Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-19
FREIGHT DELIVERY
IN CITY FOUGHT
Contentious of Railroads Are
Filed With Commerce
Commission.
CARRIERS.NOT OBLIGATED,
SAYS HENRY w. B!KLE
Expense of Drayage Cited, and Mer-
chants Are More Exacting,
It Is Declared.

Asserting that the reason for the es-
tablishment of the free store delivery
Of freight in Washington has, disappear
cd Henry Wolf Bfkle just before closing
hour yesterday filed a brief on behalf of
the Pennsylvania. Railroad Company and
the Philadelphia. Baltimore and Wash
ington Railroad Company with the in
terstate commerce commission, seeking to
have the commission vacate it's order
suspending the railroads proposal to dis
continue this service.
Mr.. Bikle's brief calls attention to the
increased expense of drayage in this city,
declares that it has been agreed that a
common carrier by railroad is not obi
gated to make personal delivery of
freight and asserts that if the carriers
do voluntarily institute such service
they may not only make a charge that
will reimburse them for the service per-
formed but also will give them a rea-
sonable profit. Numerous authorities, are
quoted by Mr.. Bike TO sustain his con-
illusions. At some length counsel for the
railroads points out that freight rates
within the free delivery territory of
Washington as we'll as outside the bounds
are the same. thereby seeking TO show
that the service Isl free"
Conditions Different.
He dsmisses the charge that there
would be discrimination in favor of Bal
timore, with the withdrawal of the prac-
tice in Washington. with the declaration
that local conditions in Baltimore make
it necessary to deliver the freight free,
and this is supplemented by the fact OF
strong water competition.
First launching into a discussion of the
evidence. Mr.. Bike explains the facts
leading up to the establishment of the
fire delivery service. tells Of limiting of
the free delivery facilities to certain ter
ritories and classes of freight, points ont
the increased expenditures account of
!lthis free delivery service, and also the
kexacting demands of the merchants in
|ireceiving their freight only at stated
times
|. Taking up the argument Mr.. Bike first
discusses the suggestion made during
the hearing by counsel for the protest
ants that the action of the railroad COM
panies in attempting to withdraw free
delivery in Washington was in the ma
ture of retaliation because of the deci-
sion of the commission in the Casassa
and the Anacostia cases. These were
cases in which the commission ordered
the extension of free delivery to points
north of 14th street and Florida avenue
and also to .Anacostia.
without Eound2tlOn."
such a suggestion is absolutely with
out foundation. In the Casassa case Mr..
Wright the then general freight agent of
the PENNSYLVANIA Railroad Company and
now its freight traffic manager, testified
that even prior to the hearing in that
proceeding consideration had been given
not infrequently to the adVisability of dis
continuing this practice. AS Mr. Wright
frankly stated at the hearing in the in
slant proceeding, the decision in the ana
costa case merely precipitated action
which. no doubt. would sooner or later
have been taken even if this decision had
never been made
The reasons for the change. according
to Mr. Bike. are made manifest "since
the evidence disclosed that the expense to
the railroad companies of this free deliv-
erv has been steadily increasing; that the
Knox Express Company. which formerly
delivered the freight for the Philadelphia
panv. constantly claimed that it lost
money under it's contract with the rail
road: that the Merchants Transfer Com
pany. which is now under contract to per-
form the service. is insisting on increased
compensation: that other cities have com
planned of the failure of the carriers to
accord them free delivery so long as free
delivery is in existence in Washington
and that the receivers of freight in Wash
tngton have grown constantly more eX-
acting with regard to the time and man
ner in which the free delivery shall be
made" Mr.. Bike expresses confidenc.
that the commission will reject the sug-
gestion. of retaliation.