Evening star., 1919-02-23
BOAT LINES COMPLAIN
OF RAILROAD POLICIES
Claim They Are Being Driven Out of
Business by Discriminatlon-C
gress1nen Take Up Case.

| from Boston and serves Providence,
Baltimore. Norfolk. Newport News.
| Atlanta. Savannah. Jacksonville and
Z, other ports.
Proposed Solution Rejected.
| Ia the appeal made to the raflrOsd
administration by the ports inter
ested through their delegations IN
conference and through conferences
OF the senators representing groups
| or states, an offer OF the boat line was
made to operate the line for the gov
ernment's account until Ii could be
decided what should be done in the
| interests Of commerce and business
conditions in the ports affected. The
railroad administration said IL was
determined to turn the boats back To
| their owners, even IL they had to be
tied up.
Again. in the case OF the Mallory
line, the railroad administration aiso
took this over and operated It Tor q
while Then, about December I, turn
ed 1T back This line runs from New
York to Tampa, Fla. and Mobile, Ala
The outgoing freight was principally
for Tampa and the northbound freight
principally from Mobile On account
Of the way the business generally
routed over this line has been shifted
by the railroad administration the
cargo traffic has fallen on very
seriously.
| For example. where heretofore this
line would carry a million boxes OF
/ CitYll9
would get about one-fourth. Where 1t
was used TO carry lumber and cross
Ties, the railroad administration has
decided that inasmuch as crossties are
for railroad use and a large part of
the lumber was TO be used by the rail-
roads it should all be shipped over
the rails This was done although it
! Rad previously been found much more
expensive TO haul such supplies by
! rail rather than by boat.
! This illustrates the contention
voiced by many senators--that the
railroads as now operated do not
seem to count the cost and the elect
of that operation; that the railroads
have pushed all the freight TO s,It
| themselves and left what they did not
want for the boats.
Senators Charge Favoritsm.
The senator's tersely say -the raiI-
4 roads are run by railroad men for
railroad interests. and the economic
| best interests OF communities and
ports and business have had to suffer-
The fayoritism in regard to freight
bae s-rrr,e S<, Ss,~k a oaer IL - r.ray,s,.d
that II is impossible for the boats
to operate without excessive costs
| In this critical condition the ship
ping board has come forward in re-
| sponse to persistent appeals from
senators and business organisations
/ to afford what measure Of relief il
can. The Tampa situation. for ex-
ample, has been relieved by this ar
rangement, to which President Ray
mond of the boat line and J. II. Ros-
setter, director of operations OF the
shipping board. were parties. The
Mallory line has agreed to continue
one large boat to Tampa and Mobile
| if the shipping board will allow IL to
| have two more boats. These are TO
start April /. The Mallory line is
| furnishing the organization, terminals
and other facilities. and whatever
profits are made over and above ex-
penses are to go TO the shipping
board.
! Senator Fletcher has arranged and
| been a party to many of these con
ferences. He feels that commerce is
! being given a serious setback at
time when there should be the hear
tiest cooperation TO make the rail-
and water facilities available for the
needs of commerce.
The discriminatory action Of the
railroad administration" he says.
must affect adversely all coastwise
shipping. There is considerable pro-
fession of desire to link up the rail
roads with systems of water carriage.
but the only definite act in evidence
j is to destroy shipping
There should be cooperation. al
| lowing the boats to carry the heavy
freight and letting the railroads have
the lighter, perishable goods and such
as must pay higher rates There will
probably have to be some adjust
ment of rates and some higher rates
I
must be allowed.
! Accused of Propaganda.
There does not seem to be any de-
sire on the part of those now oper-
ating the railroads to promote water
transportation. 1 am impressed that
a large amount OF the propaganda
creating opposition to the rivers and
harbors bill comes from those who
believe the railroads are the only
proper and fit means of transporta
tion.
when we passed the shipping act
there was some opposition to allow
ing the government boats to operate
in coastwise trade. That provision IS
indeed fortunate at this time. when
other boats are being forced to quit
and going into other trade. We may
be able to prevent serious loss to
corrfnerce by using government boats
fr, coastwiSe as well as foreign trade