The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-11-29
THE STEEL HIGHWAYS
Interesting Points About the
Great Railroad Business.
The Railroad Problem in this
Country-Important Suit
at Ell Paso.

Fort Worth and Denver City, annual
meeting, Forth Worth, Tex, December IL.
This is the month in which it is well to
keep an eye out for revisions of time cards.
Metal brake beams and GROSS ties are
sure to come into general use in this
country. 1t is only question of time,
and not long time either.
The railways are now in good shape for
heavy winters traffic, most of them hay
ing made liberal improvements this fall.
With the coming of cold weather the
tourist business of the south will be re-
vived, and ought to be larger than ever
before.
An Illinois Central official collected
fifteen people at highway crossing to
see sign put up, and train went past.
Next day six of the people swore that the
train whistled, three were doubtful and the
other six swore that it didn't.
The North German Gazette SAYS that
owing to the increased traffic, the Prussian
government has ordered the construction
of7000 new goods wagons and has hired
1900 wagons from abroad. 1t will also
ask the Lantag to vote 100000 marks
stock of the railroads.
A passenger on train from New York
the other day, stepped from the over
heated car to the platform and filed his
lungs with the fresh, pure air. "Ah," he
exclaimed, isn't this exhilarating? ?"
"No," returned the laconic brakeman,
"this is Berlinw
A St. Petersburg dispatch of November
IL says that an American syndicate is
about to be formed for the purpose of
building railroads in Siberia. Besides
large subsidy, the government will give
100000 roubles yearly for the transpor-
tstion of mails and cOnvicts.
The railways should settle their differ
ences by arbitration. Railway employees
will never come to believe in this method
of settling disputes with the companies 80
long as the roads resort to more violent or
less reasonable practices. Let the rail
roads give their men object lessons in the
beneicent results of arbitration.
The passenger departments of southern
roads have it in their power to give that
whole section tremendous boom during
the next four or five months, and for their
own good they ought not to let this OPP
portunity pass unimproved.
The statement of the bureau of statistics
for the month of September shows that
for the nine months ending September 30,
the imports of steel rails amounted to 53,-
597 tons, valued at $1,277 ,O99, or an aver
age of $23.82 per ton, against imports of
95,623 tons, valued at $1,959,O06, or an
average per ton of $2O.49 for the same
nj ha in, in IA
average value per ton of 1894 or 16 per
cent, but decrease of 42,025 tons, or 1873
per cent in the quantity imported.
A suit has b. en- instituted by the whole
sale grocery firm of Roberts IL Co., of Ell
Paso, against the AtchIson, Topeka d.
Santa Fe railway, in which the Inter
state Commerce commission may have to
take hand. The firm recently ordered
lot of goods sent from Chicago over
the Santa Fe road. and had them con-
signed to A. Martinez d. Co., City of
Mexico, care of Roberts 81 Co, Ell Paso.
When the goods arrived here and had
been delivered at the joint warehouse for
Mexican traffic. the firm claimed them
and rendered the proportionate freight
based upon the Mexican rates. The agent
of the joint warehouse, in pursuance OF
positive instructions, refused to de
liver the goods except upon payment of
either the full Mexican rate or the full
local rate. The firm then rendered the
full local rate, amounting to $685., but I'M
der protest, and this the railway com pany
refused 10 receive unless the protest was
withdrawn. After holding the goods for
nine days the railroad company at last de-
livered them upon the firms terms
namely: Payment of full local rate under
protest. The existing law calls for dam
ages amounting to the full amount of the
freight for each days illegal detention by
railroad com pany, and the claim put in
by the firm amounts to over $4,000. All
the merchants of Ell Paso take great
deal of interest in the case, and think that
the decision of the courts must ultimately
be in favor of the firm, which will have
any amount of backing to uphold the po-
sition assumed by it in the matter.
The railroad problem in this country
as it presents itself both to managers and
stockholders, is just now exceedingly com
plioated. From one end of the country
to the other reports are received of di-
minished earnings in consequence of the
reckless rate cutting INDUCED in by those
who have charge of the traffic. The pro-
hibitIon in the Interstate commerce law Of
the method of pooling, in operation before
that law went into effect, has taken from
the managers of the railroad companies
the opportunity they previously possessed
of limiting, in part at least, competition
which, if not restricted, is little short OF
ruinous. It may be said that railroad
companies can compete with each Other
with quite as satisfactory results as deal
ers In merchandise can enter into compe
tition; but there is this difference, that
while the fixed charges incident to carry
ing on dry goods establishment ma,
vary in their percentages on the basis o
the sales maze, they form in most case
but an uncomfortable part of the gros
outgo of merchant. The limit that de.
termines the price of merchandise to tn,
seller is not the fixed charges of his bust
ness; but the cost to him of the materia
he is dealing in. With railroad com
pany the item of fixed charges is the grea
element of expense, that is, including il
this classification the wages and salarie
paid, the purchases of necessary supple
and the payment of interest upon debt
part of these outgoes may seem large
Or small in proportion to the business
done. That is, assuming that railroad
company carries million tons o.
freight, if at the same rate it could
carry 9 600, 600 tons, the profits would bt