AURtlHt 10, ItllS. 



^X^ 



Interesting Traffic Developments 





Til tlio i-aso of the Noliniskii Hri.ljto Siipiily iiml Luiiilior Coiniiaiiy 

 of Uiiinlin, Neb., versus the AInbaniii Oreiit Southern Kailrouil I'oiii- 

 jwiiy, the Interstate Coninierce Commission held that rates for the 

 transporUttioii of low (;rnile eeilar lotpi in ear loads from Wauhatchie, 

 Tenn., Now Ka);l:inil, Suliihur Springs ami KisiiiK Fawn, C!a., and 

 Keener. I'ertersville, Collinsville and Arf;o, Ala., to Atlanta, (ia., are 

 iiareasonalile to the extent that they exi'eed the rates eonteni|io- 

 raneonsly apidiealile to the transportation of eommon lojjs in ear- 

 loads from and to the same jioints. Kates on this liasis were 

 prescribed for the future. 



The shipments on whieh comjdaint is based consisted of low >;ra<le 

 cedar logs, including posts, poles and piling not suftablc for manu- 

 facture into lunilwr or for export, intended for manufacture into 

 ]>encil slats, awragiag ilo.li.'tS pounds ]ier car, and worth from $15(1 

 to $170 per car. The service required for such shipments, the equiji- 

 nient used, and the likelihood of loss or ilamage in transit are about 

 the same for common logs averaging -ICliOO ])ounds per car and 

 worth from .$100 to $250 per car, the commission points out. Quoting 

 further from the opinion, it is said that common lumber, worth from 

 $200 to $2J50 per carload is more liable to damage in transit than are 

 low-grade ceilar logs. Cedar lumber is worth from $300 to $800 per 

 carload and cannot be shipped in open cars. 



In the case of the Nebraska Bridge Supi>ly and Lumber Company 

 versus the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway, the commis- 

 sion holds that the rates on low-grade cedar logs from certain points 

 on the line in Alabama ami Tennessee to Atlanta were unreasonable 

 to the extent that they exceeded the rates contemporaneously appli- 

 cable to common logs from and to the same points. No substantial 

 difference in transportation conditions appears for the transporUition 

 inyx)lved in this case, ami u|ion all of the facts disclosed the commis- 

 sion finds that defendants' rates for the transportation of low-grade 

 cedar logs in carloads from 'Wauhatchie, New England, Suljihur 

 Springs, Rising Fawn, Keener, Pertersvillc, CoHinsville and Argo to 

 Atlanta are unreasonable to the extent that they exceed the rates 

 contemporaneously applicable to the transportation of common logs 

 in carloads from the same points of origin to Atlanta, which basis 

 will be prescribed as a reasonable maximum basis for the future. 



Rates charged for interstate transportation of carload shipments 

 of logs milled in transit at Alexandria, La., have been found unreason- 

 able and unlawful in the commission's ruling in the case of Ferd 

 Brenner Lumber Company versus Morgan's Louisiana A: Texas Rail- 

 road and Steamship Company. The commission 's report in this case, 

 in part, follows: 



The complninant Is a corporation cnfe-agod in the nianufaotnre .and s!ili> 

 of lumber, with one of its plants at Ali^xandiia, La. By complaints filed 

 May 12. 1!)H. and June 1.5, 1914. it allcKcs that the defendant collected 

 unreasonabli! charscs for the transportation of carload shipments of Ioks 

 from Barbreck and other Ix)uislana points to Alexandria, milled at Alex- 

 andria and roshipped as finished products to New Orleans for export, 

 and also to interstate destinations. 



This case involves thirty-four carloads of hardwood logs shipped from 

 Barbreck, Sunset, Burli-i'zh Sper.Cold Dust :ind Stewart. La., to .Vlex- 

 andria, between October ?,, 1012. and April 14, 1013. The complainant 

 paid charses to Alexandria on SOS.GOO pounds of logs at the local rate of 

 seven and ono-lialf cents per hundred pounds on forest |)roduets and at 

 the local rate of six and one-fourth cents per hundred pounds on 1.342,- 

 .300 pounds. Between December 13, 1912, and May 15, 1013, complainant 

 shipped from Alexandria to New Orleans, for export, and to Oakland. 

 Cal., foort^en carloads of finished lumber, a^-Krecatinj; .S04.400 pounds. 

 manufacture<l from hardwood logs that orieinated at the points named. 



Another set of shipments involves twenty-tiirce carloads of hardwood 

 logs, aggregating 1,464,100 pounds, shipped to Alexandria from Garland, 

 BcUeview, Stewart and Gold Dust, La., between April 3, 1013, and Oc- 

 tober 1, 1913. The complainant paid charges to Alexandria on 1,10.1.700 

 pounds at the rate of six and one-fourth cents per hundred pounds on 

 forest products, at the local rate of six and one-half cents on 113,100 

 pounds, and at the local rate of seven and one-half cents on 245,300 

 pounds. Between September 15, 1013, and December 22, 1913, the com- 

 plainant shipped from .Moxandria to New Orleans, for export, and to 

 Laredo, Texas, and to Hampton. Va., nine cars of finished lumber aggre- 

 gating 492,200 pounds manufactured from hardwood logs. The defendant 

 maintained a transit arrangement at Alexandria on logs, rough heading, 



—22— 



siavi'H and Niave boltH from Mcliil>cr 3, 1012, until .Inly 22, 11113; nud on 

 lough heading, hIuvch nod Itavi- bultx from July 22, 1013, until Septciubcr 

 10, 11>13. Tile triinNlt mtlo wiin three pouiidN of Iokk to oiii> pound of 

 rough InnilMT. SevirnI of the cmtk from (inid Ihih! moved during the bcc- 

 ood period namrd. The comphilnniil axtinllH the failure of the triiuHit InrtIT 

 in effect during the second pi-rlod nnmiMl to pritvhlc transit servlcf; on 

 logti. 



I'pon all of the fads of rcrurd, tl minlKsluii IIikIk tiial tliv clinrge* 



collected on the shipments which m.ived during the perlisl while the pro- 

 visions of the tariff were In efTict on the shiiinientH Involved were uuren- 

 sonable to the extent that they exceedeil the charges which would have 

 accruiHl If the bills of lading had stated the kind of logH shipped : that the 

 non-Inclusion of logs in trnnsli servlci' dining the (li-rioil from July 22, 

 1013, to Se|>teinlier 10, 1013, resulted In iiiireascuiabli' charges on the Hhlp- 

 ments which moved during that peiiml ii. tlii' extent that the charges col- 

 lecte><l excce<led the charges wliii b wceild have applied rm the basis of the 

 net ral.'s appllcaMe diuijig that period; that the lawful back haul referred 



to in the tnrllT involved should have I n miasiired by the distance from 



the points of origin of the logs to the inlllliig point; that the complalnimt 

 made the shipments described in aicorilaiice with the foregoing statement 

 of facts and paid the charges llieri'on as described; that It has lieen 

 damaged to the extent of the dillerence letween the charges paid and the 

 charges which would have accrued at (he rates and on the basis here 

 found reasonable; and that It Is entitled to lepnrntlon with intercut. 



The complainant accordingly should lui'iiare a staleinent covering tile 

 details of the shi|)niciits, which sboiiUl be submitted to <lefeiidant for verl- 

 licntlon. Tpon receipt of a slati'ment so pie|inred by the complainant 

 and verlflcil by defendant the commission will consider an order awarding 

 reparation. 



Oak lumber being shijiped between riiilli]). Miss., and South Bend, 

 Ind., is being subjected to unreasonable rates, according to a com- 

 plaint filed with the commission by the Tallahatchie Lumber Company 

 against the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad. Combinations of 

 local rates are being applied instead of a through rate, it is .stated in 

 the comjjlaint. 



Authorization has been given the New Orleans & Great Northern 

 Railroad to make a rate of seventeen cents on lumber from Norfield, 

 McComb and Fernwood, Miss., and nineteen cents from other stations 

 on the lines of the Natchez, Columbia & Mobile, Liberty-White & 

 Fernwood and Gulf railroads, provided no higher rates are made 

 between intermediate points. 



The Frisco Railroad has been ordered to pay a reparation claim 

 of the Fullerton-l'owell Hardwood Lumber Company. An tinreason- 

 able rate was charged on hardwood shipments from Poplar Bluff to 

 Coffeeville, Kans. 



Overcharges on oak logs shipped by the Berry Lumber and Stave 

 Company from Cuba, Hull ami Birmingham, Ala., to Chattanooga 

 have been ordered paid. The defendant in the case was the Ala- 

 bama & Great Southern. 



A case of more than usual interest is that of the Choctaw Lumber 

 Company versus the Texas, Oklahoma & Eastern. The carrier agreed 

 before the lumber company erected its large mill at Bismarck, Okla., 

 to put into effect joint through rates. It claims it is imijo.ssible to 

 keep the agreement owing to the decisions of the commission in the 

 tap line cases. Reparation amounting to $6,657.3.3 is involved, in 

 addition to the important principle whieh the case will decide. 



Reasons why increases in lumber rates to eastern cities are not 

 .iustified are summed up skill t'ully in a brief presented by the Huie, 

 Hodge Limiber Company last week. 



The fact that little interest was displayed by shippers at the time 

 of the hearing covering the matter of proposed advances in lumber 

 from producing points in Micliitjan to Toledo, O., is featured in the 

 argument of the Grand Eapiils & Indiana Railroad and the other 

 carriers in their brief submitted last week. 



Failure to apply through rates from Clio, Ark., to New York on 



