Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-11-05
GRAIN EXPORTERS
HERE WANT PROMPT
CHANGES IN RATES
Demand Share of Enormous
War Trade, Now Diverted
to Other Ports by Differ
ence in Loading Charges.

The fight for obtaining for this port It's
just share of the enormous grain exports
now going out OF this country, which
mishes since last spring, has developed
into a real struggle between the Com
mercial Exchange and the Pennsylvania
and Reading Railroads.
President Graf, Of the Commercial Ex-
change, has lodged a complaint with the
Interstate Commerce Commission charg-
ing that the higher loading charge at tho
railroads grain elevators here was dis
elimination. In New York the charge is
only half cent per bushel while at this
port the rate is three-quarters OF a cent.
This extra quarter cent charge has di-
verted millions of bushels of grain from
this port
In the complaint the Commercial Ex-
change pleads for an equalization of the
charges, The half-cent rate would be well
come to local exporters, but failing to OBJ
tain that they would have the New York
rate raised to three-quarters OF a cent.
BEGAN CAMPAIGN IN MAY.
In May the Commercial Exchange be-
gan it's campaign for an equalization OF
the rates. II then applied to the Inter-
state Commerce Commission for IN ad-
iudication of the rates. Mr.. Graft and
Mr. King personally appeared before the
Commission and stated their case.
Judge Clement. OF the Commission, sug-
gested that the officers of the exchange
make an attempt to make an amicable
settlement with the railroads This was
done. The railroads answered that Il
would be inconsistent should they lower
the elevator charges here when they
oil iNrr for Ifrl,4
rate increase.
The Exchange then announced that
while the half-cent rate would be most
acceptable they desired chiefly an inn
mediate equalization of tho rate, If the
railroads could not reduce the local
rates they were asked to raise the New
York rate. This has not been done and
is responsible for the complaint now be-
fore the Commission
Local exporters have lost thousands of
dollars through this discrimination. At
this time, when the warning countries
are demanding large orders of grain.
shippers are finding II cheaper to ship
from New York and Baltimore than this
city from New York because of the
lower elevator charge and from Balti-
more because of its freight differential
established by the Interstate Commerce
Commission,
An increase Of millions of bushels OF
grain has left these two ports while the
shipments from here have not been more
than normal
EXPORTERS WAIT QUICK ACTION.
Quick action by the commission on the
complaint is desired by the local ex-
porters. An equalization of the rates at
the earliest possible moment will give
them an opportunity to capture some OF
the abnormal war expectation,
The action OF the Pennsylvania Rail-
road in the situation is declared in the
complaint to be unwarranted and uneX-
planned. With the completion OF the new
million-dollar grain elevator at Girard
Point better export business was ex-
pected.
But the extra charge has kept the
business from this port. In New York
most OF the vessels are loaded from
floating elevators. Here vessels can be
loaded with more speed than any port
on the Atlantic coast from the elevators
direct.