The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-18
Views With Alarm

He Views existing conditions with alarm, ' asserting that he sees a strong prospect for destroying the effectiveness of the new regional banking system unless public sentiment is sufficiently aroused to com pei action that will give to other cities and sections advantages whereby they will be placed upon an equal footing with the great centers of finance and distribution, such as New York and Chicago. The rate system in vogue, he asserts, is designed to force the business of the country into the strongholds of the great combines, thus keeping discriminatiVe favors within an oval territory stretching from cast to west and including New York and Chicago as the foil for the vast volume of the nations business. This system is main tained, he declares, through the strong arms of capital and transportation, to the detrimcnt of many southern cities and wide area of southern territory such mep< as have figured in high finance ir rei east for many years being resp s,hle for the situation. hsipie 'soutnern freight rates," hA are maae to serve the biEsfssn sfss nk,ng einte inter' es's rather than n,st,as taszsyjgyid syjgyide reven,,a for the transportaaus aau A'gy s,ys ,,nes 'ee'''e TUT u112ssb <evfdent," he continued, "that DytHe whole scheme of rate making, not only in the matter of coal, but in class goods machinery and most manufactured ar ticles, is designed to force the currents of money toward New York and other dis tributing centers on the Pennsylvania rail road system.
 "On the goth of last month the interstate e commerce commission rendered a sweep ing decision affecting rates from New York and the east and Chicago and the north to the South Atlantic states, the ten aency of which, 1t may be seen, is to discourage or destroy distribution from the large southern cities or local centers. Such a basis for rate making to the South Atlantic states may be fair as between New York and the northwest but it seems to ignore the rights of At lanta, Birmingham. Richmond, Nashville Chattanooga, Knoxville and other centers of distribution in the south. For example the rates from the northwest passns through Knoxville and Chattanooga ts South Atlantic territory, are as low il many cases as from Knoxville and Chat tanooga to the same destination.
 It is evident that the Southern railwa, can get only part of the rate on sucl through business though it's haul is mucl longer than from these shipping center on it's own line. and therefore is not onl doing itself an injustice, but is actuall discoura ging the south and development o the territory traversed by it, and whic gives 1t support and protection. The o excuse of having to meet competition no longer taken seriously by anybod who Is at all informed, for there is n competition in the matter of genera freight rates by the railroads and wate lines reaching the territory of the Sout Atlantic states any more than there by the railroads that carry coal to tha territory and to tidewater.
 Rates Made by Banking Interests
 T believe that the whole scheme o iate-naking is devised and dictated by tn big interests with view to compelln the whole country to purchase from tn favored centers of distribution (With utta