The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-28

founds his deductions on facts. In this,
 nas,,tl n1s fourth article dealing with the
 of Mobile he gives concrete figures
 The fifth article will soon appear.
 Foreign trade and the destiny of Mo- bile to become the greatest port on the Gulf of Mexico; prediction not idily uttered, but on the contary, based on one of the most important considera- tions of the commercial world, competi- tive freight rates. These, as now ap- plying for Mobile, give the port such position as entities it to compete for the foreign traffic section of the United States, Alberta Manitoba, Saskatche- wan, and Ontario and applying more especially to the West Indies, the Latin Americas, the Orient and the Pacific coast.
 r On import traffic moving from Mobile there was for sometime a question of the differentials to be allowed under that moving from New York and the But in 1907 the following differentials in cents per 100 pounds to Mobile on the six classes governed by the official classification were allowed: Class 4 6
 
 New York IS IS 12 8 6 6
 And as a further convenience, com moditly rates of less than the sixth class were assigned to that class and given the class differential. But where the commodity rates took the sixth class or higher, they were allowed the differenial of the class having the same or nearest the same rate. And those sks l,- l. tween two classes were given the differ ential of the lower classification. In cases where domestic rates from Mo- bile were lower than those quoted above such domestic rates were made to apply as a maxiuma.
 Differentials Stood For Years
 These differentials were standard for many years, rates being changed from time to time by authorship of the inter state commerce commission in order to maintain the relationship fixed for Mo- bile and the North Atlantic seaboard and in 1919 these differentials were made to apply on shipments having European and African points of origin, but on traffic from other countries the rates from Mobile were made generally the same as the rates from New York, or with certain relationship to those rates, the lowest domestic rates being taken as a maxima.
 But the disparitory horizontal in creases authorized by the interstate commerce commission in 1920, ex parte case No "A, ruffled the relationship. Rates from the North Atlantic sea- board to Chicago, St. Louis, Peoria. etc, were inflated 40 per cent while the rates from Mobile to the same points were increased from 9 to B 1-3 per cent, according to destination, in this way making a much wider spread between the two groups of rates.
 However, the trunk line tariffs is sued by the interstate commerce com mission A 72, May 1, 1922, restored the original rate relationship on burlap bagging, bleach, salt cake, china clay, feldspar, kainit, sulphate of lime, ma hogany legs, magnesite ore, pot ash, wood pulp, salts, soda, talc and whiting between Mobile and the North Atlantic seaboard.
 Rate Comparison Pleasing
 To those readers especially interested in the freight rate situation study .of the rates and comparison of the class and commodity rate applying to Mobile and New York on import traffic will show that Mobile has the advantage of the North Atlantic seaboard on shipments whose points of origin are in Asia, Aus tralia, New Zealand, the Philippines and the Latin Americas, of seven cents q hundred pounds first class to Chicago, Milwaukee and Peoria, and graduate increase in savings in cents per hun dred pounds to St. Louis, Cincinnati, | Louisville and other important receiv- ing, shipping, consuming and distrlbut- ing centers as they are nearer to Mobile.
 Brief examples of which follow: On bananas from Central America, Mobile offers saving of cents hundred pounds to Chicago under the New York rate while to Cairo this saving in cents per hundred pounds increases to 35.0 cents. Burlap from India by way of Mobile, the saving to Chicago, Milwau- kee, Peoria and St. Louis is 6 cents a hundred pounds, to Cincinnati 3 cents hundred pounds, to Louisville and Evansville 8.5 cents, and to Cairo 17.5 cents hundred pounds. Coffee from South America through Mobile give the following savings in cents per hundred pounds as compared with the New York rate, to Chicago and Milwakee 2.5 I lSs cents, to Cincinnati 5 cents, to Louis vile 55 cents, to Evansville II cents and to Cairo 21 cents.
 On export rates there was no differ ence between rates from Chicago, Mil waukee, etc, to Mobile and between the same points and New York prior to the varied general advances commencing with the per cent increase in 1914. This basis was used until snagged and boosted in 1917-1S by general order number 2S and the 15 per cent advance. But was adjusted and restored to Mo- bile in 1919, remaining in force but one year when the interstate commerce com mission ruled on ex-parte case "A in Au- gust, 1920, again ruffling the surface of the rate basis by permitting percent age increases.
 Uniform DifferentiaI
 Prior to 1914 there was uniform diff ferential to Mobile from St. Louis, Gin cinnati, Louisville, Evansville and Cairo under the Chicago rate of
 ~ 10 s.5 6.5 4.5 4 S.5 cents per hundred pounds on the six classes. Today the savings in cents per hundred pounds under the Chicago Mo bile rates are:
 Class 2 8 , 6
 From
 St. Louis 120 10.5 75. 5.5 50 40 Cincinnati
 Louisville
 Evansville
 Carlo 200. 47.5 13.O 90 7.5 6.5
 It will be seen that the savings be- tween St. Louis and Mobile and St. Louis and New York was not restored by the 1919 adjustment to the basis prior to the per cent increase and that the former savings was more than doubled by the increase under the ex parte case "A, and Cincinnati, where no savings existed prior to 1914, as rates were higher to Mobile thnn tn the