The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-03-28

In our last we pointed out somo..,
difficulties of making a freight ,..;s sne
but the subject was by no means e,s VI
ted. The popularity in rail transna'
ton, that the company are mo-
freighters but insurers, has eomno,,
the making of what is known a. e. ..0a
hcation," or freights are classed n.
2, or 4, but there are some that !.
surers would say, are extra valuablo :. $.
are ciassed as double-frst class-sroL
line furniture, pianos, looking olos.
etc, then there are some that are W.,
insurers would call extra hazardora
such as powder, acids, explosive oils j.
which are classed as speciap.
making of a classification is perbans :.
difficult as the making of the tariff :
prices.
Then there are questions Of distance
for however much it may be desired tb..
all freights should beuniform per m;,e
-
moments reflection will convince ~
most pronic advocate for it-tbat S
company can carry freight twenty mile.
for one-ffth of what it can carry !. ono
hundred miles-the expense and risk Z
handling is the same in one case az az
other, and what would be remuner.t;,.a
in the case of one hundred miles wonla
be positive loss intwenty miles. Tbeyo
is then the question of competit;vo
points-where the company cannot die.
tate rates but must be governed by c;r.
cumstances. There is yet another ouos.
ton, and, to the railroads operated 4
our State, of great Importance as thev
run through strictly agricultural conn
try, the.products of which are SO largely
in one direction, as to produce a want of
equalization Of tonnage" that is embar-
RAISING. TOillustrate: Look at the staff.
ties of the roads passing through opr
State and ending at New Orleans, Mo
bile, Memphis, Vicksburg and Natchez
and you will discover that of every three
cars delivered full at those points, only
little more than one is returned filed
and this condition must continue until
our industries are more diversified and
our country developed. The reader who
has followed me, will, / am sure, come
to the conclusion that the making Of a
freight tariff is one Of great difficulty
and requires great experience-large
knowledge of the character and volume
of the traffic, and that it is unreasonable
to presume that any one man caa be
found competent to it.
aLet US now enquire who the wise men
are who make these tariffs. Their, are
some ten different railroad companies
whD operate in our State, and they each
have a board of directors of fully nine
in number, aggrcgating in all ninety,
now greatly doubt whether ten of these
ninety, or an average of one to each
company, ever examined the freight
tariff, or can tell you anything about it;
or OF the ten presidents, / greatly doubt
whether more than one, or at the most
two. had anything to do with the max
ing Of it, or have any knowledge about
it. To whom, then, is this delicate and
difficult duty left---I answer, to what is
called the General Freight Agent, -
and he representing only the interest Of
the railroad-with generally little knowl- \
edge of the wants, and less regard for
the interest Of the people upon whom
he leTies arbitrarily the tax-3o long as
ne collects revenue satisfactory to
the managers, it matters not what inc
qualities or determinations are made,
and it is in his power to make special
rates to large shippers and consignees
which is not unfrequently done by means
OF rebates, commissions, etc, whereby
one class OF patrons are given a decided
advantage over others.
OpsEnVER