The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-02-20
SHIPPERS AND EXPRESS RATE
CONVENTION

SION, 6oarcs OF Trade, Shippers
League and Many Prominent Ship
pers
The convention caIieo TO meet in
Ocala on Thursday. February 18th.
by the active efforts of the Marion
county board of trade brought large
gathering of the representatives of
the various interests to our city, and
the whole day was occupied in thrash
ing over the express rates in an effort
to bring about better understanding
between the shippers and the express
companies.
The following gentlemen, repre-
senting the Southern Express Com
pany. were present
j. B. HOckaday, general manager,
Atlanta c. C. Wolfe, superintend-
ent, Savannah; w X. Halle, superin-
tendent. Jacksonville: /. Nj. Cox, Jack
sonville.
j. T. Trawich, route agent, Dothan,
Ala. X. X. Russell. route agent. Lake
land; T. NJ. King. route agent, Tam
pa W. w. Owens, superintendent
traffic department, Chattanooga: w.
g. Hughes. traffic department. Chat
tanocga: I. I. Weltch, route agent,
Jacksonville.
Hon. r. Hudson Burr and Hon.
Newton A. Bitch OF the Florida rail
road commission.
A. G. T. Moore. secretary board of
trade. Gainesville.
II. $. Kealhofer. traffic manager
board of trade. Jacksonville.
+. W. Berger. state inspector nur-
sery stock. Gainesville.
Mr.. James o. Stephenson. secretary
board OF trade. st. Augustine.
Mr.. L. s. Tenney, Florida Shippers
League.
Messrs. +. L. Wartmann, Lee How
ell. j. NJ. Meffert, l.. S. Light, Walter
Ray. J. b. Martin. J. w. Crosby. and
large number of shippers from the
county and a number from various
sections of the state
A committee from the shippers and
the Marion county board of trade was
invited 10 meet with the express rep.
resentatives, state their grievances TO
the end that some sort of an amicable
understanding could be reached
The committee met and thrashed
over the rates and the grievances OF
the shippers for long length of time
u was ascertained that as the rates
fixed By the interstate commerce
commission cover a very large volume
and required a great deal OF calcula
Ion and figuring 10 adjust them. that
la many eases they had been misun
derstood and misinterpreted by the
express agents. and as a result incor
rect rates had been furnished to ship
pers and others asking for them. This
misinterpretatiOn OF the rates was
largely responsible for the complaints
Of the shippers from this immediate
vicinity. and Mr. Hockaday promised
TO Immediately have the same cor.
rected aud have the new rates print
ed In all the local newspapers. so that
no mistakes or Misunderstanding
would occur In the future.
II was assertained that these rates
were carefully compiled by the inter
state railway commission. and that in
the compilation of the same the ba
sis laid down by the postmaster gen
eral in fixing the parcels post rates
we're carefully adhered to. That is to
say. that every fifty miles of country
Ia put into different zones and every
zone Is put on a parity with every
other zone. so in fixing the rates nc
section OF the country is given an ad
vantage over any other section.
Heretofore California and Texas
have had a tremendous advantage
over Florida. That will be so nc
longer. Every section will be fed out
OF the same spoon, and IL was the
concensus OF opinion that In the END
Il will work out benefcially to all the
people.
Mr.. Hockaday said that the express
rates were the same coming into the
state as those going out of the state
That Is 20 say. the express rate IL
the same on a carload of oranges go
ing from Florida TO New York as the
express rate on a carload of apples
shipped from New York to Florida.
The writer Of this article asked him
Il Il were true. as printed generally
In the newspapers throughout the
country. that a certain consignee Of
Chicago had appeared before the in
terstate railroad commission with the
statement that a certain carload Of
stun was shipped from Chicago tc