The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-12-18
OFF FOR A HIKE

Men at Camp Mcclellan off for a lowing grounds as outlined by them in published statements
 I. To make an adjustment of Ala
 bama rates to conform to the long and short haul principles prescribed by the interstate commerce commission in con- nection with interstate rates, thereby re-
 moving numerous inconsistencies and un- just discriminations in favor of the larg-
 CT cities or communities and against
 the smaller towns or communities. p. To bring about proper and con- sistent relationship in the rates between points in Alabama and the rates be- tween points in Alabama and points in surrounding states, thereby removing numerous inconsistencies and unjust dis criminations against interstate traffic.
 g. To readjust intrastate rates on many commodities moving in large volume. which do not pay their just share of the cost of transportation, thereby re- moving this unjust discrimination against other traffic.
 A. To afford the carriers in Alabama
 more adequate revenue from intrastate TOT the service ANSWER TO CARRIERS In reply to these reasons assigned by the carriers, we wish to make the fol- lowing observations:
 (a) To undertake to make an ad- l justment of the rates between points 1 in Alabama in order that they may conform to the long and short haul l principles prescribed by the interstate | commerce commission in connection with interstate rates Is premature and | improper, because the said interstate rates made by the carriers in alleged | conformity with the fourth section of | the federal act to regulate commerce ] are now under attack by southern l shippers as improper, unlawful, unjust 1 and unreasonable and not in accord- ance with either the spirit or the in- 1 tent of the long and short haul clause | of the federal act and that the whole | body of southern rates made by the carriers in alleged compliance with ! long and short haul principles is un- der investigation by the interstate commerce commission at the present time upon it's own initiative. It Is the shippers contention that until the I interstate commerce commission has completed it's investigation into the propriety of the adjustment made by l the carriers in supposed compliance with the long and short haul clause of the federal act and determines whether or not the said interstate rates are reasonable or unreasonable le, lawful or unlawful. it is wholly inn proper to ask the public service com
 mission of Alabama to adjust Alabama rates to conform to the said inter-
 state rates, which may prove, after investigation, to be unreasonable and unlawful.
 (b) There is no good reason why the rates between points in Alabama should be made to conform to inter- state rates, which may or may not be reasonable. While the carriers quote an excerpt from decision of I the supreme court of the United States | In the Shreveport case to bolster up l their contention that the intrastate l rates must be made to conform to | the interstate rates, 1t must be borne | in mind that in the Shreveport case l there was a specific finding by the l interstate commerce commission both as to the reasonableness and the dis | criminatory character of the inter-
 state and intrastate rates involved. No such condition exists here. The inter- | state commerce commission has not 1 dealt with the relationship between | interstate and intrastate rates in Ala | bama in any of is decisions, nor has | 1t rendered any opinion indicating l that the Alaboma rates are less than reasonable.
 l Co The carriers in an advertisement appearing in the press under date of | December 9, 1917, among other things 1 state:
 | 'In the Shreveport case the supreme | court of the United States held: The
 power to deal with the relations be- tween two kinds of rates, as rela- | ton, lies exclusively with Congress l It is manifest that the state cannot | fix the relation of carriers inter- state and inratsate charges without directly interfering with the former unless it simply follows the standard set by the federal authorities" | If we understand the purpose of the carriers in quoting this excerpt l from the supreme courts decision, il
 is equivalent to requesting the public service commission of Alabama tc completely subordinate it's own judg-
 ment and simply follow the standard set by the federal authorities or be- come nothing more than a rubber stamp for the interstate commerce Il commission.
 LEGISLATURES PROVINCE
 | (d) There is not now nor has there ever been any long and short haul prescribed by the state authorities oi Alabama. Therefore, this petition, il so far as it seeks to change the eX- , isting principle of making rates II Alabama, by inauguraring the Ions and short haul rule, would be more appropriately addressed to the legis lature rather than to the Alabame public service commission
 Gel There are comparatively few de partures from the long and short hau principles in the rates between points in Alabama. It has been claimed b, the carriers in various cases that 90 pc cent of the traffic moving within tn state of Alabama tother than low grad commodities. such as pig iron, coal. cok and furnace materials moves on the 1l0 commodity scale, which is based oi
 mileage and from which mileage seal there are only few instances where tn
 carriers depart from the long and shor rule
 The carriers state that the revision
 sought to be made in Alabama is simla
 to the one now pending before the rail
 road commission of Georgia. It devel
 oped in that case that the proposed rate
 in Georgia would increase the revenu of the carriers to the extent of $100 000,O0
 per annum from 21 points alone
 ROADS ARE PROSPEROUS
 1 As to the carriers contention for addi
 tional revenue, we wish to state unqual
 ifiedly that the southern carriers, as
 whole, notwithstanding everything sa
 to the contrary, in the newspapers an
 periodicals throughout the country ar
 enjoying the greatest prosperity in thei
 entire history. In spite of the increase
 cost of materials and supplies, in
 creased wages paid. under the Adamso
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