The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-08-23

The Proirit FaiHer has the following art.
Gle concerning railway charges 1t first gives
specimens of what railway companies charge
for their work, and then instances from actual
reports, etc, the cost Of doing work The ar
ticle is suggestiyc
July 23d, the rate of lirStclass frcights from
Chicago to New York, 1000 miles in round
numbers, was 45 cents per hundred, or p cts.
per bushel of sixty pounds. From 81. Louis
to New York it was 60 cents per hundred, or
u cents from East st. Louis, which is 30 4
cents per bushcl. 1t is now midsummer,
when the river, lakes and canals are at their
best condition, and furnish whatever relief
NAV be expected of them this season, yet such
are the facts at the two leading cities of the
Northwest.
This is not singular or unprecedented
state of things. The RdUr0ad Gdzctte, of this
city, itself furnishes the figures to show that
from 1864 to 1872 inclusive the average rate
on fourth class freights has been - cents per
hundred from Chicago to New York, or LA
per ton per mile or 1872 cents per bushel OF
wheat
Mr.. r. II. Ferguson of Troy, in an elabo
rate address before the National Board OF
Trade, last autumn, showed that the average
fourth class freight charges to New York,
from 1868 to lS1? inclusive have been; From
Louis, GO Il cents; MaItOOn, GS; Decatur, 60
Pana, 60; Tcrrc Ilautc 1915; keOkuk, GA
and Dubuque ~ cents, or from 81 TO - cents
per bushcl of wheat.
The last report of our railway commission
ers shows that eighteen roads of our state
charged through passenger rates averaging
3 i3 cents per mile and local rates averaging
1893 cents per mile; whilst ten roads charged
, lG cents per ton per mile through freight
rates, 4.12 cents local freight rates. This was
before the late cyorbitant advances in frciglts
were made.
That is what cheap transportation is not
Let us now see what it Is.
The PENNSYLVANIA Company, managing a
great system Of roads more or less profitable
admits by its own report for 1872 that it has
carried freight over them all at an average of
$50 1000 of cent per ton per mile, which in
cIudcs local and through tariffs of all classes.
Yet this would he at the rate of 70 cents on a
buNhci Of wheat from Chicago to New York.
They rhorgci lilG31O0DO cents per ton per
milo, making a profit of over 90 per cent.
above the cost. The transportation of pas
.rngrrs cost them lS3,-lOOO cents per paSsen-
Ger per mile; they charged 2i1O.lOoO making
., profit Of - per cent.
Josiah Quincy, taking English estimates as
the bIsi, OF his calculation, showed in an adj
dress at Boston in 1869 that a train of 200
tons could be transported from Chicago to
Boston, /. 100 miles, tor $500, or 1913 per ton,
or about 9. cents per hushcl Of grain. The
Chicago TribUac, last winter, stated that a
railway man of some prominence in Chicago
claimed that grain could be sent from here 10
New York for eight cents II buShel. Mr..
Quincy backs his statement by actual CXpc-
ricncr, furnished by Mr. Gait showing that
the Eastern Counties Railway Of England
carried coal for 32l0O of Il cent per ton per
mile.
Mr. Ferguson, whose paper we have already
noticed, goes into 4 calculation, based on rail
way authorities showing that freight can be
carried from Chicago to New York for IL l-6
cent, per hundred, or 4 little less than eight
cents per bu,hcl, or 2G3 1000 of cent per ton
per mile
Belgium to-day is charging II, cents per
mile for the Transportation of hr>tClasS pas
ScngcrS over roads that cost, according TO
Parr 100000 per mile; and carries local
freight at 500 cents per ton, ar mills per
hundred per mile, meanwhile paying SIX per
cent. on the capital invested in railways. The
old tariff on m" Chicago and AllOn railroad,
from Chicago lu Chcnua, lU2 miles, wis httY
cents per hundred, or more than three times
rs much.
There i, very wide margin left between
living. cheap rates and the cNtortions OF many
OF our railways, rs the above figures go To
show To excite their emulation we Will cite
an instance from the Missouri D,"o'r"t, of
water transportation. The tow boat Alice
Brown goes from pi,;-hurg &" New Orleans
with II har-cS containing 22,Hu tons ri coal
II she receives - cents per ton Tor the l,luO
milo trip she will Ice well paid anu lhe cost
OF TRANSPORTATION will be but onc-Jhird OF a
mill per ton per mile.
Scissored Scintillations.