Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-03-21
|0LD DOMINION DOES NOT
Get AID OF RAIL OWNERS
Special Investigator of I. c. @. De-
clares Line Is Given Only Enough
Business to Keep 1t Alive.
ABLE TO STOP COMPETITION
II Roads Gave Full Cargoes, Instead
OF Diverting Traffic to All-Rail
Connection, Company Would Earn
100000 More Every Year.
Especial to The rime,D,,n,tcb

Especial to The Times Dispatch
WASHINGTON. March 2o.-That tho
Old Dominion Steamship Company be-
tween Norfolk and Now York Is not
operated as a FREQ and independent
transportation line. and Is not Loyalty
supported by its flve rail owners. was
the claim set up to-day by Adrian H.
boole, q special Investigator for the
Interstate Commerce Commission, when
the antirailroad side OF tho applicn-
TONS OF tho Southern hallway. tho At
lantic Coast Line, tho Seaboard Air
Line. the Norfolk and Western and the
Chesapeake and Ohio. to be allowed. to
continue their control OF the Old Do
minion Line was submitted to the COM
mission
Mr.. Boole, who has made an investi-
cation into the railroad ownership Of
the steamship lines operating on and
from tho Chesapeake Bay, submitted
mass OF figures aud information
showing how the Old Dominion Is
operated The summary of his con-
tention Is that the Old Dominion is
given just enough traffic to keep 1t
alive. and to shut out competition by
an independent steamship line between
following contentious:
First. II the railroads gave the Old
Dominion full cargoes Instead of d.
Verting the bulk Of their traffic to their
ail-rail connections, the steamship limo
would earn s1.0o0.O00 moro every year.
and carry more than 900, 900 more tons
OF freight
Second. The Old Dominion gets moro
business In New York, where IL has no
ran Feeders. to carry southwark. than
1t gets at Norfolk. where 1T has five
rail feeders to carry northward.
Third The tonnage of tho steamship
company Is decreasing, while tho
amount of tonnage which the Southern
lines turn over to their Northern all
rail connections is rapidly increasing.
Fourth. If the railroad owners gave
the Old Dominion complete and sin
cere support In tho way of business. the
, steamship line would be able to reduce
its rates and become a stronger factor
for competition with the all-rail freight
routes between the North and the
South.
MIR. Boole submitted a table showing
that the maximum facility OF tho Old
| dominion, based upon full cargoes. for
every sailing In 1914 between Norfolk
which 1889 was nor;hbound and
ss5,531 southbound. The amount of
business actually carried that year
was loS4,S7S tons. OF which 47662s
tons was northbound, and 60S.244 was
southbound. This showed. he said, an
unused space OF 527.993 tons. of which
So2,7O0 was northboupd and 2o5,293
was southbound. The average rate per
ton northbound was Sl.o9, and south
bound the ratio was Sl.6s. Consequent
~. Mr.. Boo!e claimed the Old Do
ininion lost Il total of S9Sl.s2l by being
! compelled TO sail its ships with short
cargoes lie added that the railroads
/ have It In their power to dump enough
freight at Norfolk to give these ships
ruiz cargoas. which, If done. would de-
relop tho Old Dominion into n greater
and stronger line He inferentially ex-
pressed the opinion that IL the Old Do
| minion was actually independent, Il
would be free to go after all the bust
ness In sight. and. therefore, become
lighting competitor for freight bust
ness between the North and South. in
stead OF a passive competitor