Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-03-20
|PLEA BY SOUTHERN ROADS
TO RETAIN OWNERSHIP
Independence OF Pennsylvania and
Other Railroads Depends on
Control OF Old Dominion.
EXTENSION OF RAIL LINES
II. Is. Walker and Freight Traffic
Manager liOtclikiss Are Principal
Witnesses-Claim That There Is
No Competition.
Especial to The rimes.D.spatch.,


WASHINGTON. March l9.-Five
Southern rallroads-the Southern, At
lan,ic Coast Line. Seaboard Mir Line,
Norfolk and Western and Chesapeake
ana Ohio-which control the Old DO
minion Steamship Company between
New York and Norfolit and Richmond
to-day appealed TO the Interstate Com
, mcrce Commission. through witnesses
ana attorneys. to be allowed TO retain
their ownership In the steamship lines
In order that they may be independent
OF the Pennsylvania and other rail
roads entering the great Eastern gate
way.
The railroads showed that the boat
lines do not parallel the rail- lines.
have no common ports except Norfolk
and Richmond and that the rail lines
are not I'm competition In any sense
with the boat line. They cla!mfd on
the other hand that the boat line was
an extension Of the rail lines TO a
great traffic center which the roads
could not otherwise reach
II B. Walker president OF the Old
Dominion Line and Freight T-affic Man
agcr Hotchkiss. of the Chesapeake and
ohio. were the leading witnesses to-
day. Mr.. Walker said that the five
railroads owned 5S per cent of :he Old
Domlnion's stock, and the other ~ per
cent was owned by other parties. lie
declared the railroads had only four
of the eleven directors. and that the
steamship company is operated with as
much freedom and facility thong h
the railroads did not own 81 OF it's
stock
Without the actual support OF tho
railroads." said Mr.. Walker. the old
Dominion Line could not be maintained
as II Is at present. Scventy-flvc per
cent OF the steamship companys traffic
originates with its rail owners, and
were II not known that the railroads
We're interested in turning as mucl,
business as possible to the boat line
We would have trouble in getting money
at times for extensions and improve
ments in service. The steamship com
pany does not give any OF its rail
owners any preferential treatment. II
treats all alike. The rail lines which
own ii and give IL business actively
compete for this business over their
own rails using the best line to de-
liver the traffic into New York or haul
IL from that city.
: We know that the Old Dominion
helps keep down the rates. Az an
illustration. the freight rate from Nor
folk 70 New York Is cheaper over the
PENNSYLVANIA than il is from the Vir-
-'til'i i'iIiIiSulaI, because Inc OlO
Dcmiiiion completes out OF Norfolk
Mir Hotchkiss produced number OF
com parativ- rates TO show how the rail
ownership of the old Dominion enabled
the Southern and Western Lines &c
compete with the Baltimore and Ohio
and PENNSYLVANIA. the all-rail lines
! from Chicago to New York. He said
! the all-rail, short-haul rate over the
! Pennsylvania from Chicago 10 New
York is - cents, while the Chesapeake
/ and Ohio. by using the old Dominion
Line from Newport News 10 New York
maintains joint water rate
between the same freight centers OF
Ga cents. Mr. Hotchkiss pointed out
! that the Chesapeake and Ohio could
not get share of this Eastern Western
traffic unless II was able TO use the
Ole dominion for the haul from lamp
ton Roads TO New York He pointed
out that the Chesapeake and Ohio had
joint through rate by way of Hagers.
town and the Philadelphia and Erie
but this route was circuitous and only
maintained to carry the traffic which
| the boat line could not handle.