The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1873-09-26

i
with gold at ia. the specie cost OF freight pei
ton per mile, on the Illinois Central railroad in
the year 1872, would be 1.86 cents, or 90 cent
lower than in 1868. The Chicago. Burlington
and Quincy charge OF 2.2O cents. in 1872, would
be 1896 cents which is "a cent less than the
tariff In I864,-the earliest we can obtain. The
Rock Island charge OF 2.49 cents in 1872, is
2.22 cents in gold which Ii no less than AZ
cent below the average tariff at the beginning
OF the war; II will be admitted universally
that prices Of all articles that go to make rail-
road transportation costly, have advanced far
more than the gold premium. On the other
hand, business has increased 30 much that it is
equitable that a reduction, and large reduction,
should be made. These considerations are in
the self-interest OF the railroads prompts them
to accede to the demands for reasonable re-
duction of rates. Whether they make a suffi-
Gent reduction is question involving railroad
economics, an analysis OF the proper cost Of
TRANSFORMATION, and allied problems TO such an
extent that it would be wholly impossible to
discuss il here.
New York, June 1, 1864, was sI.50 per barrel.
On June l. 1873, 1t was 80 cents. Fourth class
freight was rs cents per hundred pounds in
1864, and IS cents in 1878. To Boston the
charges we're $I.60 and 80 cents in 1864; S1.0O
and 30 cents in 1873. The returns Of the Mich
igan Central Railroad show that there has been
q regular and continuous reduction Of the tar
ne hotl MI
through freight, which was 2.45 cents per ton
per mile in 1868, and I9S cents in 1870, was
only L57 cents during the year ended with May
1878. There has been quite as great decline
in local freight, which began at 1856 cents per
ton per mile in 1868, and has gone down TO
2.5I cents in 1878 the annual reduction vary
Ing only between IA and .2S cent. Without
citing the figures. it may be stated as remark
able fact, capable Of the fullest proof, that the
average freight rates on the New York Central
line have been diminished more than fifty per
cent in the last seven years
All these reductions have been made without
any compulsory legislation, and, what is worthy
of notice, the greatest decrease is noticeable in
the very road Of all others in the country which
has probably the least to fear from unfavorable
legislation.
The state OF affairs which We see. then, is
general reduction OF freights year by year, by
the voluntary action Of railroad corporations.
To which it must be immediately added tina.
the reductions are smaller than they shonld
have been by Just the amount used to pay divi-
dends on stock and interest on bonds issued
without an equivalent investment being made
by the purchase OF property. 1t may be that
further reductions could be made without in the
least diminishing the revenues or the profits OF
the companies, but that is purely a problem in
railway administration which only experts can
discuss intelgently. But, at all events. we
may here say, with indsputable facts to sup
port Us, in answer to the first question we pro-
posed to ourselves, that some roads, namely,
those that have actually watered their stock, do
charge and have charged more than they ought
to have done for the transportation OF freight
aud their rates have therefore been excessive
and extortionate. Not all roads have been
guilty, and not all guilty roads have been cul-
psble in the same degree, but on tho whole the
charge OF extortion is sustained against great
many Of them.
But is the real difficulty what the farmers
have supposed 2 1t is evident to everybody that
excessively high rates Of transportation will
diminish exports. will cause such economy, and
will so stimulate production in the less fertile
centres Of consumption, that it would be i'm
possible for the farmers OF the west to dispose
OF their crops. On the other hand. q very sud-
den and great reduction Of freights would be
quite as little for the general good. In the
first place. 1t would prove serious injury to
agricultural interests in the middle states. The
value OF lanl there depends to great extent
on its neaIness to market. The census OF 1870
gives the number OF acres of improved land IN
farms in New York at about fifteen and half
million in Ohio, fourteen and half million ;
in Illinois. nineteen and third million. The
value of Illinois farms, the largest in extent
was 92O million dollars: of Ohio farms, Ic54
lions. The same census shows that the average
production to an improved acre was Of the val
ue OF ssi0.92 in illinois Sl3 81 IN Ohio and
$685. IN New York. 1t needs 40 argument at
all to prove that were the cost OF transporta-
ton to become an insignificant part OF the price
Of grain, it would assis. distant producers at
the direct expense OF the nearer. Now, the
farmers OF New York, Ohio and Michigan might
as naturally object to an artificial lowering OF
the freight charges as the farmers OF the more
western states demand it. We do not propose
this 0s fair subject for fight between two
Sections hut to show that 1t is not primarily
everybody's interest that freghts shall be I'M
mediately and violently reduced
IyaI1 IyLNDS'