The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-21
For the Good of
 the Community

EFFORTS of the trunk railway lines L feeding the ports of New York, Philadelphia, Boston and other ports along the north Atlantic seaboard to have the export and import rates through South Atlantic and gulf ports cancelled ' have found out that not only are the ship pers and commercial bodies of the south opposed to them, but the owners and managers of southern railways as well.
 The south is not alone in this opposi- tion, for the west has joined forces with her and together they will portest to the interstate commerce commission against interference with the rates now in effect.
 For years, through, preferential rates and discriminating classifications the northern lines and the north Atlantic ports have had monopoly of the export and import traffic, while the gulf and south Atlantic ports grew into disuse and southern and western importers paid tribute to the northern trunk lines and the north Atlantic ports.
 This was changed short time ago. Southern ports are now developing for eign trade on large scale. This will in- evitably divert some of the business from New York, Boston and Philadelphia but there is no sound reason why it should not be done.
 If it is cheaper to ship through the southern ports, which are hundreds of miles nearer the southern and western trade centers, at less freight rate,it would certainly be economy to use these ports
 The Manufacturers Record of Balti- more in recent issue contained this edi- torial bearing on this subject that is to the point
 ''The splendid ports of the south Allan tic and gulf coasts have been languishing for years Dry-rot seized them. Their piers rotted and the value was kicked out of them. But in the stress of war the use of these splendid national assets be- came requisite. Moreover, the thrill of en- terprise stirred the whole south. It is no longer content to be doormat. It is cry ing out for an equal chance, demanding the right to live, asserting it's privilege also to profit from it's undertakings and insisting that the government no longer permit it's ports to be legislated into use- lessness by selfish railroad edicts.
 s'This new spirit in the south is slowly but surely actuating the homogeneous of the various southern railroad lines They have begun to see that their future is not where they ain't, but where they are. They no longer have to be mere feeders for northern systems; they have their own assets to develop. They have, in fact, only begun to tap the reservoirs of traffic in their own territory They know what the future holds and they are not going to let that future get away from them by failure to safeguard it.
 It is unfortunate, of course, that for so many years southern railroads have neglected their obvious duties. Too often chambers of commerce and other bodies were left to fight alone the battles in which the railroads should have partici- pated. z
 President Fairfax Harrison of the Southern Railway some time ago stated that he would oppose any effort on the part of the northern trunk lines and the north Atlantic ports to cancel the rates through southern ports. Since then the executive heads of several other south err lines have approved his stand and an nounced that they woul join with him and the commercial bodies and shippers in the