The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-11-06

When the director general announced
 the new rule a short time ago he stated that it would not go into effect until after the interstate commerce commission could investigate and report on its ad- visa bility. Discussing the new rule yes- tsrday local traffic official who has 1 made life study of freight rates, not only in the southern, but in the western
 and official classification teIritories, said:
 I-The railroad administration is apt to create business stagnation by the many innovations now being proposed, espe- cially in the southern classification ter ritory. which covers that portion of the country south of the Ohio river and east of the Mississippi river The adminis- tration is pressing upon the people uni- form classification and new mileage
 scales. Considering the two measures separately, we find that. contrary to what many people believe, ciassifica- tion change Is just as important as ono brought about by an advance In rates- in fact, classification and tariffs are for all purposes one and the same.
 TARIFF EXPLANATIONS "fn the tariffs are published certain class and commodity rates. To ascertain | the class rate applicable to a certain ar- 1 ticle you first refer to the classification 1 to ascertain what classification rating Is accorded the article, then refer to the tariff to see what the actual rate is in cents per hundred pounds. In other words. in shipping dry goods from New York to Birmingham. to ascertain the rate refer to the classification. and 1t shows that dry goods are in the first class; reference to the tariff shows that the frst-class rate from New York to Birmingham Is $i.S4 per hundred pounds It Is, therefore, plainly obvious that it the classification on dry goods were l changed to double first-class rates, the rates heretofore not experienced if the to second class a reduction would be brought about, although the class rates 1 had not been changed.
 Tn the proposed classification more than 5000 changes occur and over 25oo of these are advances. Therefore, the peo- | plA of the south will be laboring under many handicaps and. heavy increases in | rates heretofore not experienced, if the l interstate commerce commission adopts ! the proposed uniform classification. The recent advances brought about by the general order No. 2S of the rail- road administration, ranging from mlp- l imum of 25 per cent to maximum 'of more than 200 per cent, in some instances indeed, will be light compared with the heavy advances proposed by the uniform l classification.
 SOUTH HIT HARDEST
 ''The uniform classification is directed I against the southern traffic principally. as very few advances or changes. Tn l comparison. ..are proposed to be made in 1 the western and official classification ter- ritories.
 'sThe action of the railroad administra- ! ton seems indeed strange when the rec l ords of tho interstate commerce commits
 sion filed by the carriers themselvea
 show that when the government a6sumed ldirectorship of railroads that southern 1 carriers operating in the southern classi- I flcation territory were earning the 'larg-
 | est not rcvenuos>tn their history. while
 carriers lH the official claasificat ton ter-