The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-23
MERIDIAN RATES
 10 BE ENDOWED
 BY STATE ACTION
Special Counsel to Aid Attor- ney GeneraI-L. Sevier Points Out DiScrimina-
 tions of New Rates

Patterson, president of the state public service commission, on the one hand, and the attorney general and Governor Kilby on the other, it has been determined to ask for an injunction against the operation of the freight rates growing out of the decision in the Meridian rate case and slated to go into effect Au- gust 1.
 Mir Patterson notified o. l.. Bum, manager of the Birmingham traffic bureau, of this decision yesterday ever long distance telephone.
 Injunction papers will be field in federal court at Montgomery prob ably today. Special counsel will be employed by the state to assist the attorney general.
 Traffic bureau managers have been requested to furnish the attorney general and special counsel such data bearing on the case as may be from time to time desired.
 Celebrated Case
 As stated in Thursdays Age Herald the decision of the interstate com merce commission in this celebrated case is that the Southern. Alabama Great Southern and Mobile and Ohio railroads, parties defendant In the ac- l tion. must not charge more for haul ing commodities from Meridian to points in Alabama zoo miles distant from Meridian than Is charged for hauling same goods from points in that zone in Alan pama to other points in that zone.
 Rates out of Meridian are higher than the Alabama intrastate rates in this territory and the carriers have elected to bring up the Alabama in trastate rates to the rates from Me ridian. The result is the complete overthrow of the Alabama intrastate rates in this territory and consider able increases. The increase in rates from coal mine groups and 5 in the Montevallo field is more than 100 per cent.
 The Birmingham traffic bureau has notified all members of the proposed familiar with the new rates in case the injunction is denied Experts declare that the decision in this case, while it relieves Merid- ian of discrepancies in the matter of eight to ten commodities, creates more discriminations than it does away with and has established a most confused state of affairs. Some unique features of the decision, they point out, are as follows:
 | '. Unique Features | To hao in rr,if ott Ix affected but those named The Louisville and Nashville, for instance, can continue to charge s71a cents for l hauling coal from Piper to Birming- ham while the Southern. under ap- l plication of the new rates, would charge s1.SS.
 The entire Walker county coal mining field is not affected.
 l No shipment originating outside
 the 200 mile limit from Meridian to 1 Alabama points would be affected
 Commodities might be taken to North Birmingham in trucks and shipped there at the old rates, be- ] cause North Birmingham is just out | of the zone. Tuscaloosa could truck 1 stuff across the river to Northport and ship at the old rates. Bessemer can ship at the old rates because just outside the 200 mile zone.
 1 The defendants themselves asked for rehearing, which the interstate ] commerce commission declined
 The states peculiar interest in this case is that, while only a small terri - 1 tory is directly affected now, the precedent established drives at the l integrity of the entire intrastate rate system. This was the represen- tation made to MT. Patterson by the 1 traffic bureau managers. Decision | to enjoin the rates is taken as as- 1 surance that state officials regard the matter as the traffic bureau Officials do.
 Establishes Discrimination l l.. Sevier, president of the Alabama Manufacturers association and for mer railroad official, points out that the new rates established in the Me ridian case are not only discrimina- tory, but tend to being confiscatory as we'll, and thinks 1t unfortunate l that such decision should have been rendered at time when the railroads are on trial before the public. He 1 said
 The interstate commerce -commis- sion in its order to the carriers to remove the discrimination In freight rates against Meridian, Miss, to points in Alabama has shown the 1 deceives the public, as to the order per SC, which creates a condition by the carriers advancing the freight
 rates between points in Alabama, not only commodities in which Meridian competes but on commodities non l competitive such as'coal. etc.
 No one can claim that Meridian markets coal, but the Southern rail-
 way, to comply with the interstate
 commerce commissions order, has found it necessary to advance the
 rates on coal from mines located in certain groups on it's lines in Allah m a
 to Birmingham, and other points in Alabama, which forces rates that are not only discriminatory but would be l confiscating if such mines markets were confined to such points to which I the advances apply.
 The discrimination lies in the fact that from mines in the same group at equal distances to Birmingham and located on other lines the adyances from such mines are not appiica ble nor are the advances made to Bir-
 mingham applicable to other points in
 the Birmingham district to which the
 rates have been the same
 "Confiscation will result from the measure of the advances, as in the
 case of rates on coal from group 5, and other groups. to Birmingham the rates are advanced from STA cents per ton to $1.S2 per ton, and where a coal mine Is located exclusively on
 the Southern railway the advanc, prohibits competition with mines in lines.
 "It is unfortunate that such a con dition has arisen. when 1t Is recoe-
 nized that the railroads are on trial and this can only result in prejudice
 on the part of the public to the car
 rier as 1t must fellow there will be
 an expense as well as delay in hay