The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-12-23
REDUCED RATES ON C0AL ARE ORDERED
State-Wide Adjustment On Both Coal And Coke Ef-
 feCtiVe On March 1
STATE CAPITAL BUREAU l
 THE AGE-HERALD ! Mout Uornerv Ala Dec % !


 Substantial reductions in rates on coal and coke between many Alabama points were ordered by the Alabama public service commission effective March 1, in an order issued today fixing the state-w wide adjustment of coal and coke rates, which has been under investigation for some time as part of the general adjustment of all intrastate rates. The opinion of the commission in the case, delivered through Commissioner Frank P. Nor gan, covers 60 typewritten pages, and is declared to represent the most com- plete and exhaustive investigation of coal and coke rates ever made in this state.
 It was declared that the commission found no good reason to condemn the group or zone principle as dis tinguished from the mileage system It Is claimed that the zone system of rate-maxing promotes the fullest competition possible as between the different mines, which acerues to the benefit of the public as a whole. The statewide adjustment of coal and coke rates has heretofore been based on the zone system, with the state divided into the following zones: Bir- mingham district. Alabama mineral district. Tuscaloosa district. Muscle Shoals district. and outlying territory. Tn continuing its approval of the group or zone principle, the commits sion took the position that where too high rates might result from close ad- herence to this system they could be corrected, and this was done in many cases.
 Rate Never Approved.
 A considerable portion of the com missions opinion is devoted to an answer to the contention of the rail- roads that the burden of proof Is upon the commission or upon the public to show always by specific evidence that existing rates are un- just or too high. The commission de- clared that 1t does not undertake to decide whether the burden of proof Is upon 1t, or upon the public, in case where existing rates are affected as result of ordinary conditions, but takes the position that present rates on coal and coke have come about as a result of extraordinary condi- tions. Present rates on coal and coke, 1t was recited are the rates existing prior to federal control and opera ton of railroads, plus certain ad- vances made by the director general of railroads on and after June 20. 1918, plus an additional horizontal advance of 25 per cent made by the Interstate commerce commission, less 8 decrease of one horizontal reduction of 10 per cent made by the Alabama public service commission following reduction of 10 per cent made by the Interstate commerce commission in interstate rates.
 It is shown that the first advance referred to has never been approved by the commission, that the Di- rector Generals order and the fed eral legislation, on which it was based, were emergency measures to meet the conditions growing out Of the war. and attention was further called to the fact that the Interstate commerce commission took judicial notice of the fact that the war is over and that railroad rates, con structed to meet war conditions. ought to be revised. It was further stated that the big increase of 25 per cent made, by the interstate commerce commission was allowed to go into effect in Alabama, intra- state, as an emergency measure, and That railroads appealed to the Ala bama commission to allow the 20 per cent increase because of emergency conditions. Reference was made to the previous order of the commits sion to show that this 25 per cent
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