Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-11-08

Est. and What is Charged.
From the Chicago Tribune.
Our present railroad system, and
its effects upon the productive in
terests of the country, were subjects
of paper read before the National
Board of Trade, by Mr.. r. II. Fer
guson, of Troy, some of whose state
ments we reproduce, without, how
ever, guaranteeing their accuracy.
For the last five years, the average
charge for carrying $50 pounds,
fourth class freight, from Toledo to
New York, has been forty-tivc cents,
for bushel of Sc pounds, % cents;
from Chicago to New York, for 100
pounds, Sc is cents, for a bushel,
81 40 cents; from st. Louis to New
York, for 100 pounds, col cents, for
a bushel, 37i cents. The average
tor all these charges was for 100
pounds, 59a cents, for bushel, 80
2-5. From the six interior compc-
ting points-Mattoon, Decatur, Pa
na, Terre Hautc, Keokuk, Dubuque
the average charge was II cents
for bushel. But other charges are
to be added, since the farmer must
move his grain from his farm to the
interior station, when it comes to
some one of the points named above.
This additional cost is from Is to 25
cents, according to distance, and
makes the cost of moving grain
from the three chief cities named
above, 994 to 1922 cents for 100
pounds, and Sc 2-5 to 60 Is cents
for a bushel; and from the six inte-
rior points makes it 53a cents a
bushel. AS corn at these points
brings only Is to 20 cents bnshel,
the Western farmer sells three or
four bushels to pay the freight on
one. Thrce-quarters OF the Western
farmers product is given to the
railroads to carry the other quarter
market.
"Can you be surprised" asks Mr..
Ferguson, "that the western farmer
is unable to pay the interest on his
mortgagcd farm? Was ever a peo-
pie taxed by King, Emperor or
despot, three-quarters of their pro-
auctions? Does not the query force
itself upon the minds of all intelli-
gent persons: If continued where
will it end? The tendency is tow
ard consolidation among all through
lines, so as to crush out all compc-
tition and permit two or three rail.
road kings to dictate to the people
how much they shall pay for their
food, fuel and clothing. Already
the railroad system Of our country
comprising over $4,000 miles, and
fast increasingly is in the hands of
halfa dozen men, who can tomorrow
morning telegraph orders from their
headquarters that will raise the
barrel of flour you buy at noon 81,
the pork you buy and cents per
pound, the beef you eat, the same,
the coal you burn 81 ton, every
bushel of grain in the country 2, 5,
5 and 10 cents per bushel, putting
into their purses millions of dollars
before night, to the disadvantage of
every man, woman and child, and
to the benefit alone of half a dozen
millionaires."
Mr.. Ferguson shows next what is
the actual cost to the railroads of
the service for which they charge
SO extrav agantly. BY the TESTING
ny of a prominent official on the
Iron Mountain Railroad, of the
President Of the Virginia Central,
and of the Superintendent of the
Schenectady Locomotive Works, it
is shown that a ton can be hauled
one thousand miles at an actual out
lay of $2.635, all expenses, time la
Dor, interest on cost Of road and
equipment included. But the charg-
cs for that distance have been 3d.
% between St. Louisiana New York
and Sll.3G between Chicago and
New York. Further, this actual
cost of $2.633 ton is for transport
alton under bad management. Cal
culations based on the accounts of
the New York Central and Erie
Railways show that, with proper
management, a saving of one-half
could be effected, reducing the act
ual cost Of freight from the Missis-
sippi to New York to $l.3la a ton.
This would be a saving of 80 cents
a bushel from St. Lonis, and 245
cents from Chicago.
The remedy which Mr.. Ferguson
proposes is to have the railway bus
mess of the country done for the
people, at cost, by the people. This
to be done, not through the agency
of the Government, but through the
National Board of Trade. This, we
may remark, will be possible when
the National Board Of Trade owns
the railroads, and not before.
How to Drive Rats Away Without
Poison.
We know of three methods
First, the old French plan; this is