, 1881-12-18

a Falling OFF in the Volume Of
East.8ound Freights. -.
rbe Reduced Rates Do Not Stimulate
Shipments to the East. p:


.rhe Recent Heavy Reduction in Enst-
14aaud Frci.ht II atc* Efa- Not >fimu-
lated <nfpn1ent~-A Decrease in $lllp-
mems During the Past Week.
The anttcipa tons that the heavy reductions in
= a.st-bound grain and provision rates would
greatly stimulate shipments hare not been
1eat,zed Not only has there been no increase
IN ,he shipments Of those articles during the
mast week. but, strancc MS II may seem. there has
actually been 4 FILLING of in shipments. Grim
shipments during the past week have fallen uT
trnm e6l95 tons to :ss..,4.. to1ls, ana provision
shipments from l5,624 tons to i,634 tons It WIS
moi supposed that the tive-cent reduction In
crain rates would much affect grain shipments.
hi, on provisions where the reduction Is 10 cents
mr. 100, largo increase was au.icipatttl
Nearly all the provisions going East are
fm European cnnsunption; there is no
demand for grain there at our present
prices. The prices Of grain In Eur.spe
arc 50 much lower than here that no matter
hos large the reduction in rail RITES it canno1
possibly affect shipments That the extraordi-
uari!s low rates did not have the effect Ut In
cseas.ng shprneurs OF provisions is wat sur
rrses most rnsi1s,ad mcn> Tic principal object
10 c.akins the late rs1iucnou in rates to
stimulate she Shipments becausc the railroads
cannot afford tu send their ears East empty, and
the only east -buuud freight there WINS uny good
cnance 10 get was provisions. unfy two reasons
eau be given for the strange pheuomenon that
the heavs reduction in rates did NOT alAt e
provision shipments, and these Are. first. that
tne prices of provisions in the East are lover
than here. and the Euster1, pcs,pi.: have enough
to get aluag Win ,nt additional large. sup
plies from the West; sesnnd' some ot tue
provisions frun the large shippers for some
time past at as low rates rs the reduced rates
now are, and consequcntly 1he late reducuon
ions Is certainly extraordinarily low. and that
shipments arr Light ut this fixurc shows that it
is impossible for the railroads to MAKE peace and
establish higher and ultorzn rates ut this time.
for II they should take such action shipments to
The East would cea-e almost entirely. and tue
railroads canno, afford L, send their cars East
empty. IT. wk$t-buund business was light the
railroads could probably better AFFORD 10 let their
cars stand iue in the yards than take business
at uuprotitable rates. but wesI-hound business
Il very hesyy. On account uf the low passenger
fares to New Yark and other Eastern seanoard
cities many oi the Western dealers VINO
heretofore hougnt their yu;,ds ut Chicago went
EHst This fail and madt their purchases there,
and these goods are now coming West, To
bring these Ettods here the trunk lines need all
the cars they can get, and as fnst rs they are
unoaded here they have 10 be returned. There
fore the railroads eau we'll afs'Td to lake east
bound business st almost any rate for the cars
have to go back anyway, and it costs al.uost us
much to tuRt them back empty as toaded.
II Is started that even nuw so,nc Of the roads
are cutting under the rates established last
week. The principal competition is On pro-
grain traffic, as none c;n he bundled except such
as il wanted by ocean steamers. which is needed
fur ballast The Pennsylvania Kairoad claims
that, while it meets the mites made by o1her
lines on proviS1nus. It takes Erhin only ut
the old rures. This probably accounts for
the fact that nnst Of the grain shipped
during The psst week went. by the two Fanaer-
bilt lines and the Grand Trunk. The fact that
the Baltimore s. Ohio. which, under the pooling
was allowed ueurty the same per-
centage as the Grand Trunk. carried during the
past week but . per cent nf the east -buud
business from this clry. wnslc tho GrAnd Trunk
CARED u fraction over L per cent. would show
that the Grand Trunk ana other roads have
gwen better terms to Shippers than the Haltt-
more s. 0hin. which Was the first one tt an
nounee the late retlucQon in provision rates.
The rond5 leading east from st. Louis are said
to bc still worse of than those running casts
t rom Chicago Nearly nil the export grain from
that point goes By rhe Mississippi River barge
lines. It Is reported that day or two Agu a
WIS made by one Ut tne barge lines for
gram ut 81 cents ptr bushel from St Luuts to
and of course there Is no hll-raii Tine
that can com pete against such q rate.
The total amount nf grain. flour, and prorfs-
ions shipped ty the six lines leading East tron1
tbs city 1Or :he week ending Dec. II Amounted
to ~, ,s1A IONS. a.ninst 4S957 tons for the week
previous decrease III 5vJ6 tons.
The following statement shows the amount of
1our; grain, and provisions carried by the
various roads Leading East from this city during
the past weeE: ~