New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-25
P1ILRnAn FREIGHTS.


the railroad question. The citizens represented
in this body have as good night as any other
set Of men to express their opinions, and 1t Is
not to be denied that they have some right TO
complain. end to demand from their legislators
an adequate remedy. Nor is there any room 10
doubt that the farmers of this State, as well
AS many merchants and manufacturers, have
suffered seriously from the policy which the
New-York Central has adopted. There have
been upiust and unreasonable Determinations
against local interests here and IN interior
counties If the jtate and the tendency VI
sharp competition between ra'lroads' as "
through rates, bas been TO cause an lmposilon
of uniusy charges upon lC.al traffic TO MAKE
ND fo1 the losses resulting from conpetltlon
on through business. 1t is Important now
ever. that the real grievance of the farmers
and of other citizens who may act with "em'
should not be obscured by exaggerated state
ment. There is a strong public feeling III th''
State which viii insist upon justice, but that
feeling will be repelled and dissipated il the
demands made upon the railroad companies
are unjust or unreasonable.
1t Is not reasonable to insist that the ton
of freight like the passenger, should be trans
ported at the same rate. per mile, whether the
distance is small OF great. The farmers OF
Iowa, Wisconsin and other Western States
brought discredt upon their just claims and
subjected themselves to much harsh criticism
as impracticable extremists, and had the NOR
tifcation at last of seeing their reforms
broken down and abandoned, because they
overlooked the bottom fact that a short haul
actually costs more, per ton 1er mile, than
low l-pnyrs that II
per bale of goods, to do a retail than
wholesale business, and the same principle
applies to the doing of large or small business
at single transactions on railroad. The long
haul is relatively wholesale business, because
it can be done cheaper per mile than the short
haul. So, also, the large shipment is relatively
| the wholesale business, because 1t can
| be done cheaper per cart-load than the
| small shipment. These are fundamental facts,
as well known in the transporting as in any
other business, and the farmers cannot afford
to overlook them in assailing the abuses
which grow out of the essentially just
principle on which they rest.
For illustration, it costs about 25 cents to
| load and unload a single ton of freight. Ii
the cost of hauling each ton mile Is half
a cent, the cost of moving a ton ten
miles will be cents for hauling, and 20
for loading and unloadingJ total, 80 cents,
or cents per ton per mile. But the cost OF
moving the ton 500 miles would be, at the
same rate, for hauling 50 so, and for loading
and unloading % cents total So rs. or .55
of one cent per ton per mile. The rail-
road company cannot possibly avoid this
difference, and it would only be taxing
| the through traffic for the benefit of
the local traffic to adopt a cast-irOn
rule of equalization. SO of shipments in
small quantity; they necessarily cost more
than shipments in large quantity. The train
| load of freight which goes through from New
York to Buffalo costs nothing except fuel and
wages of hands, and use of material, from
| the beginning to the end of the journey.
| But one ton of freight, if offered at
small station, costs stoppage, a delay
| in loading or unloading, and the expense
of handling, and all these extra costs
are more than the entire cost per ton of
hauling the tram from one end of the route to
the other. The large shipper, too, who can
! load a car or a tram at once, is actually enti-
tied to lower rates than the smaller ship
per, not because his big business con-
fers any favor on road, but be-
|
to carry it. The through train costs little on
the way, and is made up so that one engine
can draw il to the end. The local train has
to stop at all stations, with considerable
waste of time, fuel, power wear of machinery
! and rails, and expense of hands at every
stOppage. and cannot be started full If it is to
take up all that may be offered on the way.
! In short, it can move freight only at much
| higher cost.
These distinctions, because they rest upon
| immutable laws of business, cannot be altered
| by any legislation or resolutions, and true re-
| form in transportation should be sought not
| in disregard of these laws but in harmony with
them. For such reform strong body of citi-
| zens embracing men of great influence in both
parties will work very heartily, if the objects
proposed are reasonable and just Hence it is
pecuiiary important for the State, as for the
| farmers, that the positions taken by so respon-
sible a body as the Alliance should be such
that lust and intelligent men can give them
unreserved approval. There is in this State,
we venture to say, a body of citizens Of both
parties so powerful that no corporation can
resist them, who anxiously desire substantial
reforms which will prove of real benefit to
the farmers and the shippers Of New-Y0rk.
1t would certainly be a grave mistake if this
| force should be dsunlted and deprived of
power by any ill-judge1, extreme and un-
reasonable demands made in its behalf.
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