The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-03-31
"SPOTTING"
charues Would Be Harmful to
Industries of the State of
West Virginia.

CHARLESTON, Mar. 31-People
interested in the coal and lumber IN
dustries in West virginia are deeply
concerned and grayely apprehensive
at the outcome o. the proposition now
before the Interstate Commerce Com
mission to charge $500 car tor
"spotting'' on sidings. 1t is pointed
ont that IL such a charge is ordered
by the commission, the coal and luIn-
Der operators alone, in West Virginia
will be muIcted $3.019,162 annually
all of which will go to the railroads.
In addition to this it is conserva-
lively estimated that the other N
dustries OF the state and the business
concerns will have to pay at ieasI
81 ,OOO, 900 more, thus putting burden
of over 5000, 900 year on the people
OF West Virginia.
This idea of making shippers pay
the railroads for sporting" cars or
iginated with Louis D. BrandeIs- =
is an old idea of his, and was advanced
Inv him some years ago, but no acuoh
was taken upon it. However, some
months back, when the railroads OF
the country asked permission 10 MAKE
an advance of five per cent on I heIi
GENERAL freight traffic, and horlzon-
tai advance of FIVE cents a ION % q e tba
in the West and ten cents a Ton IN Iie
EAST Nj Brandets was engaged Dy
the Commission as special attorney IN
this case. ,-..
While the commission was bearing
+re Ave per cent proposal, Mr.. Bran
deis brought up his theory again ne
suggested that, If the railroads cor
lected what they should Tor SCI NicSs
nerformed in terminals, they "o1 uiu
not need to ask for any increases ia go
On the road haul. In line Win TINS
tI,eorv he suggested that charge OF
90 M q. car be made for sporting q,
the point of shipment, and an equal
charge at destination. s 1.yas+
sTvhis nroposition has caused west
Jyireinia coal and lumber operators 70
20 some calculations, and tney
bava found, beyond the shadow OF
donbt. that the sporting eApg Il..
would be a grievous burden on west
Virginia. $50 rrodnced
:. lo1 s46 tons OF coal. BY estimating
oa.t, carload of coal to be fifty tons
90 r9anv of the cars do not hold tn 1SI
.-a,,cb-it will be seen that l.6os,oSo
a-s ~ ffty tons will be required 20
sIo tbe OUTPUT. II the Interstate
So-nnerce Commission adopts the pIaI
- NJ Brandeis, and charges WV Z
car for "spotting," the coal ops s 49,
viii nave to pay $2,T19,6o6 each 49,, 800.
The annual output VI - - "a noH Faat
:. +h;s etate is about / ,4T2, S4z ,OVO IeeI'
III Sn !. taxes $500 feet to make Ger
ana ana !" # viii be seen. therefore, that that
-. I,andle this lumber 1883 cars WI :.
70 20 n lanuired. and the cost OF 'spotting
them win be $235,67o. In addltio 1
West virginia manufactures approS OK
.'o+ely 10 500. 900 laths each year' anu
! car carries $4,000 laths. InereLore
a = c handle the lath output 1883 cars
t 70 me he necessary, and the .spotting
WIN .oe Iii he ss.77O. In the neigh
SsLls.eo5 of {. 500 900 shingles are also
made each year in the state, ana tn l.s
cost of "spotting" cars to nanole mem
"G Protests are being made by whole
.aie-s and retailers in other states
sn6 large shippers Of West virginia
are preparing to join in the enon 70
have the proposition for this onerous
charge rejected.