The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1884-02-08
Freight on Fertilixers.

Freight on Fertilisers.
Mn. EDITOR In your issue of Feb. 1st.,
under the above heading. you have. no doupt
unintentionally, leen nisled as TO the facts in
your article.
Prior to the leasing Of the s. U. &. c. Railroad
by the Clyde combination, the freight on guano
irom Charleston to onion C. Ii. was S45,OG per
car, or "a 80 per- ton. Very soon after the
above lease was consummated some years
ago-the rate on guano was advanced to 500
per car, or So per ton, which rate had been
in force all the while, until the STANDARD Tariff
. OF the Il. r. Commission reduced it to S42
per car, or "a 20 per ton. This rate was arrived
at by graduated charge for the distance
haulei,-none paying the same or more for
shorter haul than was paid for a longer distance,
which had not been the practice Of the roads.
The rate Of freight on guano should be low,
because it is home manufacture, made within
our own borders. used very extensively by our
farmers, for the purpose Of making cotton and
other produce that in their turn will, in very
large measure, be hauled by the Same roads
that haul tho guano. Then, again, reduced rates
would give greater consumption, aid thereby
| increased tonnage for the roads. Furthermore,
much reduced the price and market value OF oil
Phosphates-say fully rs per cent. Large guam
titles of Kainit are now being used, worth in
tho market $lo to SIP per ton. Thus, you see
We have Kainit, Acids, super-P -Phosphates, &C.,
worth in the market from $40 to Sl5 and $50
per ton, on which we have freight rate ranging
from nearly 25 to so per cent. of The fret cost
OF the goods. No business in the world can
sustain such rates OF freight. Suppose for q
moment you had to pay rs per cent Of the value
VI your cotton as freight, or on any article as
much Of a staple as either Of these two Yet,
all who are at all familiar with this subject, know
that one Of the first considerations in making
rates, 10 to take into consideration the value Of
tho article TO be shipped. These are some of
tho reasons that influenced one of the commits.
sioners to favor low rates on fertilizers. The
railroad authorities impressed the Legislature
that the Commission should not make rates. and
the law was amended to this extent, before it
had been fairly tested, aud we were given to
understand by the Legislature that they oons;d-
cred the rates too low for example, their increas-
ing all passenger rates, by special enactment.
The commissions rates on guano to Union
was reduction of nearly 20 per cent. on the
old rate, so when the road proposed to advance
the commissions rates about 10 per cent the
Board approved tho same. To reoapitulate: The
anti commission rate WAS S5 per ton, the com.
missions rate 81 20, tho new rate is $4 63 per
ton.
Now, Mr.. Editor. allow me to say one more
word on your article. am well aware that it is
far from you to in any wise nisrepresent, or
put he commission in a wrong light before your
readers, aud yet, unintentionally, believe, on
your part, you see how mistaken you were in
your facts; aud will fnrth srmore say here, that
nine-tsn,hs of the newspaper articles that ap-
peared in the press last FALL critioising the
standard tariff of the Commission, when it first
appeared, were erroneous and misleading as
the information you had received as TO guano
rates TO your town. believe now that the posi-
ton taken by the Board. that it would not re-
} ply to any articles not addressed to their Office
was, oftentimes great injustice 10 themselves a.
} we'll as misleading to the public.
Very Truly,
d. p. d.