The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-11-28
HIGHER RAIL
RATESFOR Nc.
ARE ASSAlLED
Ice. Told Raised Freight
Tariff Would Boost Bus
transportation

WASHINGTON. Nov. 2S.-t
the proposed increase OF ABOUT
40 per cent in freight rates now
being asked by the railroads OF
fhe country in an effort to m
crease their revenues S11O,OOO,
mo is granted, the spread on lrSt
class freight would be increased
TO Charlotte and other principal
North Carolina cities from AZ 20
about as cents a hundred pounds
a horizontal Increase of / cents
Stanley Winborne, public utlhtleS
commissioner, and W. e. Womole,
state director of railroad trans
portation, developed before the
Interstate Commerce commission
Yesterday as they strenuously OPP
posed any such increase.
A gloomy picture of decadence
of railroad business in the state.
so far as handling freight Is con-
cerned, with the bulk of the bust
ness eventually drifting to trucks
and buses, was portrayed, as
Commissioner Winborne placed
Director Womble on the stand as
an expert witness and lnterrogat-
ed him to show the effect of the
increase of railroad freight rates
in the state.
North Carolina was referred to
as a state peculiarly situated ana
that the commonwealth is now IN
at a great disadvantage already
in the southern territory; where
as. cities in some states farther
from large cities that are IN the
official territory are enjoying
much lower rates than those IN
North Carolina. !
After North Carolina had had
her day in court, it was stated
that briefs could be submitted,
and that the commission would
this week wind up hearings on
the proposed increase asked I'M
der Section Is (A) of the Inter-
state Commerce act. A decision
is expected in the next go days.
"Our people are opposed 70
This increase" testified Mr.. Wom-
bic when Intercepted by Commits
sioner Winborne, land it is not
believed, if it is made effective.
that the rail carriers can rely
upon collecting the increased
charges from our shippers and re-
ceivers of freight for the reason
that, if necessary, the service can
be had without even using the
railroads in our territory to any
great extent.
"As to how this proposed In
crease would affect the railroads
in North Carolina, they have less
chance in our territory than they
did at the time when carriers
were searching about to find 10
million dollars in ex-parte case
103, and they actually got, l
think, about 60 million. In my
opinion they have less chance
now in our state because the peo-
pie are in a greater humor to
use trucks than they were at that
time.
while the railroads are show
my activity beyond what they
formerly did, they seem not to
understand how to meet competi-
ton in freight matters as they
are doing in the passenger bust
ness. Carriers have found that
the only way to do passenger
bushes is to offer service and
fares that get the business, and,
in my opinion, this is the only
means of accomplishing results in
our state, where we have good
roads costing millions of dollars
and where freight of every kind
is handled by trucks and trailers
between all points, and pickup
service is performed free.
If the increase were granted
at this time, l believe it would
be detrimental to the rail carri-
ers and would lessen their reve-
nue. by switching more of the
business TO other forms of trans
port. The peak of freight rates
was reached with the increase Of
1920, which quickly demonstrate
ed TO the shippers that rates were
too high, so much so that the rail-
road men publicly aequiesced in
the reduction of 1928"