New-York tribune., 1873-07-24


rates for through reights. Fully one-hah OF the e1-
peDses OF running railroad what are called sta
tionary-tbat is they are the whether the road
does q large business or a small one. There are ue
station agents who must be paid just as much Il on"
two trains pass in day as when twenty 20 ny. hA'
perence has also proved that road is not saIe unesS
Is paroed and every foot Of it examined every DAY
It takes an engineer a fireman, conductor, nearly aS
many brakemen, and about the same amount OF eoaI 10
run train Of is cars as TO 90 All OF our roads have
a bonded debt the interest on which must DO pau
whether they do q large business a small one. NOW
we will suppose that q certain road must earn
q 100000 during the year in order to pay ex-
penses. and its local business brings 1t IN only
$4,000 If it other business it must either III
crease ts local rates one-third lose S25o0oo But
there 10 through business that the road can get II II
Will take il at half rates; II more is charged IL Will
either go other way not at all II the business
is taken the expenses Of the road will be increased say
sOO OO but the receipts will be increased S5GOOO NOW
the road by taking this business has made 100000
although the half million OF through business has not
paid expenses as you will For had all the business
the that the through business was the
companys receipts would have been only SSI5O0o while
its expenses sllO00C0 SO, you see these cheap
through rates only benefit the producer in the far
West enabled by them 10 get his grain to market
but they also benefit the farmer in this State because
they help pay the expense OF running the roads and
In that way make possible to have lower local rates.
THROUGH FREIGHT CHARGES DEFENDED.
"The farmers think that they in some way injured
by the fast freight lines that over many of the
roads" observed
at is mistake" the response. The stockhold-
ers in the roads may be injured but the farmers are not
These lines used for grain and their existence
does affect the Of other freight aonghe road"
He then explained to how it that so much better
time could be made by fast freight" ine than by
the ordinary lines. Cars loaded by tbese lines at any
point In the West not unloaded until they reach
their destinations therefore, when they arrive at Pitts
burgh Chicago they ready to go on with the hrs
train Ordinary freight has to be checked out Of the
cars OF ono company and into those Of another at those
points, and may be delayed two or three days before the
bills are ready and the merchandise can 20 on.
or the charge Of unjust determinations which the
farmers bring against railroads talked at con
siderable length. My friend said that there was no
doubt that the railroads Of this State had been generally
managed rather with view to getting business than to
development OF the country and to giving the farmers
the greatest facilities But" he continued, think
can show you that many OF the determinations when
the farmers think unjust based on sound business
prncipes-that is that charge the higher price for
the service which 1t costs the more TO give. And
first let me say that rolling stock our cars earn
money for us only when they are in motion For In
stance, If train arrives in Chicago tonight ana re-
mains until morning before IL is unoaded 1t earns nOth
ing during those hours that it Is standing de whle
it could be reloaded and started back tonight II would
earn as much before morning it did during today In
other words, every hour that our cars stani lde
or run over the road empty, they are incdrring
expense and making 10 return Now let me apply
this two stations the road and show you how II
that afford to carry freight longer distance Tor
lees rate, and viii leave out Of the account alto
geher the fact that competition forces us to DO az
certain points lose the business. will suppose that
train is up in Chicago TO 20 down the road, and
that car Is destined miles down,
and one for Bloomington, 126 miles down. When the
arrives Lexington, the destined for that
place is switched of and left to be unoaded because,
OF course wait for It, Then IL is prob
able that there viii be only Onefourh OF load for that
car to take back Chicago, and perhaps there will be
nothing SO it has to wait until train comes along to
take 1t back to Chicago empty or ouy partially nhcd
or down TO Bloomington, where it can get load But
there Is freight waiting for the car that vent to Bloom
ingon It is Immediately Teoaced, and gets back to
Chicago day two before the other 1t has made the
trip quicker, has had full load each way ana has ac'
tualy earned us money in the same time at
cheaper rate"
SOME Determinations EXPLAINED.
Another discrimination of which the farmers com
plain bitterly At many Of the towns along our line
there are elevators which very convenient for the
farmers, as they give them home market and cheap
storage for their grain We charge nothing for the use
OF tire land on which the elevator built and trans
port grain from elevator one cent less than we take
il from the point If IL loaded into the cars from
wagons Now the law forbIds this, though you Will
see that 1t is founded on sound business principles.
Suppose tran-load OF wheat is to come from one OF
those elevators to Chicago inform the man that the
cars will be there ct midnight by his contract he Is
Obliged load them whenever, IN the day Oh night they
arrive. In hours the ltraiu is loaded The next
forenoon has arrived in this city been unloaded and
is ready other business But cars that were left at
the same place at the same time to be loaded from
horn or
later, and all that time Is lost"
lone more discrimination: About seventy-fye miles
out we have branch road extending westward to
Lacon on the Illinois River where it CONNECTS with the
canal. Now rates from LaeOn to Chicago
have been the same as those by the canal
But we have charged more from Varna the first
station this side than have from Lacon. Still our
rates have been such that the farmer could send his
grain to Chicago cheaper by rail than by sending 1t 10
Lacon and thence by canal Now the law that We
must charge from Lacon than from Varna, and we
do but the rates on the canal have been raised also
that they are equal 70 ours"
RAILROAD PROPERTY NOT PAYING FIVE FER CENT.
reminded my friend that the farmers think that the
railroads getting too rich
He said that railroad property in this State does not
pay i've per cent on the money that has actually been
invested 1t. The railroads Of this State, he con-
tinued have history which you might fad inter-
estng The people wanted the roads built so badly that
in they have given the right OF way, done
the light grading, and where they have extended
through fimbered country, furnished the ties. Then
the NewYork capitalist mas come IN with the money TO
pay for the heavy grading. building the bridges ing
the iron and putting the rolling stock. For this he
has taken the bonds OF the roads, and they have been
struggling. ever since they completed TO get
money enough to pay their running expenses, and five
per cent interest on their bonds. Their stock is
generally worthless. Tako tho Alton road as an ex
ample 1t was first built by man down in Alton, and
il ruined him and those that with him, aud up
all their personal property. Tnen q gentleman