
been inaugurated had the present con1i-
lions existed at the time this privilege
was put into operation at Baltimore and
Under the Interstate Commerce act II
becomes necessary for the railroad COM
oanies to standardize their practice and
'eek uniformity of method throughout
heir operations. It is but proper there
ore to eliminate the exceptions at Balti-
titles upon the same basis in the matter
" freight delivery a. other cities In the