The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-02-12

the price in Chicago, and at any point
in Kansas by the price at the Missouri |
river.
The producer of wheat in New York |
state can better afford to pay a higher |
rate for the transportation of his wheat |
100 or 200 miles than the producer in |
Kansas for haul of the same distance, |
for the reason that the Kansas producer !
not only paws for haul equal in distance
"a the iaul paid by the New York pro-
deer hut in addition must pay the
rate from the Missouri river to New
York. 1t is true that farms in New
York state are much more valuable
than farms in Kansas, but the owner of
Kansas farms must pay much higher
prices for his groceries and the agricul-
tural implements with which to culti-
vate his farm than does the more cas-
tern farmer.
The merchant, the manufacturer, the
banker, the mechanic, the common la
bOrer as well as the common carrier, all
depend to very great degree upon our
farming interests; to protect this inter-
est, therefore, is not to inJure any, but
promotes all others in our state, and no
| single interest is so much benefited
thereby as that Of transportation COM
panies.
Wheat and corn are the principal
| products of our state; other grain is not
raised in sufficient quantity to require
special attention at this time. The
surplus wheat must be shipped to for
! eign markets in order to realize upOnit.
Corn can be fed to stock, therefore the
necessity for low rates for that cereal
does not exist, while it does exist in re-
gard to wheat.
1t has been clearly demonstrated and
is generally understood that when car
is once loaded with freight the addl-
tiOnal cost Of moving it 200 miles is but
very little more than moving it 100
miles. We find the rates upon wheat
generally prevailing in this state for the
first 100 miles west of the Missouri riv
er to be about 10 cents per 100 pounds,
while for 200 miles west the rate is
about 20 cents per 100 pounds. The
prevailing rates for hauls less than 100
miles are not so burdensome as for
those of greater distance, and the great
er the distance the greater the burden,
which fact should be considered when
adjusting rate upon any commodity
SO important to the state as that OF
wheat.
Here we have the whole question in
a nutshell. 1t is true that the producer
must pay the cost of transportation at
! all times, and it is to his interest that
the cost should be as little as possible.
While Liverpool regulates the markets
Of this country, the Liverpool markets.
regulated by the amount of wheat in
sight, not only in this country but in
the whole wheat growing world. Such
being the case, a reduction in freight
rates might not now benefit the Amer
lean farmer because the wheat surplus
is so large that the price of wheat at
Liverpool would decrease in proportion
| to the reduction in rates. Hence, the
producer would not be benefited. But
the present condition of things may not
be duplicated for years, and reduction
of grain rates would be of great benefit
to the producer in the future and would
work him no injury in the present.
The legislature, then, should con-
slider this point: That the cost of NOV
ing a loaded car 200 miles is very little
more than moving it 100 miles. Work
ing upon this principle, the wheat rails
ers of Kansas would be equally bene-
fitted. 1t costs just as much to raise
wheat in Dickinson county as it does in
Shawnee county, and if the principle
we are working upon is correct, then
the cost Of moving car of wheat from
Abilene to Kansas City should be very
little more than the cost of moving it
| from Topeka or Lawrence to Kansas
City, and the farmers of Dickinson
county would be placed upon more
equitable footing with the farmers of
Shawnee and Douglas counties, and
the railroad would not necessarily suffer
thereby.
Conceding that Kansas farmers are
primarily concerned only with the
freight rates of Kansas railroads, we
have undoubtedly hit upon the right
direction legislation should take. Ac-
cording to the present rates it costs 10cts
to move 100 pounds of wheat 100 miles
and twenty cents to move the same
amout 200 miles. If the first rate for
the short haul is just, the second rate
for the long haul is manifestly unjust,
because to move the wheat 200 miles
costs but little more than to move it
100 miles.
To partially illustrate the benefits of
the above proposition: COnceding that
ten cents is unreasonable charge fOrmOv-
ing 100 pounds of wheat 100 miles, we
must further know that the cost of
loading, switching, &C., is figured in
that charge. Then, it costs no more to
load car 200 miles from its objective
point than it does to load it only 100
miles from its terminus. Now we have
plain sailing. If the shipper pays ten
cents on 100 pounds Of wheat for haul
of 100 miles, another shipper should not
pay double that amount because he
happens to live 200 miles from the same
cI,inoincr point n,1lvinO ollr nrinci-