Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1917-10-02
Dfferentials And Loca . Facilities Ii For Distribution
BY A. +. BECK, Traffic Ma

East and Southeast Baltimore enjoys
a s7-cent differential under the port
of New York, and in both cases a
corresponding differential under the
rates from Philadelphia and from
Boston. These latter differentials or
differences are known as coastwise
differentials, and have also been SUBJ
jected 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 a number of occasions to
have the differentials between all of
the ports entirely eliminated but has
consistently failed in each attempt
Rate Adjustment Favor City.
Even in the adjustment of rates
from the West 10 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 Cincin-
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 a time few years back
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 fact
that the trunk line carriers serving
Baltimore had not perfected switch
ing arrangement that was satisfac-
tory 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 combination OF
local rates of each of the roads be-
fore the shipment would be delivered
at it's final destination.
Premium Rates Established.
This resulted in the assessment OF
charges for the switching service and
ranged from $50 per car to $50 per car
in some instances. This condition was
attacked in proceedings before the
Interstate Commerce Commission by
the commercial organizations of Bal
timore, the result of which was to
finally evolve a system of what were
known as premium rates, which is TO
say that the Commission indorsed
the proposal of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road and the Baltimore and Ohio
were made 5 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 a carload
of brick from Pittsburgh to. Balti-
more via the Pennsylvania Railroad
was II cents per 100 pounds, the rate
for delivery at Baltimore and Ohio
station in Baltimore was 19 cents per
100 bounds, 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,