The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-13
WEEKS ON WATERWAYS

Secretary Weeks discussion of the ln- fluences preventing complete success of the Warrior barge service comes in very to supplement Will 1rwin's articles on how the railroads seek to de- stroy water competition, now running In The Age-Herald. MT. Irwin has shown how the Interstate Commerce Commission has permitted an interpretation of the long and short haul clause of the trans portation act which is entirely contrary to it's obvious intent. Under cover of this the railroads have been able to maintain a rate structure that places the waterways at an unjust disadvantage. The public welfare demands victory neither for railroads nor for waterways, but such coordination of the two, to- gether with highways, as will expedite our domestic and coastwise commerce.
 As everybody knows, the Warrior has suffered discrimination in the division of receipts for joint hauls, the major DOT tion of the revenues going to the rall- roads. even when the major haul IS made by the waterways at loss. The Inter- state Commerce Commission made ouasi-adjustment of this division, which still in part leaves the determination against the waterways. The commission has acted in a measure as if it were the sponsor for the railroads, instead of an impartial tribunal between the railroads and the public, with an inherent obllga- tion to the public and not to the rail roads.
 As to this rate division Secretary Weeks declares that the Warrior IS handl- capped 'by having rail haul at the upper end, which has absorbed such an inordinate portion of the rail-water rev. enue between New Orleans and Birmlng- ham as to make it almost impossible to create a paying water-carrying proposl- tion." Which, without doubt, IS exactly as intended by certain railroads. To the credit of the efficiency of the Warrior management, however, MT. Weeks finds that, "The tonnage on the Warrior mas increased from about 5000 tons month in 1918 to about 24,000 tons month at the present time. Until the last six months the proportion of downstream tonnage to upstream tonnage was about 76 to 25 per cent. In the last six months this has been changed to such an extent that upstream tonnage is now about forty per cent. of the total. This lm- provement in upstream revenues IS due to freight which comes down the Missls- sippi on fast packet boats destined Tor Mobile and points on the Warrior river, and by the increased amount of freight of this character originating at New Or leans for Warrior points"
 Inasmuch as the development of water ways generally throughout the United States admittedly hinges upon the suc- cess of the Mississippi Warrior barge lines to point where private capital Will be willing to take them over and operate them. it is of foremost importance that all unnecessary and unfriendly impedl- ments in the way of that success be de- tected and removed as promptly as pos sible. The more thoroughly the prob lems of the Mississippi-Warrior servlce are solved. the easier will it be to develop other waterways without the delays con- seouent on such Instructions. The vel fare of the country demands waterway development and barge service, both sup elementary to and coordinate with rail way service. It is gratifying to note that the secretary of war sees the sltu- etion in its true light and is ready to lend his influence to applying remedies where needed.