, 1880-02-22
RAILROADS.
An Effort to Keep Up the Present
High Rates-Corn Shipments.
Business Done Last Week-Notes and Per-
s0fials.

EAST-BOUED FREIGHT BUSINESS.
Great efforts are being made By the rail-
roads to make such Showing at the meeting
of tho High Joints" on the 96tli as will
give them pretext to continue the present
high rates on east-bound freight for 4 time
longer. By dint of hard labor they have
succeeded In bringing about an increase in
the east-bound freight shipments during the
past week Of 4,137 tons, This fact will no
doubt be used as an argument that the busi-
ness is increasing, and that therefore reduc-
tion In rates is not necessary. But there is
but little cause for such expectation. The
small increase during the past week has been
caused by special causes. In the first place,
1t Is reported that q certain Western
road and one of the elevators paid to
Mr. John B. Lyon the sum Of one and half
cents per bushcl to apply on the accumulated
storage charges, that room might bc gained
by that elevator for new consignments.
This enabled Mr.. John Is. Lyon to take ont
of the elevators and ship forward about 3o0,-
600 bushels Of grain, the bulk OF which went
to the Lake Shore, which road was sadly In
need OF new consignmerts, having run con-
sidorabfy short OF Its regular percentages
during the last few months. The Pittsbnrg
i Fort Wayne got the rest. Then the Grand
Trunk, which had been taking out the bulk
Of the export grain, got blocked up at their
scaports and had to stop foreign shipments.
This road, however, is still doing large
local business to New England points. Be
sides what the Grand Trunk shipped by
way Of the Michigan Central, about 1900
tons Of grain went direct BY the
new Grand Trunk from this city. The busi-
ness done by the new Grand Trunk is not
yet included in the regular Board Of Trade
statement. It is hard to see why it is not
Probably it is not desirable to have it known
yet that this line is making any active COM
petition. This will be Of little avail, however,
as the shippers are well aware of the fact
that the line is ready for business, and it is
getting all the business for which it can
furnish cars. uad'it not been for the facts
stated above, the east-bound shipments
would have been lighter than ever before;
The very fact that the small inducement
given to Mr. Lyon got forward so much
grain last week shows that slight rcdnc-
ton in the rates would have the effect
Of getting the Grain in store ore he here for
in by the Western roads. With
fair reduction in rates, it is almost certain
that the roads will get most of the grim in
store here, while, If the rates are kept up, it
will await the opening of navigation and
take the lake routes.
The total amount of flour, grain, and pro-
visions shipped during the past week from
this point amounted to only 31,l40 tons,
while the roads could and should have car
ried about double that amount. As far as
Chicago is concerned, it matters but little
whether 4 reduction in rates is made at the
meeting Of the ssHigh Joints" or not. On
the contrary, high rail-rates can only benefit
this city, because the business will seek this
point on account of the better rates offered
by the lake routes as soon as they are ready
for business The New York trunk
lines and their Southwestern allies are
certainly acting against their own
interests BY opposing reduction
in rates now, for the business that is now be-
ing diverted" BY way of the Mississippi and
Oflio Rivers and other new channels, as we'll
as that which is waiting for the opening OF
navigation in the elevators here, could just
as we'll be taken By them now as not, and the
increased shipments would more than repay
them for the loss from a reduction in rates,
not considering at all the benefit to the West
ern roads from such action. Owing to the
blockade here and at other points, the West
ern roads cannot do half the business they
could do otherwise, and consequently they
are heavy losers as long as the blockade lasts.
The argument made BY the railroads that