Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-02-21


is required to be moved, and to the fur
ther fact that the detention of ears upon
the side tracks. loading and unloading is
as great, in most instances even greater,
than upon long hauls between termiHi,
the cost of the service is always greater
upon the short hauls between way sta
tons than upon continuous transporta-
jtlon between a terminal point and way
station or another terminal point"
We gather from this statement of your
Honorable Board. that the reason why
you make less rates 70 and from Atchi-
son, LeavenWorth, State Line and Kan
sas City is because of (1) increased
switching, ~ in reased hauling of emp
ty cars, (3) increased detention of cars at
way stations. Now in all frankness, we
must say that your Honorable Board
knows that while there may be a slight
~ less cost per ton per mile on account
Of these expenditures, on terminal bust
ness as compared with the same expend-
itures on way traffic, that the cost is too
trifing to admit of any material reduc-
ton on those accounts only in terminal
freight rates. We think that your Hon
orable Board knows that if these three
reasons you have given were the only
ones in existence, there could not prop
erly be any difference between local
rates and terminal rates. We are iusti-
fed, therefore, in looking for other rea-
sons which may have prompted you in
making these concessions to AtehisOn.
LeavenWorth and Kansas City. For
many years, this road, and every other
road in the State has made lower rates
for terminal traffic than for purely local
traffic. But we know, and we think
your Honorable Board knows, thatit was
not done for the three reasons stated
by your Honorable Board. We know.
and we think your Honorable Board
knows, the real reasons upon which the
difference has been founded. I think I
am justified in saying that your Honora-
bic Board knew when you made these
lower rates to Atchison, Leavenworth
and Kansas City, that you were not JUS
tilted IN doing 1t, because of "sWitching,"
empty car hauling" and scar deten-
tions." 1 say this so emphatically, be-
cause the agents of this company have
time after time brought the facts before
your Honorable Board. Time after time
haYe we shown to your Honorable Board,
that over eighty per cent. of our freight
traffic consisted of Interstate traffic
passing to or from Kansas City and other
States. Time after time have we shown
to your Honorable Board, that Atchison
and Kansas City practically represent
ed two gateways for the interstate traf-
fic, coming into and going from the State.
Time after time have we explained to
your Honorable Board that the founda-
tons which had supported us in past
years in making lower rates to and from
these two terminal gateways were these
three reasons.
First, By reason of the necessity of
competition with other lines leading
from Kansas to the East by other gate
ways North and South of Atchison, Leav-
enworth and Kansas City.
Second, By reason of the necessity of
lower rates than our old distance tariff
rates, in order to take the surplus pro-
ducts of far western State like Kansas,
to market far beyond the State.
Third, Because the interstate traffic
done in train and carload lots, and in
large volumes like that to and from these
terminal gateways could be transported
at less figures than a small and scattered
local traffic, after including nearly TWEEN
tv other factors of expense, besides
switching" empty car hauling" and
"car detention"
viii your Honorable Board allow me
to respectfully suggest that possibly the
reasons which prompted you to ignore
CONSIDERATIONS
may have been the fact that by stating
these real reasons, you would be brought
face to face with the following facts
No. l. That by attempting to make
rates on this class Of business. you would
be regulating rates on Interstate traffic,
and thus violate United States laws
No 2. That if this were not inter-
State traffic, then by making such lower
rates on freight traffic local to Atchison,
LeavenWorth and Kansas City, you were
building up these cities at the expense
of other points in the State and thus dis
eliminating against them in violation of
Kansas State law, which clearly and i'm
peratively forbids such discrimination.
We respectfully ask from your Hon
Orable Board, and from the public living
Upon the line of road, a careful consid-
Grafton of your decision of January 1,
of 1884, in connection with all the evil
dence that has been before you previous
to that decision and since its promulga-
ton. In view of these facts does not the
whole tone and spirit of your decision
point to this truth, thatYou new tariff has
been made not becauseit was needed, not
because the interests of the people re-
CURED 1t, but because Railroad Commits
sion having been ablished and the rates
making power given to them, new rates
must be made, and lower rates would
probably be more popular than higher
rates? Is it not fact, that the entire
evidence which has come before your
Honorable Board has gone to show that
the old system of rates upon the Atchi-
son road was fair, reasonable and equit-
able, and was based upon principles
which would give the largest possible
development to all internal enterprise?
Is it not fact, that the so-called Hcom-
plants" from Usage City, Newton and
Great Bend, were arranged for before
hand, so that system of rates could be
made by your Honorable Board by MAX
ing rates for an eastern, central and
western point, and thus cover the whole
road with Commissioners tariff? Is it
not fact that this question of rate max
ing has become a political one, and not q