The Portland daily press., 1873-07-24
The New Freight Tariffs in Illinois.
PERPLExITIEs OF ILLINOIS AGENT5-sPECIAL
RATES-PRoBABLE REDUCTIONS.

Some of the accumulating tribulations of the
general freight agents in Illinois. under the
operations of the new law are discoursed of by
the Chicago Tribune of Saturday, as follows:
''The annoyanees incident to the preparation of
the July tariffs were slight compared with
the perplexities accompanying their operation
and application. The ruling of the Railroad
Commissioners made it possible for the freight
agents to give special rates. Abstractedly
viewed, it was an acceptable concession, but it
is proving to be source of great discomfort
An influential shipper asks for special rate
on 100 carloads of wheat from Ottawa to Chi
cago. If it is given him, and another Ottawa
shipper, or one nearer Chicago, should send
over the road the same quantity of grain, and
would be higher than the Specialize railroad
company is liable to the penalty OF $4,000 for
infraction of the law. To render the company
liable, it is not necessary that it shall refuse
equally advantageous rates to shippers OF like
quantities, The law says it shall not charge or
receive the prohibited rate So that the compa-
nes are compelled to play the detectives
part over their own and their agents actions.
Scores of, applications for special rates
received; hut if allowed, care has to
be taken that every other shipper of the
same class of freight is given equal advantages
1t is, therefore, somewhat dangerous to
grant special rates on such freight as wheat
or coal. In the case of goods peculiar to
one shipper, this danger is avoided. The result
is, the freight agents, before giving a special
rate, have to be quite sure they know every man
who will ship the same kind of freight. The
threatenings of the law make the agents timo-
rous in granting concessions. Already they
have come to grief
The tariffs are to be reduced. The Rock Is
land Company is the prime mover. Its officers
are unwilling any longer to endure the loss of
all the business at Peoria and Rock Island. I'm
der existing regulations, the Indianapolis,
Bloomington and Western and the Toledo,
Peoria and Warsaw Railroads, being short lines
to the East, and having low through rates from
Indiana to New York, are taking all the bust
ness from Peoria. From Rock Island the Chi
cago Company is also totally excluded. Now
that they have made strike for the business,
the rates on wheat are to be reduced four or five
cents, and on corn three cents. This will ne
cess ne gradual reduction of the intermediate
station rates. 1t implies still more serious re-
suit. The Western Union Railroad, running
from Racine into Rock Island, will go down to
the business. This will necessit lte a reduction
of the rates at Fulton, where it crosses the
Northwestern railway, and down must go that
company's rates. which will have downward
tendency on the Illinois Central at Dixon, the
junction point The Chicago, Burlington and
Quincy will also be forced into the self-protect-
ing reduction Thus, it will be seen "a lively time
among the freight agents may be looked for
during the "dog days"
The new railroad law will, without doubt,
seriously injure the cattle trade of Chicago,
and, although the effect is not yet apparent in
diminished receipts, it has prevented the ship
ment here of many hundreds of cattle already
Commission men at the stock yards daily re-
ceive dispatches from former customers in the
country. who say they intended to forward five,
ten, or fifteen carloads of stock, but have been
obliged to let them go East on account of lower
freights. The natural Increase of cattle alone
keeps up the receipts at the yards; without the
enormous advance in rates from competing
points on the railroad lines, there would be sew
eral thousand more arrivals week.