New Britain herald., 1930-10-01
SOUND LINES CASE
 BRIEF SUBMITTED
Unfair Methods Charged in N. E. Water Commerce Rivalry
By GEORGE H. MANNING Washington Bureau. N. B. Herald)

'cHliiii5 eoiit wv ~A plea that the Interstate Commerce commission divorce the New Haven railroad and it's water lines was made in a brief filed with the com mission today by the Colonial Nav igation company.
 The Colonial declared that the New Haven was determined to either stile or kill off the Colonial Line competition" using more than 100 printed pages to tell it's story to the federal body.
 At the same time the Manufact- urers Association of Connecticut, the Manufacturers Association of Bridgeport, numerous chambers of commerce throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island lined up solidly behind the New Haven and urged the commission to deny the Colonial Navigation com pany's petition for a separation of the rail and water lines of the New / Haven.
 Among the chambers of commerce which joined in supporting the rail- road were Bridgeport East Had dam, Glastonbury, Hartford, Middle town. New Britain, New London. Greenwich, New Haven, Waterbury. and Windsor, Conn.,; Fall River and New Bedford, Mass, and Newport, R. I.
 The Connecticut petitioners were banded together as the Sound Lines Case committee" One of their at- torneys was c. L. Eyanson.
 Operates Eight Lines
 The New Haven has been operat- ing eight steamship lines for many years. These lines are the Bay State ~ line from and to Providence; the Hartford line of the Hartford & New York Transportation Co. from and to Hartford; Bridgeport line from and to Bridgeport; Fall River line from and to Fall River; New Bedford line from and to New Bed ford, Mass, New London line from and to New London: New Haven line from and to New Haven: and the Providence line of the New Eng land Steamship Co. from and to Providence, R. I.
 Since 1914 the New Haven has been operating the steamship lines under authority of the Interstate Commerce commission and the Pan- operation of water lines by railroads when the water lines competed with the same company's rail lines, .un- less specific authority was granted by the commission.
 In the present action, the Colon- 1al Navigation Co.,, which had the case reopened some time ago, is attempting to force the New Haven to give up it's water lines.
 Claims Interest to Stife Competition
 Supporting it's contention that the New Haven pursues a definite policy to exclude competition on Long Island Sound, the Colonial cited a number of actions which, it said, proved it's case.
 Among these was a secret report alleged to have been circulated among New Haven executives in which it was stated that the steam ship lines should be so coordinated and operated as to prevent and make unnecessary the operation of independent competition"
 Another was that the New Haven had exerted secret pressure upon the Seaboard Air Line Rail- way which caused that company to refuse to renew the lease on one of it's boats to the Colonial line for op- eration in 1880 in competition with the Providence line, subsidiary of the New Haven.
 The Colonial also cited the alleged visit of counsel for the New Haven to offices of the Bethlehem Ship building Co. to obtain information as 10 plans of the Colonial line for new ships. This was merely another instance of the studied destructive policy of the New Haven with res- pect to Colonial line competition" the brief stated.
 he Sound Line case committee. on the other hand, argued that the New Haven water lines do not com- pete with its rail line and that continuation of the operation of both routes is indispensable.
 They pointed out that the Colon 1al Navigation Go. does not operate to or from ports in Connecticut and stated that if that line has grievances against the New Haven it should present them to the commission un- der the Interstate Commerce Act and not under the Panama Canal Act
 Road Gets C. of c. Support
 Supporting the New Haven. the Fall River. New Bedford, and New port chamber of commerce declared "sound public policy demands that the New Haven railroad should be permitted to continue its control and operation in coordinated services the water lines of the New England Steamship company"
 The New Haven has not committed any unlawful acts in connection with the operation of any of its water lines' the brief said, and mo necessity has been shown that would require the commission to take any action that would be destructive of the public interest and deprive these port communities of the long and we'll maintained and satisfactory - services of the New England Steam ship Co. under its present control and operation."
 Separation of the two systems of transportation probably would sub stanually reduce or entirely elimin- ate a large and sustaining" move ment of traffic between interior New England points and New York ctiy, the brief said.