The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1922-09-26
INEQUALITIES OF
GARDISTRIBUH0N
HEREGONDEMNED
George S. Bracket Attacks
Practice Started by B.
!. & o. Railroad.

S. Bracket, FaIrmont, secretary
OF the Northern West Virginia Coal
Operators Association, today bit.
terly condemned the practice start
ed by the railroad In the FaIrmont
region. In his statement today, Mr..
Bracket pointed out that protest
had been sent to the Interstate Com.
merce Commission and that further
action was expected by the cham.
bers Of commerce in this district.
His statement follows:
THE bulletin Of the Baltimore &
Ohio Railroad Co. announcing the
Interpretation OF service order No.
25 Of the Interstate Commerce Com.
mission re.establlshes the old as.
signed car rule for railroad fuel,
and is received with vigorous pro.
tests by many Of the coal operators
in Northern West Virginia. Thers
has been, since August 90, when
the serious coal car shortage was
first felt, considerable complaint
on the inequalities OF the car dis
tribution. many mines being served
freely with carS and others practl.
cally shut down. The announcement
Of the Baltimore & Ohio, after over
four weeks of haphazard car distrl.
button, that percentage allotment,
or equal division. Of open.top equip.
ment between the mines would com.
mence September 81, was received
with great satisfaction for a very
few days or until the announcement
of the return OF assigned cars was
made by the railroad company.
1.-THE Northern West Virginia
Coal Operators Associations pro.
test to Chairman McChord Of the
Interstate Commerce Commission
clearly expresses the effect which,
this order will have upon many
mines.
1.-The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
Co. notified operators on Saturday
as follows: Cars placed at mines
which have output contracts fol
Baltimore G Ohio fuel coal and
those having similar contracts fer
foreign railroad fuel coal and for
which the foreign railroad sends its
cars, as well as individual and pri.
yate cars assigned by the owner
to specified mines for loading, and
cars especially assigned and loaded
on order Of l. c. C. are to be re
ported as assigned equipment in col.
umns J TO Q on Form S59.T.n, The
car distributor at Grafton on tele-
phone conversation with this office
confirms our understanding that
these cars so assigned will not be
charged. This; according to our
understanding, Is In direct viola.
tlon of the Transportation Act 1920.
On three divisions OF the B. & o.
in West Virginia the total supply
Of cars to the mines for the past
three weeks has averaged 600 emp.
ties daily, while the capacity of the
mines for the same period is 1860
cars daily. In the daily supply VIC
are informed there were orders
placed by railroads and private cal
shipments amounting 10 four hun.
dred and fifty cars daily which, &C.
cording to the B. & o. notice, will
6e given' preferential service IL
possibly twenty mines, leaving a
total OF $50 cars to be distributed
daily to approximately $50 mines
with an aggregate rating Of approx.
imately fifteen hundred cars daily.
This association desires to have
these facts understood by the com.
mission before the action OF the
Baltimore 4 Ohio Railroad as above
quoted is approved or any other
similar order put permanently into
effect
THE correspondence of W. G.
Curren, general superintendent Of
transportation OF the Baltimore &
Ohio. clearly outlines the policies
Of the Baltimore & Ohio with ref
erence to the coal shippers along
its lines and the equitable distribu-
ton OF cars. He denies that there
was any coal car distribution &C.
counts kept between the various
producing districts during the very
severe car shortage prior to Septem.
Der 81; and there will be no account
rendered as between the Individual
mines for this period. To quote
Mr.. Currents correspondence
"'lt Is not our intention to have
a bulletin printed covering the dis.
tribution for the period OF Septem.
Der 81 to 80, inclusive. We will
send the daily over and short re.
ports to our local people at Graf.
ton, commencing with the distribu.
ton Of September 81, which will
give the standing of the mines on
percentage, and 1t is our intention
to send the detailed report cover.
ing the distribution for this period
on regular form to our people at
Grafton, where 1t will be open for
inspection by the mine operators.
The printed bulletin will be issued
covering the distribution commenc.
ing October L.
This action brings back to many
Of the operators the conditions
which existed In this district in the
old days when car distribution was
such farce, and the well known
Pitcairn case forced a fair treat.
ment Of the coal operators. The
aggregate capacity of the coal
mines in the Northern West vir.
ginia region is much larger than
any other group on the Baltimore.
& Ohio Railroad, and has never
beensaccorded the same car supply
which these other districts have
had. The coal industry Is the foun.
dalton of every other industry in
this section, and their prosperity Is
more or less a reflection of the con.