The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-04-14
HINES STRONG
FORNATERNAY
COOPERATION

WASHINGTON. April 13.-Inland
waterway transportation or the Unitca
States should be co-ordinatcd moro
closely with the railway system ana the
relationship Of rates adjusted in proper
ton to the cost and dcsirabllitE OF ser
vice. said Director General Hines in
letter to Senator Fletcher and group
If senators and representatives inter
cstcd in waterways. The letter. mace
public to-day. was in answer 10 inquiries
from the members Of congress as to the
railroad administrations ATTITUDE To-
ward waterways and explained in detail
past accomplishments and future plans.
Mr.. Hines also proposed that II the
railroads go back 10 private control and
the railroad administration is disbanded
thci inland waterways be placed under
governmental agency at least through
an adequate experimental period"
Hines Statement.
.I deem it highly important to pre-
serve and strengthen in the public In
terest the beginnings already made In
demonstrating the utility Of our inland
waterways" said Mr.. Hines. Il am q
firm believer in the policy that the
great inland waterways of the country
can be made economically very useful
and that means should be found for
making them Of more benefit to the ma
ton than they have been in the past.
Under the old form Of private man.
agement, railroads in this country had
no substantial interest in acting as
feeders to the waterways. and. Of course
there was no other form Of feeder avail
able It therefore seems to me that IN
"a permanent soltion Of the railroad prob
lens which may be adopted, 1t VIII be
necessary to bring about close coopera-
ton between tho railroads and water
WAYS and the first element in this Sit
uatfor must be the desire or interest
of cooperation and the next facilities
for transferring traffic from the inland
waterways to the railroads and vice
versa
ghould BE Oo-ordinated.
TT Is my conviction that water trans
2ortation lines at least such as are fl
naneially and physically equipped 10
discharge the duties Of common carriers.
and to effect transfers Of traffic on an
economically sound basis, should be CO.
ordina1ed and correlated with the whole
transportation system OF the country
This necessarily implies that there
should be no distractions to an inter-
change Of traffic between rail and water
on terms substantially equal TO those
between rail carriers and that through
billing and through bills OF lading
should beadopted under such conditions
between the rail carriers and responsible
water carriers.
The attitude Of the railroad admins
tration with respect to the relation be-
tween water and rail competitive rates
is that the rates should bear relation
tn ho
Of dcsirabillty of the service by the re-
spective routes and methods of tranSpor-
tatfon There is no doubt that In tho
past the relations between the rail and
water rates have not always been de-
termncd on this basis and that applca-
tion Of this principle will neccsslate
modification Of some existing rate ad-
justmeut.
mississippi valley.
AT present the principal district in
which the question presents itself is the
Mississippi valley There is now being
heard before the interstate commerce
commission q case originally involving
rates between Memphis and points IN
souther Missouri, Arkansas. Oklahoma
and Kansas, in which the issues have
become extended until 1t involves the
rates generally between points on the
| cast bank Of the southern Mississippi
and points in the territory above de-
scribed and between points in that ter
| ritory. also the relationship OF rates
between the river towns and rates from
points on the river TO interior points
! The railroad administration Is taking
| the position in this case that 1t does
| not urge the granting Of permission by
| the interstate commerce commission for
| the maintenance Of this rate relation
| ship, except as to certain rates which
the rail carriers in the central section
! of the country. from Chicago 70 the
| gulf are required to maintain on lower
| basis than some intermediate rates in
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