Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-21
Merchants of Washington and
Baltimore to Meet Withdraw
al of Free Delivery.
ACTION OF RAILWAYS
REGARDED AN INCREASE
Meeting Of Local Committee Today
Decides to Await Movement Of
Maryland City Organization.

Merchants of Washington and Balti-
more probably will soon begin attempts
to have the railroads reduce their
freight rates. both in and out of these
two cities a consequence of the an
EOuncement by the Pennsylvania rail-
road of its intention to withdraw the
free delivery OF freight to store doors
Charles J. Columbus, secretary Of the
Retail Merchants Association of this
city, this morning was in telephone
communication with the secretary of
the Merchants and Manufacturers AS
ISOLATION of Baltimore. He learned
that the Baltimore organization had
called special meeting to be held in
the Monumental city within the next
day or two to consider the action of the
Pennsylvania railroad.
Following the Baltimore meeting the
Washington and Baltimore organizations
will attempt to unite in their efforts to
have the freight rates reduced.
The interstate commerce commission
has gone on record as stating that the
withdrawal Of service such as was main
tained in Washington and Baltimore
would most certainly be an increase In
rates.
A decision was reached this afternoon
at a special meeting of the freight and
transportation committee to await the
action of the Baltimore organization be-
fore taking any steps itself.
Pennsylvania Serves Notice.
Announcement that free delivery of
freight to the store doors Of the mer-
chants of Washington and Baltimore is
to be discontinued by the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company. beginning September
l next. was made last night 1t is under
stood by the freight representatives here
of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Com
pany that their road also Is cOntemplat-
Ing diScontinuing the service in conform
ity with the step to be taken by the
Pennsylvania railroad.
The notice of the railroad, after going
at some length into the history Of the
free freight delivery in enorts to justify
it's step In Withdrawing the service. con-
cludes:
Under the Interstate commerce act it
becomes necessary for the railroad COM
panies to standardize their practices and
seek uniformity OF method throughout
their operations. 1t Is but proper there
fore 20 eliminate the exceptions at Bal
tir1lOre and Washington and put these
two cities upon the same basis In the
matter of freight delivery as other cities
in the United States"
After declaring that Washington and
Baltimore were the only two cities I'm the
United States which enjoyed free freight
delivery, the notice says:
Originally Temporary Expedient.
1.-The present arrangement was orig
inally adopted in both cities as tempo
rary expedient. The practice in Balti-
more was established in 1870. At that |
time the Philadelphia. Wilmington and
Baltimore Railroad Company was the
only rail line serving Baltimore from the
east and free delivery was inaugurated
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-i. e.. shipments from New
York. Philadelphia and intermediate
points and from New England territory.
This practice has never applied on
traffic 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 classlfica-
toni. e.. shipments which ordinarily
move In less than carload lots and con-
stitute the bulk of warehouse or plat
form freight.
In Washington the making of free de-
liveries OF certain classes Of shipments
began In 1883. as temporary plan to re-
ueve the serious congestion which had
OcSeiOpeu In the local terminals. The
practice there. too, was confined to ship
ments originating in the territory ad-
Jacent to the Atlantic seaboard and north
of Wilmington.
No Increase in Rates.
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
oeen continued. there has been an actual
decrease In freight rates to WASHINGTON
ana baltimore from the territory affected
ror example. rates on traffic of the first
three classes OF the official classiflca ton
from New York In cents per hundred
pounds have been as follows:
NEW YORK TO WASHINGTON.
1889 1st class. ID class. Sd class.
,o,s, ,.,o 55 IS 40
1910 -........-..-.. 81 81 28
NEW YORK To BALTIMORE.
1ssa lst class. I'd cass. Sd class.
1s., 1s,,s 80 40
1910. -.-...-........ "a - 23
FROM time to time there have been
compiafnls from other cities that this
piactce constituted undue fayoritism to
nilore e and Washington shippers and
Iecesers. But the merchants in the
outiylns districts at Wasi ington COM
Pialhed that even there a too restricted
area was covered by the free delivery
This resulted in an order Of the inter-
state commerce commission that II this
practice was to be continued in wash
lngton at all 1t could not be confined 10
tue iiihlts which had been in effet for a