The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-05-06
GENERAL INCREASE
IN FREIGHT RATES
BY y. :. Goodman. Traffic Manager,
Richmond Chamber OF
Commerce.

/ On Thursday. April 10. w. P. Tay-
/ Tor. traffic manager OF the r., F. &
/ P. railroad and Washington Southern
railway, f. D. Hotchkiss. freight
traffic manager of the Chesapeake G.
! Ohio railway, and Robert C. Wright.
traffic manager of the Pennsylvania
railroad, by appointment. addressed
Il joint meeting OF the chambers
committee on inland trade and the
! executive committee of the chamber.
| for the purpose of bringing person
! ally before them !H-detaIL and more
! clearly than has been done through
J the medium of the public press, the
/ extraordinary conditions of operation
| and revenue now alleged to be con-
fronting the rail carriers. and par
| ticulariy those carriers with which
! the merchants and manufacturers or
Richmond come in daily contact ask
! ing OF this rha the eoasiaera
ton OF those circumstances and its
cooperation with their endeavor be-
fore the interstate commerce com
mission.
After these gentlemen had ad
dressed the committee, a general dis
cuss!on of the matters touched upon
! followed. and after their departure
! the-e committee adopted the following
/ preamble and resolutions:
Whereas carriers operating In
Trunk Line and Central Freight assoc
t citation territories, situated practically
north Of the Ohio and Potomac rivers
and east of the Mississippi river. in
! GLIDING certain carriers not strictly
Within those defined territories but
! operating through Virginia. West
| Virginia and kentucky, to. and from
said territories, have presented to the
( interstate commerce commission a Pc
/ tition to he permitted Immediately to
make uniform increases OF approx
: mately - per cent in their rates OF
! freight applying on interstate traffic;
and
! Whereas. considering the increase
! in wages resulting from the enact
nent OF the Adamson law, the in
i crease in the prices of articles enter
ing into maintenance and operation.
the present and future military re-
Guirements of the government. and
the concurrent duty OF said carriers
/ 10 render adequate service to she
shipping public. and
Whereas certain representatives
J OF carriers interested in serving the
! public OF Virginia are present, asking
! our consideration OF those circum-
stances and our cooperation with
their endeavor before the interstate
/ commerce commission:
7 Therefore be 1t resolved that this
committee believes that the circum-
stances herein enumerated appear to
/ warrant such reasonable increases in
said freight rates as the interstate
I commerce commission in its wisdom
! may determine upon, provided they
are so adjusted as not unjustly to dis
criminate against the commerce OF
Richmond; and provided. that. stimuli
taneousiy like increases are made
from Trunk Line and Central Freight
association territories to points for
! the commerce OF which this city COM
petes
BE It further resolved. that copies
OF these resolutions shall be delivered
respectively. to the carriers present
and transmitted to the interstate COM
merce commission"
! To attempt in any more than a gem
seral way to present the conditions
I which TREY ciatm TO warrant the addt-
tional revenue for which they are
asking the interstate commerce COM
mission Is obviously impossible: but
! II is evident that the wage increase
under the Adamson law, In connection
with which 1t is understood that the
carriers were encouraged to expect
an increase in freight rates. the in
notably coal. the calls which the gov
eminent will make upon the carriers
/ in connection with it's military pro-
! tects, while, at the same time. ex-
peeting the carriers to furnish ade-
Quate service to the public. constitute
valid reason for such increases as the
| interstate commerce commission may
permit.
| In complying with the law and rules
| r "a N n
! issue of tariffs containing increased
rates, much tine would be consumed
| before such rates would become effec-
| tive. Without going into an explana-
| ton as to the requirements of the
| law and rules of the commission, It
may be said that representing an
emergency to exist. the carriers are
asking the interstate commerce COM
mission to allow such rates as the
com mission may determine upon to
become effective on very short notice.
Consequently. ii is expected that short
supplements to the present tariffs in
| effect increasing those rates by GER
tain percentage. will be issued and
as such an expedient is calculated to
disturb the established "differentials''
or relations existing between the rates
from competing cities or localities. the
carriers intention is. in case the per-
centage advance is finally sanctioned
by the commission, to reissue all of
their tariffs restoring the differen-
tials or relationships of rates existing
at present. ----------e- ----.---.----
On account OF such a method OF
tariff issue, ii is not impossible that
in royalties not contemplated and ad-
vantages and disadvantages not in
tended may result and be the subject
of inquiry and possibly OF some dis
satisfaction upon some of the public,
but 1t is inevitable II the commission
recognizes a condition of emergency
TO exist and authorizes the tariffs of
the carriers.-Richmond
REV. S. Il DUMvIILAE is
RACK FROM NEWPORT NEWS