Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-10
COAL OPERATORS
SEEK EQUAL RATE
Petition Commerce Commits
sion for Switching Charge
to Compete With North.

Washington consr mers either will
have to pay more for coal from West
Virginia or give up this source OF sup
ply and depend on Northern fields, I'M
less the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion approves petition by the Southern
operators for general switching charge
for handling shipments in the Washing
ton area, which is designed to void the
present AZ cent ditferentlal In rates
from the two sections.
This was the picture presented yes
terday afternoon to special COM
mittee of the Washington Board OF
Trade, which has started study OF
the local switching rates question, by
a delegation of Southern coal operators
who recently instituted the move to re-
gain parity in the local market with
Pennsylvania operators.
Urged to Support Petition.
The delegation strongly urged the
trade body TO support the petition filed
with the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, declaring that Southern opera
tors and coal merchants cannot alb
sorb the Accent advantage held by
Northern producers, which they point
out results from the difference in
freight rates to Washington.
The Accent differential in rates Is
the result of an increase in coal 1relght
rates to Washington over Southern rail-
roads from the West Virginia tields
from So "a to $3.13 per ton, effective in
Nav. and the earlier reduction of rates
to Washington from Northern fields on
the PENNSYLVANIA and Baltimore 81
Ohio Railroads from $2.84 to $2.71 per
ton
The Washington Board of Trade,
Merchants and Manufacturers AsSocia-
iton, Real Estate Board, Operative
Builders Association, Government Oh
ficials and several local business con-
Germs joined with the Southern opera
tors in protesting against the BOOST over
the Southern railroads, but the Inter-
state Commerce Commission, after
granting a suspension of the order Tor
the increase, finally ruled that the $3.l3
rate was not unreasonable.
The Board of Trade now is urged 70
support the petition of the Southern
operators for a general Washington ter
minal switching charge, which Woulo
make possible, it is declared, sale oil
Southern field coal here more or less or
Q parity with Northern coal.
Plan to Hear Arguments.
The trade body committee, which is
headed by John J. Esch, former chair
man of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, plans to hear arguments by
TPDIGSSIlldllNGS
the Baltimore & Ohio Railroads anc
the Northern coal operators before de-
Gliding on action.
Representatives of the Southern OPP
orators who appeared before the COM
nittee yesterday we're M. L. Garvy, pres.
ident. and Stanley Higgins, secretary, OF
the New River Coal Operators ASso-
cation; E. L. Greever, counsel of the
Pocahontas Operators Association: anc
Of I0a n.
ing Gulf Operators Association.
The committee was told that Wash
ington has been using from 100000 tc
800, 900 tons of Southern coal annually
and that unless the differential in rates
was equalized the retail cost here would
be increased by an amount estimated
at S250,000, if Washington consumers
should continue to use Southern coal
in the same volume. Otherwise, they
were told, this supply would be reduced
or deserted entirely, giving monopoly
to the Northern operators.
Switching Rate Is Solution.
This situation can be avoided ii
Washington is given general switching
charge for handling coal in this area,
the delegation declared. There is now a
rate of 1884 per ton on coal shipped
from the West Virginia fields to Poto
mac Yards, on the Virginia side of the
Potomac here, though the rate is 3d.
into Washington. 1t is proposed in the
petition now pending before the Inter
state Commerce Commission that gen.
eral switching charge be established
covering the transfer of coal from Po-
tomac Yards via Pennsylvania and Bal
timore & Ohio roads to coal yards In
Washington proper.
All coal would then be billed tc
Potomac Yards instead of Washington
and Southern railroads using the
< Potomac Yards terminal, the coal