The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1874-06-17

are only small per cent. of local
rates on the same kind of freights
Through freighfs are rarely taken
except at remunerative rates. So
that local rtes are simply extoF~l
tionate. in SO far as they are greater
than through rates.
It costs a railroad no more to
transport a ear load of bacon than
car load Of bricks. A car load of
bricks Is remunerative at 12L cents
per mile, but a car load of bacon
costs the shipper just 335 cents per
mile, by local rates on this road. So
of the entire table of rates. 1t is
made up, and worked, without any
reference to the actual cost of the
work performed. just as much is
charged as the railroad officers sec
fit to charge The rate that will
remunerate tie company, is not once
thought of. Situated as East Ten
ncssce farmers are, there is no one
to offer them cheaper transportation.
So that they have hitherto been com
PEELED to grin and bear it all.
The officers Of the company, in the
report before referred to, attempt to
Justify this course upon the idea,
that the road is OF great benefit, To-
calIy, to the country. And to sus-
tain this idea, the following state
.nent is made, On page 25, to which
our especial attention is called in
the copy before us, by huge ink lines
drawn around it:
AS q practical illustration of my
position, it may not be amiss to
mention that during the rast year
your Company has paid out on the
line Of Road about $842,436, while
the receipts for local passengers and
for this Roads proportion of JreIghts
deliUered on the line, amount to
about $345, 967, showing the amount
thus paid out to be nearly One-haIf
million dollars more than the amount
collected from the sources above
mentioned. These figures demon
strate with greater force than any
words or arguments that [ can offer,
/ the real and substantial benefits
that the citizens Of this section de-
rive from the through business OF
the Road.
This reasoning seems pretty strong /;
but to cur mind is clearly deceptive.
For, when we turn TO pages 81 and
SO Of that report, we find that the
sum set down as $345, 967, ought to
be, (alIowing that Dalton, Chattaneo-
ga and Bristol furnish as much local
business in the aggregate as does
Knoxville alone), 1925, 647.69. We
arrive at these figures by adding to-
gether the accounts earned for local
passengers, conductors collections,
mileage tickets, .. S. Mail and rev.
enues derived from local freights
Then when we remember that all OF
the item of $842,436 goes to railroad
employees and officials, except what
is paid for wood, lat 50 per cord)
crossties and ballasting stone, (at
about corresponding prices, and
small item for spikes &C.. it seems
to us the argument loses much Of it'
force, and we are puzzled to know
what is in the paragraph that makes
it so diseouraging to local receipts
No-the railroads that transper
East Tennessee products to market
are making their owners immensely
wealthy, and those who furnish Thu
business to them are hard pressed
to exc out a bare existence. Agains
this state Of affairs we enter our pro
test, and speak our warming An(
our conscience tells us we are doing
right, even if we are the only pape
on the line Of road that dares tt
affirm it.