The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-07-05

The increase of 25 per cent in freight
rates under the direction of the fed
eral government, says the State Mar
keting Bureau, is not fully understood.
There could be no real objection to
flat 25 per cent increase, but some
of the advance, due to the increase in
the minimum charge for moving cars,
go to more than 300 per cent. Order
No. % of the federal railroad admins
tration makes a minimum charge OF
SIS for hauling car. This largely IN
creases local hauls, and will be par
ticularly heavy on citrus fruit move
ments in field boxes from groves to
packing houses and equally excessive
in the Sanford and other districts
where less than carlot moves of veg
etables are made between various side
tracks. A meeting to discuss the sit
uation was held in Jacksonville by the
Florida Railroad Commission and the
Florida, shippers, and another VIII be
held at Sanford on Tuesday, July 9, to
which the citrus and vegetable grow
ers Of the state are invited.
The cash in advance for freight to
take effect July 1 has been postponed
to August l. The cash basis order
does not apply to freight shipped by
the United States, the states. counties,
municipalities and the Red Cross, or
on wood shipped for fuel.
The general public is not fully aware
that making railroad freight rates is
something of a job. Commodities are
accepted by carriers under certain
classifications. These are arbitrary.
One article may have several classiff
cations. These are arbitrary. One
article may have several classified
tions, depending upon conditions, upon
how it may be packed, etc. The south
ern classification shows 1892 less
than-carload ratings, 2,577 carload rat
ings and 1905 any-quantity rating.
There are two others, the western and
official classifications, as1d each con-
tains a larger number of ratings than
the Southern. Rate Quantities have
been at work for several years to
bring about uniform descriptions of
the thousands of articles subject to
class rates, as well as to uniform pack
ing and container requirements.
The file library of the Interstate
Commerce Commission at Washington
contains thousands upon thousands of
separate rate sheets, in some cases
numbering hundreds or pages each.
Amended and new forms are regular
ly filed by the twelve hundred or more
TdllFOaQ companies or the country.
The individual rates noted in these
many volumes run into millions. And
with all of these rates there are "dif-
ferentials" of one kind and another.
The rate room of each railroad is n
library in itself. and for the novtice
to attempt to fathom them is liable
to produce a case of mental sleeping
sickness
1t should be understood that a QUO
tatton of rates by a railroad agent il
not binding and cannot be applied I'M
less regularly published in a tariff
. The railroad agent at a country sta
ton can do little more than gives rates
on staples to points his own line, or
on established shipments to principal
markets. Beyond that he usually re-
fers the matter to the general freight
department.
Florida has it's state classifications
for local use, but they are made to
blend with interstate classifications.
but now the federal authorities have
stepped in and is trying to rearrange
matters.
The Florida commission prints in
each annual report tables of passenger
and freight rates, with rules and reg
ulations, but they do not apply out
side of the state. Also tables showing
distances between stations on all lines
in the state, with much useful statisti-