The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-20
Says State Itself Can Aid In the Question of Coal
 Rates to Water
GIVES EXAMPLES OF
 SOME INJUSTICES
Coal Industry Oply Great Alabama Mineral Inaustry Which Is In the Hands of Local
 Capital


 and tho industrial section of Alabama?"
 asked Henry T. DeBardeleben, president
 of tie DeBardeleben Coal company yes-
 terday.
 "The steel and iron industry was never SC prosperous as now, but the other
 lines of business are not keeping pace,
 and we are not enjoying 'he prosperity we should with present conditions. An
 analysis of the situation will show many
 things as contributing causes for this situation, but nothing is so potent in
 holding us back as indequitable freight rates.
 "The iron and steel industries of Bir-
 mingham are practically all in the hands of foreign capital, but the coa. trade is the chief industrial development held by the business interests of Birmingham and Alabama. When the coal business is eff, Birmingham is badly hurt. No coal man will deny that the coal business has been badly off for sometime, and unless some relief in the enlargement of mar kets can be secured, no reiief of per
 manent nature is in sight. Birmins ham and Alabama coal interests are simply shut off from the worli and hemmed in
 on account of inequitaoe freight rates.
 BIG MARKET IN SOUTH "The coal market in the gulf ports is I more than 100000 tons annually, yet Birmingham coal the only coal in the south, can only compete for 2,500,000 tons on account of the freight rates. We had | hoped that when the Warrior river Was completed to this district the remedy would be in hand, but the hign rates es- | tablished by the railroads to set the coal l to the banks of the river have kept the | coal industry of this district exactly where it was before. Does it not seem strange that rate of 121a cents per ton should be made for hauling coal a cer- l tain distance away from the river, yet 1 a haul of exactly the same distance ever i the same line for shipment down the river costs 30 cents per ton? Any man who is familiar with the bunkerage coal business knows what 17h cents per ton added freight rate means. It simply cannot be borne.
 Alabama last year produced about 15.- 1 5O0O00 tons of coal. Of this only 6O0O,C00 l has to be disposed of in the open mar ket, the other 9,500,000 tons beng taken l by furnaces, railroads and coke ovens At one stroke, the hydro-electric devs.op- ment cut away the market for l5oO,0Oo I tons, which amounted to one-fourth Of the total open market. Is it any wonder that the coal trade in this district is on :? This hydro electric development IS to continue and it is necessary for the prosperity of Birmingham and Alabama that some outlet for our coal be had There are plenty of markets on the gull coast at the various ports, but the I freight rates by railroads are prohiMtlve l If the railroads had a reasonable rate to l the river, such as they have for the same distance and the same haul where the coal is not going to be shipped by water, the problem would be solved.
 CLOSE TO THE RIVER There are several million tons of coal of the highest grade produced only a few miles from the navigable Warrior river now but the rate to the stream is so much higher than the usual charge for a similar distance l that we can get no relief. The steam | ship companies have made tests of ] these Alabama coals produced near the Warrior river and they have rated 1 them better than the Pocahontas coals 1 of West Virginia Yet our freight | Virginia for S,000,000 tons of coal sold annually at gulf ports. all of which business should and would come to l this district if we had a reasonable rate.
 "The people of Alabama are not yet 1 fully awake to the part freight rates play in making and unmaking cities land states. With all our natural re- sources we are tied up because of 1 these rates We have recently seen examples in the grain cases. where Bir- mingham cannot compete with other markets. It is not so much matter | of a reduction in rates that we must ]; have as it is an equalization of these rates The Warrior river and the rail roads leading to the stream are who'll lly within the state of Alabama. If the people of this state will stop and con sider hcw the prosperity of Alabama lis being retarded by unjust freight rates they will demand and will se- l cure some relief
 l OTHER RATES EQUALLY BAD 'I simply mention the coal business because l am more familiar with con- ditions relating to coal than any other commodity. The same tIng, however. 1 is true of other lines of business. We know that Birmingham is severely Handicapped as wholesale and job Ibing center because other cities in the
 south have SC much better rates. For