The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-09
MANY INDUSTRIES
 PROTEST AGAINST ASSIGNMENT ORDER
Speaker After Speaker De clases Before 1. c. c. Busi- ress Will Be Closed If
 Order Not Modified
By Associated Press


 Washington, July 8.-De- daring their business to be threatened with destruction, representatives of nearly a dozen industries today asked the l II t CT s ta t e commission : Commission to revo Ike or modify it's order requiring rail- roads to accord preference to coal mines east of the Missis- sippi river in the assignment of open-top cars.
 Speaker after speaker at the commis- sion's open hearing on the order de- elared his business would be forced to close down and his employees thrown out of work unless the order was re- scinded or modified. There were no in- dications. however, that the commission would make any change in the order, which was issued two weeks ago for the purpose of relieving coal shortages throughout the eastern states.
 Industries protesting against the or der included those manufacturing or dealing in crushed stone, cement, sand, gravel and lime and also general build ling contractors. Preceding testimony of fheir representatives the commission heard Daniel Willard, chairman of the advisory committee of the Association of Railway Executives, who declared !, -f< z. | esssntial commodities was necessary to relieve the present freight congestion.
 URGES COOPERATION
 No suggestion for the modification ot the or1er was made by Mir. Wili1fd d, who q the contrary, urged cooperation betwen shippersSs and 1ocal car service committees for shipment of freight on the return movement of the cars to the Zines.
 Mr. Willard, however, tolG she com mittee that he did not believe it would be necessary to wholly curtail the movement of any particular kind of bus mess" He suggested that shippers seek to eliminate delays in car movements, that they load their cars to the mayi- mum capacity. and that they forego the reconsignment of cars The problem in general, he said, was to make available insufficient equipment more effective
 Intimatfon that the fight would be carried beyond the commission in case Of refusal to modify ih5 order was given during the hearing by V. F. Johnson of the National Sand and Gravel Asso- eiation.
 I've have come to you," MT. Johnson told the commission, "as the court of the first resort in our fight for relief, which if here denied us or it's accom- plishment seems uncertain or impossible. our necessity will force us to continue until every remedy has been sought"
 John Rice, representing the National Crushed Stone Association, asserted that road contractors were facing bank ruptcy as result of the commission s order while A. N. Johnson of the Port land Cement Association described the order as "unsound business policy" and complained that it would surely cause industrial depression.
 Thomas Mcdonald, appearing for the federal bureau of highway construction as well as for several state highway commissions, urged that 2,000 cars be available daily for moving roadbuilding ma terials,, which, he said were required to repair roads and complete old con tracts.
 State highway commissioners and rep resentatives of various industries will continue the plea before the commission tomorrow.