The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1917-10-05

( East and Southeast Baltimore enjoys
a 7-ccnt diffcrential under the port
Of New York, and in both cases a
spending differential under the
, rates from Philadelphia and from
Boston. These latter differcntials or
differences are known as CoastWlSe
differentials, and have also been sub
! jccted to numerous attacks by com
peting cities. who are jealous Of the
possession of them by Baltimore, no
tably the city Of Atlanta, which has
tried upon number Of occasions TO
have the differentials between all Oh
the ports entirely eliminated but mas
consistently failed in each attempt
Rate Adjustment Favor City.
Even in the adjustment Of rates
from the West to the Southeast the
strength OF the Baltimore adjust
ments is recognized by the carriers
serving that territory, and for long
period Of years the basis for rates to
. the Southeast has been from Cincln-
natl and Louisville as the base points
! to practically all points in the South
: and Southeast, to be not less than the
rail and water rates from Baltimore
! to the same points, so that from a
commercial viewpoint there IS little
| to be desired in general rate adjust
ments from Baltimore to any part
| of the country reached by our mer-
| chants.
There was time n few years PACK
when even our speriOrity IN location
at the head of the bay, with wonder
! full opportunities close at hand for in
| dustrial development by means Of
splendid water and rail service, that
prospective purchasers OF property
! for industries passed Baltimore up IN
/ favor of other cities less fortunately
! located, mainly because OF the TACT
that the trunk line carriers serving
| Baltimore had not perfected a sWltch-
! ing arrangement that was satlStac-
! torv to them; nor to the business
! houses Of Baltimore; that is to say,
= that there was no reciprocal switch
| ing arrangement in effect in the city,
and shipments reaching, Baltimore
| over the lines Of the Pennsylvania
! Railroad. for example, and destined
! to a. location in Baltimore on the rails
| Of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
were forced to pay a combination or
local rates Of each Of the roads be
| fore the shipment would be delivered
| at its final destination.
Premium Rates Established.
! This resulted in the assessment OF
charges for the switching service and
ranoed from $40 Der car to $50 per car
. in some instances. This condition was
attacke in proceedings before the
! Interstate Commerce Commission by
the commercial organizations Of Bal
timore. the result of which was to
| finally evolve system Of what were
| known as premium rates. which is TO
say that the Commission Endorsed
the proposal Of the Pennsylvania Rail
krOad and the Baltimore and Ohio
! Railroad to establish joint rates that
were made cents on the first and
second classes. and cents on the
third, fourth, fifth and sixth classes
| higher than the rates on a single line
Of railroad which, illustrated further
means that if the rate on carload
Of brick from Pittsburgh to Balti-
more via the Pennsylvania Railroad
was II cents per 100 pounds. the rate
for delivery at a Baltimore and Ohio
station in Baltimore was 10 cents pei
100 pounds. or cents per 100 pounds
higher than the rate of the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad. This adjustment never
was satisfactory to the merchants
and manufacturers Of Baltimore,