Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-03-03
Commissioner Fink Replies to Judge
RIaaE

The New York World of Friday
publishes a communication from Com
missioner Albert Fink in reply to the
speech made by Judge Black at the anti
monopoly meeting held at New York on
Monday last. Mr. Fink complains of
what he calls gross Misrepresentation to
which railroad companies are subjected,
and protests against Judge Blacks as
sumption that the silence of railroad
managers in respect to the charges
brought against them should be rightly
construed as admissions of their guilt,
He goes on to remark that if these unjust
attacks are persisted in, unity of action
on the part of the railroad companies
may become necessary as a measure of
self-defense. Judge Black computes that
a late advance made by the railroad
companies, from 90 to 35 cents per hun
bred pounds on grain from Chicago to
New York, robs the people annually of
$50, OOO. 600. He further computes that,
including other freight besides grain, the
robbery amounts to 1925, 900, 600, and he
further estimates that present charges
are extortionate to the extent of Is cents
per one hundred pounds, so that the
total amount "extorted from the pockets
of the people in one year is 1915, 600, 900,
enough" says Judge Black, ito pay half
the national debt, and this is only on
through freights.
Says Mr.. Fink in reply: "Unfortu
nately for Judge Black, when we con-
sIder the carefully compiled statistics
which are published by MIR. Henry Y.
Poor, of New York, in his Railroad
Manual, which work is generally in the
hands Of all men who pretend to watch
the progress and condition of railroads
and keep themselves informed upon this
subject, we find there is 8 strange dis
crepancy between the facts as repre-
sented by Judge Black and the facts as
they appear in PO0r's Manual. In that
work for 1880 we find that the total gross
freight earnings of 81, 233 miles of rail
roads in the United States in the year
1879 were only 1886, 6g6, 108. This
is the total amount of money
paid by the people of the United
States to the railroads for all sorts
of freight transportation, including all
local and all through freight, during the
year 1879, of which Judge Black com
putes the railroad companies have I'M
Justly extorted 1915, 000,0 from the
suffering people. Out of these gross
earnings the railroad companies have ac-
tually paid, as also appears from the
same book, about so per cent, or say
1892, 900, 900, for operating expenses. to
their employees, to manufacturers, etc.,
which leaves them only 1854, 900, 900
available for the payment of interest on
an investment Of 81. 762, 900, 900. The
total net earnings of all the railroads of
the United States, including the passen-
ger traffic, were $219. 916. 724, or 4 8 10
per cent on the capital invested.
Mr.. Fink next turns his attention to
the claims set up by the New York
Board of Trade and Transportation in
their resolutions and through their
spokesman, Mr.. Thurber. On this head
he says "They claim that New York
should not pay more for transportation to
or from Cincinnati than Baltimore pays,
which latter city is nearer Cincinnati by
268 miles, How do the citizens of Balti-
more like such proposition? They say
it would exclude that city practi-
cally from participation in the trade of
the country. The railroad companies by
long experience nave agreeu upon certain
differences in the rates from both cities,
under which it is demonstrated that the
trade of both cities prospers, and that the
advance and increase Of business in both
keep pace In about the same ratio. The
railroad companies believe that they do
justice to both communities. Yet New
York is not satisfied, and Baltimore is
not satisfied. The great mistake that is
made by the railroad abuseTs is that they
take up an individual case without ex-
animation and then assume it to be a
just and true complaint, and then fur
Their assume that the complaint applies
to every individual in the country"