Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-03-01


time for the car load from Council Bluffs, OF
Iowa shipment?
Mr. Ripley: Sixty-fve dollars and not a
cent less nor has it been for good many
years.
Member: No rebate to the shipper?
Mr. Ripley: No sir; not a cent.
Member: This cut rate was on goods To
Nebraska? On those you would get less
than you would from Iowa?
Mr. Ripley: Yes, sir. This gentlemen
was asking me about Iowa stock. Nebras-
ka stock coming from Council Bluffs paid US
| less money.
Member: What is the objection to let
| ting the Railroad Commission, or some i'm
partial tribunal, take the figures and deter
| mine what is right in the matter.
Mr.. Ripley: Practically that is what the
Iowa Commission has done for great many
years. Their rulings have been respected
universally, and it has also gone outside of
| purely State matters, and has laid before the
| railroads many matters connected with inter
| State business, but for the benefit of Iowa;
and think they will bear me ont in saying
that the railroads have given them respect
full consideration and met them half way.
Member: What is the objection TO cloth
ing the Iowa Commission with power to fix
rates?
than fix a maximum rate.
Member: Why do you resist that?
Mr.. Ripley: Because the maximum rate
they would fix, il high enough TO do justice
TO the railroads under any and all rircum-
stances, would be SO high as to be practi-
cally useless. II so low as 20 make any
substantial reduction below what is being
charged in the State to-day, it will do the
railroads a very great injustice. The maxi
mum rate, in my judgment, is folly under
any circumstances.
Member: Somebody has to fix the rate.
Why not, instead of letting you fix it, or let
ting the Legislature fix it as against you,
why not have some tribunal to fix it?
Mr.. Ripley: That would be a fair propO-
sition if the railroads had any hand in the
selection of the tribunal, or, if they could
know, they would always be any influence
except those of the common welfare of the
people and the railroads.
Member: On the theory that that COM
mission would be filed with good men, You
have no objection
Mr.. Ripley: have no objection to the
question Of arbitration as between the rail-
roads and the people by an impartial body,
That is in the nature of arbitration to some
extent. Ii the law prescribes that the COM
mission, or any body of men, shall fix the
maximum rates above which the railroads
cannot 20, they are subject to constant
pressure 70 reduce the rates on this
thing and that thing, very often
subject to local pressure it is very
difficult to resist, and the result | do
not think is good, either to the railroads or
to the people. | think it is a dangerous
power. would be almost ready to gudrau-
tee that, so far as our line is concerned, that,
partial commission pointed out TO us any
thing which i'm our Judgment should be mod
fled, we would be willing TO change it, |
think every railroad in the State of Iowa
would take it up and change it, am quite
sure that would be the case with the com
missions you have had heretofore, because
they have been noted for their fairness in
dealing with such questions.
Member: do not see why the objection
should be made to that matter on the theory
that either party would own the commits sion
any more than they do the Supreme
Judges.
Mr.. Ripley: There is great difference
in men, even in perfectly honest men.
There are men who are capable of taking in
the entire situation, and | have known them
TO he on railroad commissions who were not
capable OF seeing outside of their own
ton Of the good will of the voters of that
county at the expense of the railroads than
anything else.
Member: Do you see why you could not
get any fair man to act in that capacity any
more than you could get fair men to serve
your corporation?
Mr.. Ripley: There is no dearth of fair
men. 1t is only a question of where the
lightning would strike.
Member: In regard to the discrimination
of Missouri river points against Iowa points,
what was the frst-clasS rate ON merchandise
from Chicago to Red Oak on your line at the
time you mention?
Mr.. Ripley: think 81. That was prac-
tically year ago.
Member: What was the rate TO Council
Bluffs?
Mr.. Ripley: Ninety cents.
Member: Taking the difference in the
distance and difference in the price, there is
some discrimination.
Mr.. Ripley: | do not think so. do not
think the Red Oak man was at all interfered
with by it. Council Bluffs men had to do
business in Nebraska against St. Joseph and
Kansas City and various other distributing
points in that territory.
Member: Before the recent break, the
rate from Chicago TO Marshallton, for in
stance, was thirty cents from Marshalltown
TO Rhodes twenty miles.
Mr.. Ripley: The rate was sixty cents to
Marshalltown.
Member: Yes, sir, it was sixty-five. The
complaint is that You shipped to Des Moines,
for instance, you would ship any amount of
merchandise to the Des MoineS jobber at
certain rate. You would ship to the persons
who must be his customers at so nearly tbs
same rate that he cannot handle any goods
here at all.
Mr.. Ripley: That is something for which
the railroads are not to blame. We used TO
arrange our rates differently. You just
asked me if il was not determinations to
charge more TO Red Oak than Council Bluffs.
When did charge more to Red Oak than to
Council Bluffs, then the merchant at Des
MOines could sell goods in Red Oak. If he
cannot do it now, is il our fault?
Member: That will show the fact that
there is too great a difference in the handling
Of the goods at the point where the stoppage
is made. The presumption would be that
when the freight was reloaded and ready for
Shipment ii could be hauled for about the
same.
Mr.. Ripley: 1t never is reloaded. The
only difference is the expense of the haul.
After the thing is loaded and on the cars,
the question of fifty or one hundred miles
does not cut much of figure.
Member We have had a good many
freight agents here, and have not had a sat
isfactory answer as to the basis OF fixing the
rates. When you set down to fix the rates,
what elements enter into the scheme Can
! you give us the basis by which we could
| make the rate
! Mr. Riuley: / eould answer for myself