The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-06-19
THE RATE PROBLEM.
Proceedings Before the United States Sem
ate Committee on Interstate Com


ate Committee on Interstate Conn
merce.
CHICAGO, June 16.-Mr. E. j. Martin.
who attends to the transportation business
OF 2. D. Armour & Co., packers, was be-
fore the Senate Committee on Inter State
Commerce yesterday morning. He said
that arbitration invariably went against the
shipper. Live hogs were carried to the
seaboard at the same tariff rate as pro-
visions. The shippers claimed that
this should not be, as they had to
pay freight on packages and salt amounting
to twenty-five per cent. This placed
the Chicago packers at a disadvantage as
compared with Boston and Southern pack
ers. He presented petition to the pool,
setting forth these wrongs, but it was
shelyed. The charges on live hogs were
too low. He did not see how the compa-
MES made any money at the stock yards
along the routes. When the hand of the
pool was off, as it was to-day, the matter
remedied itself and rates reverted back to
a sound basis. The dressed sheep rate
was nlnety-iye cents against fifty cents for
live sheep. The roads do this because they
will get the business anyway. Meats
shipped in refrigerator cars were confined
to particular roads, because they had to
have ice stations for reflling the cars at
different stages along the roads. The
roads claimed that the excessive weight
of the refrigerator cars made it
necessary for them to make extra
charges The companies were perfectly
free to use refrigerator cars for return
freight. He thought there should be
some supervision of the law of Inter-
State commerce and some appeal out
side of railroad men. If the railroads pay
shipper the amount his business was
worth to them over another mans business
in the way of rebates it would do no HARM
but system of rebates that would build up
one mans business at the expense OF
anothers would eventually work general
havoc. AtaT
Mr.. II. R. Hobart, editor of the RdilaUay
Age, said that there were 125, 500 miles of
railways in the country, the capital stock
outstanding of which was So, $50, 100000,
and the bonded debt $3,939, 900, 900, MAX
ing a total investment of $685.
100000 These roads employed 1885,
900 persons, giving support to 5000, 900.
The roads were in very precarious con-
dition. About 10 per cent of them had
been sold under foreclosure, the result of
which was to wipe out the capital and
bonded Indebtedness of these roads. It was
the railroads and not the public that now
required protection.
At this point in the proceedings depu-
tation of the Milwaukee Chamber of Com
merce, headed by Mr.. Charles A. Chaplin,
acting President and consisting of
Robert Eliot, Edward Sanderson, Charles
Ray, L Fl. Lowry, E. P. Bacon and j. B.
Merrill, were introduced. e
Mr.. Chaplin said that his experience was
that many railroads made practice of Civ
ing ''rebate rates" rather than straight
flat rates" for the simple purpose Of get
ting into their hands funds of shippers
which they might retain for while, which
was really floating Indebtedness, but
which never showed up in the rail-
rofM statements, as each road had thou
sands and some of them tens of thou
sands of shippers. If rebates even to small
amounts were retained by the roads TN
justly the aggregate would amount to mill
ions. The witness declared that in two
shipments he had tied up $1,100. The
shipments had been made over year ago,
and the result had been that these two cor
porations had really made forced loans ag-
gregating ST., 100 from the witness, and he
did not know yet when he would get his
money.
E. P. Bacon, of Milwaukee, thought
Water-rOutes should be fostered by the Gov
eminent, as they reduced rates and thereby
proved benefit to the community. Charles
Ray, John B. Merrill ana l. III. Lowry, Of
Milwaukee, also favored the commission
with their views. After listening to the
opinions of Mr.. w. j. Pope, member of a
prominent commission firm. the committee
adjourned.
MORE OBSTRUCTIVE STORMS.
Property Destroyed and Lives Lost by
Another Tornado i'm Iowa, Dakota and
Nebraska.
Sioux CITY, Ia, Jule 16.-A tornado
swept over this section of country Sunday
night, causing great damage to all the
towns within radius of twenty-five miles,
and demolishing farm improvements in all
directions. The post-office here was I'M
rooted and damaged to the extent of 81, 800.
The other losses are: Trotle, Living
tone & Co., dry goods, $4,000; G.. Shenk-
berg, wholesale grocer, S., 100;
j. McDavis, barn and residence,
$4,000; J. d. FAIR & Co., warehouse, ST..
900; Standard oil warehouse, $500; St.
Paul & Omaha Railroad barge wrecked,
$1,000; the ferryboat Bennett, $4,000.
The Methodist and Baptist churches
are RACED, as are several dwellings. j. II.
Rivers was caught in the wreck of his house
and had three ribs broken. 1t is impossible
at this hour to fully summarize the disas-
ters Only one telegraph wire is working.
Reports from the adjacent towns are COM
ing in but slowly. At Jackson, Neb.,
Dovey & Barrey's store is blown down. At
Elk Point, ID. T., the railroad coal station
and windmill are demolished. At Cole
ridge, Neb., sixteen buildings are de-
stroyed. A. Hudson's merchandise
store was blown away in fragments.
Two children were killed and three grown
persons seriously injured.
DUBUQUE, Ia, June 16.-Specials re
eeived here give the following particulars
OF the storm in Northern and Northwestern
Iowa: Much damage was done at Cherokee,
Manson and Storm Lake. At Aurelia
fences and buildings were leveled in all di-
rections, and several persons were killed.
mdIcuS appears 10 nave SuH0reQ the most.
The west end of the station house is gone.
The freight house was entirely destroyed,
the freight blown to atoms and can not
be found. Nearly every building in the
town is damaged. The NJ. E.. Church
was completely ruined and Jackson's
undergrad is scattered in every direction.
NJ. I. Ames' house is gone and two of the
occupants have been found dead. The re-
ports Indicate great damage of life and
property
LEMARs, Ia, June 16.-The rain fell in
torrents here Sunday night, accompanied
by fierce electric storm. The gas-house
was completely demolished. The spire OF
st. Joseph's Catholic Church, 165 feet high,
was blown down and the building dam
aged about $4,000. ST. James Catho-
lie Church was totally destroyed
at loss OF over $4,000. The Ply
mouth roller mills and elevator were I'M
rooted, the smoke-stack demolished, the
cribs blown down, the total damage being
about SO, 600. The loss in the city is esti-
mated at 100000, with an equal amount in
the country. No lives were lost in town,
but two men and two children We're killed
in the country. OF the six or eight wounded
several are not expected to live
Details of MaxwelTs Arrest.