The Washington times., 1913-07-24
RAILROADS GOT
SHIP BUSINESS
Coastwise Trade Killed After
, Free Delivery, Now Ordered
F Stopped, Began.
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CContinued from First Page)
6ay of business on the water front.
Commerce has increased to proportions
that folks do not realize, but where has
he gone? One by one steamers and the
Old four and six masters have left the
harbor never to come back. All OF this
commerce now moves by railroad"
Again Mr.. Koogle would not state
that rates now pointed TO by the rail-
roads with free delivery thrown IN,
did not design and effect the securement
of this business.
Docks Now Decayed-
aeorgetown's wharves and docks
many Of them, have fallen into decay
and disuse. They no longer provide
causeway for commerce. Those IN
operation, are handling local river busi-
ness, in sand, stone, gravel Some Few
foreign vessels make the port OF
Georgetown, but they, too, handle
heavy freight for local use, such as
asphalt and Stag paving block. All The
general commerce and merchandise to
the value Of we'll over a million dollars
a year. imported through the port OF
Georgetown, comes by railroad from
New York or Philadelphia.
Some of the old merchants who did
a business years ago that brouSht
title of merchant prince, and who are
still fighting along, do not wish TO De
quoted.
Washington merchants who are mill
tant, energetic, and progressive, are
more active than ever today In OF
ganizing a great fight to bring back
accrued to the city's benefit because
they have become dormant as carriers
of the community's commerce
Shipping Throttled.
Joseph H. Lee. who. as ship chandler
in Georgetown, has watched the rise
and fall of the shipping business, de-
clared today that there can be no
doubt that washington's shipping has
been throttled by the railroads.
More than twenty years ago, he says,
the Clyde line ran its freight boats
from Philadelphia to Washington.
Their business was prosperous. Then.
as Mr.. Lee expresses It, the railroads
got after them and put them out Of
business"
Also back in other days washington's
supply of coal came by boats and
barges chiefly. Mr.. Lee estimates that
at least two-thirds of the quantity used
here came by water. Now. he esti-
here by water. Only two firms handle
water business.
The railroads make a rate on coal
which is Is cents higher than the
barge rate, but the lower water rate
IS offset by the stevedore charges.
This would put the water lines and
the railroads on an equal footing,
but Mr.. Lee explains that the rail-
roads made a further concession
which the water people could not
he har III,
plete shipment of. say, 500 tons. The
dealer had to pay for this entire
quantity, and have the deliver made
all at one time. The railroad, on the
other hand, would send the shipment
along a car or two at a time If the
dealer wanted IL in a small lot. Or
ne could receive II in larger guam |
titles.
Eliminated Competition.
This advantage, Mr. Lee believes. |
resulted in the almost total eIirnina-
tion Of the coal shipping business by |
water lines. 49,
While he has no figures on the elm |
lnation OF the steamship line of TWEEN |
~ years back. he declared positively |
that It was a case of the rail lines |
driving the steamers out Of the busi- |
ness Of carrying general freight to |
Washington.
This statement squares with the |
contention Of The Times and the |
Baltimore Merchants Association that |
the railroads at present are eliminat- |
ing their store door delivery plan be-
cause they do not have the active, |
serious competition they had twenty |
years or more ago.
Basis of Merchants Fight.
The fight against the elimination Of
free store delivery will be based on the !
contention first advanced in The Times.
This paper has maintained that the ac-
ton Of the carriers is a case of jump
ing a rate established in the first place
10 meet water competition, because that
competition is now eliminated or re-
duced.
The petition sent to the / c. c. by A,
L. Beck. traffic manager for the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers Association,
claims a violation Of the water compe-
uion clause Of the interstate commerce
act.
This clause says: whenever a car
rier by railroad shall, in competition
witE a water route or routes. reduce
the rates on the carriage of any
species Of freight TO or from COM
petitive points, il shall not be per-
mitted TO increase such rates unless,
after hearing by the Interstate Com
merce Commission, IT shall be found
that such proposed increase rests up
elimination OF water competition"
Stand Taken By Times.
The Times first took the stand that
the railroads originally granted the free
store-dOor delivery concession in order
10 meet water competition. Now that
they are eliminating it. The Times has
coItended, the move amounts to the
raising of a rate made originally "in
competition with a water route or
routes"
The petition Of Mr.. Beck for the Bal
timore merchants is as follows:
The attention of the commission is
called to the effect of these tariffs-a
material advance in the rates from
points in New England, New York,
Philadelphia, and intermediate points
10 Baltimore. This collection and de-
livery service has been In effect in Bal
timore for d great number of years. and
the ARRANGEMENT under which II is per
formed makes II an accessorial service
sno within the term TRANSPORTATION
Gsed In the act TO regulate commerce
The withdrawal Of the tariffs also
VIII result in an increase, in that less
service Will be performed by the car
Tiers for the same amount of money
70 far as nearly all commodities rated
under the first three classes Of the
official classifica ton are concerned.
ON behalf Of the merchants and
manufacturers OF Baltimore and thet
members of the Merchants and Manu-
1acturers' Association of that city, the