The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-05-29
EDWIN SPENCER
EXPLAINS WORK
TRAFFIC LEAGUE
Effort Being Made To End Dis
elimination In Rate Making
Against Interior Points

que, who returned a few days ago
from a hearing before the Interstate
Commerce Commission at Atlanta,
was asked to set forth something OF
the aims and present status of the
League and made the following clear
and comprehensive statement:
1.-THE present interstate commerce
hearings in Atlanta are considered to
be the most important hearings ever
held by the Interstate Commerce Com
mission insofar as freight rates for
the Southeastern territory, including
Florida points, are concerned. There
are sitting with the commission, five
representatives of various state rail-
road commissions and there are in at
tendance at this meeting the best rate
experts in the United States, the traf-
fic managers of all the leading cities
in the South, together with the traf-
fic managers from Chicago and other
interested points and their attorneys,
in addition to the representatives OF
all the carriers in the South and their
attorneys are present. The Florida
Traffic Equalizatio League is the only
Florida representative on hand, al
though it is possible that representa-
tiyes from Jacksonville and Tampa
may appear. These hearings are the
result of years of discrimination
against the interior and because OF
the fact that there is a growing dis
content and dissatisfaction with the
present theories of rate-making in this
country. Heretofore there have been
no definite principles for rate making.
Various points, by reason of location
or potential water competition or by
reason of having good traffic men,
have been securing preferences for
particular communities, localities and
industries. There has heretofore been
no definite relationship between the
various classes OF rates; heretofore
there has been no definite relation
ship to freight charges and mileage;
heretofore there has been no definite
relationship between intra-state rates
and interstate rates. In other words,
rate making has been haphazard,
crazy-quilt sort of proposition.
1.-The effort now being made is to
establish rate making upon scientific
lines with definite class relationships
and primarily upon the mileage scale.
When these rates are once made along
these principles they will remain in
existence for many years so
that it is vital to the commercial
existence of this State to see that
Florida is treated fairly and correctly.
The attitude of my clients and the
principles upon which the Florida
Traffic League will stand, are in &C.
cordance with what we consider to
1. Nf 10 q III
namely, that distance shall be the
primary factor in making rates; that
there shall be a definite percentage
relationship between classes; that in
tra-state and interstate rates should
conform and, finally, that under no
conceivable circumstances shall a
greater rate be charged for the short
err haul than for a longer haul over
the same line, when the shorter haul
is included within the longer.
The railroads have announced that
they are willing to make their rates
along these lines and they have sub
mitted to the commission a complete
reimbursement of rates following out
those theories; however. they are
not applying these principles to the
State of Florida in the same way that
they are to other States, and our po-
sition is, that if it costs two dollars
to haul one hundred pounds of freight
from Cincinnati to Jacksonville,
distance of one thousand miles, that
it should only cost approximately one
fifth as much more to carry that
freight two hundred miles below Jack
sonville to Lakeland, or total of
$2.40; whereas, the proposed rate to
Lakeland is considerably higher,
amounting to something over three
dollars; the railroad claiming that
Florida presents peculiar situation
and that these principles can not be
applied to Florida in toto.
am convinced that before this
fight is through, that Florida will Sc
cure, as result of the efforts of the
Florida Traffic League, the adoption
of the same principles applied to Flor
ida as to all the rest of the States in
the South. l am positive that this
rate hearing will eliminate prefer
ences and depressed rates to the port
cities. | feel certain that the Inter
state Commerce Commission will or
der the rates rearranged so that it
will cost less to ship stuff to Lakeland
than to Tampa.
l believe that the time is past when
any city or community can expect to
secure rate preferences; l further
more believe that there is no single
event which ever occurred in the his
tory of this State which will mean
as much toward the development of
this State as the successful outcome
of these hearings. II these hearings
are successful, Lakeland, without the
slightest question, will become the
distributing center for her territory;
Haines City, Orlando, Ocala and other
interior points will grow beyond the
fondest hopes of any of their most
optimistic citizens and for the first
time in the history of the railroads the
interior points of the country will be
able to develop, unhampered by an
unfair and unjust freight rate.
When these freight rates are re-
made. the progress and development
of each community will then depend
upon the energy, ability. enthusiasm
and progressiveness of their citizens,
and not upon the favoritism of the