The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-08-23
For Good of
 the Community
Freight Rates Are Doing Much to Bring Ala. bama People Together and Birmingham Products Are Being More Generally
 Appreciated

I 'OuuetS Are DSWg MOTe USHeTduy
 Appreciated BACK to very interesting subject for an 0 other chapter. The man who succeeds in business is he who neglects none of the features entering into the profit and loss account. Busi- ness is not gues work It is an exact science.
 Southern pig iron was exiled from the com petitive markets by freight rates. There was the enormous increase in the rates on iron from the furnaces to the east and the middle west, it's greatest markets Then there was like in- crease in the rates on getting ore and limestone to the blast furnace
 There were the same furnaces and the same iron with the same reputation won over the de- cades, but, desirouS as the east and middle west might be of southern iron, they could not stand the freight. Southern furnaces could not pay the rates on raw material and manufacture at price, enabling absorption of the freight toI points of delivery.
 E Hence the relief that has been felt by the or der of the Alabama Public Service commission in ordering 30 per cent reduction in the raw material rates effective on or before October 1. Iron operators are much more inclined to rel sume production than in some time. This column recently published comparative rates on merchandise from Birmingham and !pclnts further removed to Alabama towns naturally in this citys trade territory. Inad- |vertently some of those rates, which were on commodities such as heavy dry goods were classed as first-class rates But the showing is the same whichever class of rates is used in H. lustration of basic condition.
 For instance, first-class rates to the places n han thoJ l as follows:
 To Blocton-From Chicago, S2.58a; from St. Louis, $2.184; from Cincinnati, $1.84a; from Nashville, $1.344 from BIRMINGHAM, 50 cents; from Atlanta, $1.099.
 To Cullman- From Chicago, S239a; from St. Louis, S1.989; from Cincinnati, $1 651 from Nashville, S1.094; from BIRMINGHAM, 614 cents; from Atlanta, S1.364.
 To Fayette From Chicago S2.414; from St. Louis, S2.00; from Cincinnati S1.674; from Nashville, $1.454; from BIRMINGHAM, 865 cents; from Atlanta, S1.343.
 \ To Sulligent nt-From Chicago, S2.41a; from St. Louis, $20O; from Cincinnati, S2.03; from Nashville, $164a from BIRMINGHAM, 94 cents; from Atlanta, $1.83.
 I To Roanoke From Chicago, S2.74; from St. Louis, $2.351; from Cincinnati, S1845:| from Nashville, $1.423; from BIRMINGHAM, $1 %; from Atlanta. 95a cents.
 The rate on heavy dry goods to Roanoke from Nashville is 924 cents and from Birming- ham is 391 cents The first-class rate from the two cities is $1.429 and 95 cents The relation is the same all through the six classes of rates.
 It will be noticed that we had to go way over to the Georgia state line, about as far from Bir- mingham as can be gotten going east, before Atlanta finds her rates on level with Birming- hams Roanoke is in Georgia line county But Roanoke's kith and kin are in Birmingham and her destinies are Alabama-bound.
 It is an i'll wind that blows none good. The high freight rates and the uncertainty of prices during the past year have forced Alabama mer- chants to buy closer at home so that goods might be gotten more quickly in the hand to