, 1866-02-22
TILE FREIGHT QUESTION.
Tile Railroad and Warehouse Burden
on Western Pr0duce-The Board OF
Trade Report IteviexEed-iA II e2ry Job
OF. f.WhitcyvNxy3&ug Examined.

on Western Pr0duce-The Board OF
Trade Report ItevieyEet-1a II e2ry Job
OF 'Whiteyvn%s,sng Examined.
BGRLIS0ToS, Iowa, Feb, 10.
Edl,ors Chicago Tribune:
Your papcr Of the t1th contains an address
to the public entitled 'The Freight CUES
tlon,'' and Is said 10 owe Its paternity to
joint committee Of the j" Board OF Tralc'' aud
"3Iercantile Association" Think it would
have been more appropriately titled "Vhite-
washing done here" The address evidently
intended to coEcr an immense amount Of space
and to be settler, for MI time to come, Of the
difficulties heretofore existing between an out.
rngcd and plundeEed class Of producers, and
a set Of unprinciplcd monopoiists. 1t would
be taking up more OF Jour paper than you
can probably spare to review the whole Of
this most extraordinary document, and shall
cou6ne myself to q few sample brfcks
In numerical order of the propositions dis
cussed, the following is the
'Fourtb:: Arbitrary rule. ef saliUny companies
In compelling the delivery OF bulk Erain 70 esTsan
The arrival ofehIpmenta.' 70 this eubect ihe com
r!tlee gave special consideration, and recognizing
md .! eomps,ttO9
fsetet BY which shippers could send lhetS eonsen.
meris to the elevators Of their osn ch0lce; but AZ
Ter very EHlI CdQFoSS OF tnt sDutCl In I'LL 8 0f4t
ines, they reluctantly came to the conclusion I'M.
1t Was tmprac,icable uuleez attended with expense
10 the owners Of The property that would morn than
any Ssaasa Sx h%
specdon md with agents Of he Board Of Trade In
side Of the elevators to, insure The delivery
own9s Of tie grain carefully supervising she
weishta, there would remain to be gained La choos
Ing elevators only The ndvantaee q selll.s low
quality, This. Wills It would work to the adsan-
tage Of datrcta havtng poat grain would 6e detrt-
70 h,sf ee an.v s1e f. e of aa pG n
the elevators IN Ch,caso, not connected with ,is
muft be added to the tariff ot transportation tn
some ehape. An experiment tested on the Galena
and Chicago Union railroad at the time Of the con-
their tracks,. shows thu. the came number OF cars
could do thirty {30} per cent nore business when
delivered together 1t oae elevator than i1ey could
In close proximity. 10 this expense must be
added The cost Of switching. an Important item.
We ars Advised that On the 5oads whese The
elevators not connected with their own tracks that
Wjth The best management, delay Of from one
70 f &c occurred in returning tic saf' 10 their
The Committee here grayefy informs She
public that It Is impractieAb1e for the owner
Of a car Of grain to send It to hts cousfgnee
and have the latter put 1t on the market and
sell it for It's worth, unless attended With
Ton3d more than eountesba!ance any adsan-
tsges gained By thcm." Now will suggest
10 President Randolph TINT II he will 30 to
Tie freight depot Of the Chicago & North
western Railroad, any mornlng-say as early
IS halt: post six-he viii f1nd any amount Of
wheat On the track for which lie could readily
iud the purchaser without crossing the river,
at from S1,2a5 to f1.30, provided the latter
could hore the privilege Of removing 1t fsoM
the depot the same as other property. Yet
the same Identical Krain Is sent mp to the city
elevator and is there inspected No. l. lde not
refer now to any that Is good enough to pass
al wilt certainly be graded No. l when II
rcacLts the elevator, aud the receipts issued
viii sell for only si.17 to S1:19, the owner be-
ing 1eeccd ont Of from 10 70 u ,; Ssnts PER
s1.7 " to s1.40 and No. s1.17 to 81 20 In the
c{tT :cleyetor. I am certain I do not
trayel out Of the record when ! say
fiat three out Of four Of the carsflrr1Eing by
the Northwestern Road that are graded No. l
would se1l on their merits on track at from ten
to thirteen cents per bu4hel above REGULAR
seasorable hour OF falfpast six, because on
inquiry few days ago at the freight Office Of
fhe Northwestern Road learned that their
freight traius arrive generally In the night,
and are switched up to the city elevator at
seven O'Clock. The committee proceed with
their nicely rounded periods to try to make
out case for the railroads, By masnitying
the expense Of sending grain to other Than the
warehouses OF their choosing. The North
western Road now send their cars from their
freight depot to the city elevator, q distance
Of orer mile, and say nothing about extra
charges for switching. Along that mile OF
track there are already numerous mills and
small warehouses, with side tracks, &C., that
| arc prepared to unload cars Just rs expedl-
tiously as the pct houses. And, It the "a1bi-
trary rules Of the RAILWAY companies In COM
polling the delivery Of grain Ia bulk to cestaiu
houses" were abolished, and the business
opened to competition. warehouses, BY scores,
then constgn their grain whero and 10 whom
they pleased, without even the necessity OF
! having its merits passed upon, and the grade