The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-14
THE ANNOYING BARGE LINES

Although officially it is believed that the separation of the Mississippi and the Warrior barge lines into two distinct services would be wise and businesslike, vet the plan cannot now be carried out. Why this postponement? Is it because better public benefit will come from the delay? By no means. The reason I that the federal management cannot proceed in the best public interest, is the same old reason. A railroad has stepped in and blocked the government. Evidently the Frisco Railroad Company foresaw the coming separation, and that coal was one of the principal commodi- ties contributing to the Warriors per manency. Therefore, the railroad low cred it's all-rail rate on export coal to a figure with which the barge line cannot compete without loss. Undoubtedly the railroad also suffers loss on this particular haulage, but the railroad, un- like the barge line, has tributaries and connections on which it can recoup it. self for the loss. Perhaps, also, the rail road hopes that the barge service will be forced to discontinue because of rate competition, and then the railroad can come back with higher rates and gen. erously repay, itself for it's temporary sacrifice in revenue.
 Cannot this throttling of the Warrior be stopped? Oh, yes, indeed When the Interstate Commerce Commission finally withdraws its gaze from the in terplanetary distance and focuses its at tention on some of it's mundane respon- abilities, thenzthe railroad will be forced to desist from it's knifing of the barge line, slapped on the wrist and advised to go about its ends in a more subtle manner. Only a few weeks ago, after two years of absentmindedness, the fed eral commission discovered that the rail- roads were grabbing considerable cake belonging lawfully to the barge line, and the commission made the railroads give part of the cake back, on the theory that it was all right to seize most of what belongs to the barge line, but lit tie should be left, for one should not be greedy. The barge lines would thus be allowed to die lingering instead of an abrupt death.-
 There is no telling, however, when the federal commission will ever get around to considering the most recent effort of the railroads to destroy the barge lines. The commission has so many things to do that it is better not to do them. It might cause hard feelings. Besides, there must first be some sol emn hearings, precipitated by the un- warranted acts of the railroads, but paid for by the public, in which the same old story will be told, the same old lament of the railroads walled forth, and the same old defense of the public welfare will be heard the commission listening with unaffected surprise that such things could yet be-. when only last year-or was it the year before last?-the com mission had told the railroads they were naughty and not ever to do such things again. And the railroads did not obey. Shocking! The commission simply will not have anything further to do with them unless they behave themselves. The commission will just let them raise their rates and raise them and raise them, until their income tax eats them up-and serve sthem right! As for the roads that lower their rates-surely no sane person could object to that!
 As for the barge lines. Oh, yes, there are the barge lines! How very annoying
 COOLIDGE WILL PROSECUTE