The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-06-26
SHIPPERS WANT A
 CLEAR RULING ON CAR DISTRIBUTION
Birmingham District Inter- ests Ask for Immediate Modification of Law and
 Lucid Interpretation

Birmingham manufacturers and shippers have entered a strong and urgent appeal to the interstate commerce con- mission to modify it's coal car priority order.
 In case the commiss does not in- cline to modify the order so as to save their plants from shutting down on account of inability to obtain raw material, there is a disposition to ask the courts to enjoin the commission from enforcing the order.
 Following meeting of the shippers held under the auspices of the Bir- mingham traffic bureau yesterday. the following telegram was dispatched to Commissioner Aitchison:
 "C. B. Aitchison, Commissioner In-
 terstate Commerce Conn mission,
 Washington, ID. c.
 "At a representative meeting of
 Birmingham manufacturers, held
 in our office this morning, unani-
 nous resolution was passed ask ing me, as secretary of the Bir-
 mingham Traffic Association and
 the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. also as a personal mem
 per or the B1rm1nsham tcrm1nal
 committee, to take up with you
 personally and request that some
 modification be made at once in
 general service order No. z, re-
 garding restriction of open cars to coal loading.
 ''The situation is tense regard ing this order. number of busi- nesses will be forced to close down immediately unless some modifica- tiOn is made. Serious consideration
 Is being given employment of counSel and filing of injunction in
 federal courts alleging discrimi-
 nation. They cannot understand why furnaces and coal mines should be permitted to operate to their detriment.
 @They also suggest that the dis tributiOn of coal cars in this dis trict be left to the discretion of the Birmingham terminal commit tee.
 'Unless prompt action is taken,
 frreparabIe damage will follow. Please advise at once your views.
 %. l.. BUNN..
 Among other concerns personally represented at the meeting were these: Birmingham Slag Company, Rober- Strauss-Ferst Company, Southern Ce- ment Company, Birmingham Okay Products Company, Kilby Frog and Switch Company. Ingalls, Iron Works, Kaul Lumber Company, Knight Iron and Metal Company, Jaffe Iron and 44etal Company, Jefferson Brick Sup ply Company, Allen-Oden Ore Com pany, Copeland-Inglis Shale Brick Company, Good Roads Slag Company. Thirteen different lines of business were represented, slag, cement, struc- tural steel works, brick, hollow tile and fireproofing, scrap dealers, sand shippers, ore movers, brick manufac- turers, road material men and lumber producers.
 Among them are some of the largest interests in the county. The terminal committee reiterates that it is the creature of the interstate commerce commission and powerless to go be- yond the letter of the law in the orders However, it was explained that tho order was not quite so drastic as some thought it was.
 EXCEPTION TO RULE
 For instance, empty cars headed
 this way from Howard. Ga- md JacksOn's Lake, near Montgomery, could load with sand for furnaces fin the district and unload this sand
 before being sent to the mines to load coal. The mill type of gon- dolas with narrow sides can he used for other purposes just as
 before.
 The order of the commission is that cars suitable" for loading coal shall be used exclusively to load coal. Cars not heretofore used to load coal will not be drafted into that service.
 The Louisville and Nashville ore cars will continue to haul ore. The mill type cars will continue to haul pipe and the like. Cars coming back to the coal mines for loads of coal can be loaded with other stuff provided delivery is not out of the coal mine district to which they are being re- turned.
 COMMON SENSE
 With reference to diverting coal cars to other industries when a given mine field is supplied with 100 per cent, a member of the terminal com that respect, but he judged that com mon sense would care for that situa- ton where it should arise.
 One furnace interest yesterday was agreeably surprised on being informed that it's ore mines had received a regu- lar quota of the cars customarily used there, the coal mines in that territory having been previously supplied. In that section the same kind of cars are used for ore and coal alike. The sur plus not required at the coal mines was transferred to the ore mines.
 It remains that the interests threat ened by the coal car priority order are going to be busy until they get modi- fication of the order of the commis sion, or. failing that. seek some other method of being assured that they will be able to get raw material and con- tinue to operate.
 One industry represented at the meeting Friday said that 1t would have to shut down today. Others said that it was a matter of day or so.
 Personal representatives of Birming ham district big interests are doing their part at Washington