The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-28
AFFAIRS OF THE RAILWAYS.
Fink Furnishes Light on the
AIla-nsd 6ar-Knnd TinrrArr,in finn

Comm issioner Fink Furnishes Light on the
Alleged Carload Discrimination.
TAsHsSGToS. Jan. 27.--AIbert Fink, COM
missioner Of the Trunk Line Pool Association.
tae principal witness examined BY the Inter
state-commercs Commission to-day IN the car
lot cases. He appeared witness for the
trunk lines, and defended the freight rates now
in force on these roads Mr.. Fink, in his sesti-
mony, said that the now freight rate classihea-
ton was row in ase on Az 600 miles Of railroad,
over which are moved 23,0o0,OO0 tons OF
freight annually, while the former New
York and west-bound classification gov
erned only special traffic covering not
more than L, 900, 900 tons annually That special
traffic was competitive in it's nature. ana rates
were only quoted at 600 or 700 points between
New York and the West, while the present
classification applied to traffic between 10000
stations No Comparison could. therefore, be
made between ire present tariff and the west
bound tariff from New York in vogue to the
time when the Interstate commerce law went
into effect. because the conditions which have
TO be complied with under tariff
operating over 80 extensive a section of ountry
az is covered by the present classification. in
voiving. perhaps, half the railroad traffic of the
country. are entirely different in character from
tbe conditions under which n small specific
traflo could be controlled. Mr.. Fink gave sta
tica showing the different character of carload
freight rates and less than carload freight
rates and stated that under the former q
guarantee was given fo- utilizing the full
capacity OF the car while the miscella-
neous traffic was uncertain and compare
lively expensive. While fifteen tons OF freight
could be loaded in if offered
in carload quantities. only from five and one
half TO seven and one-half tons of miscellaneous
freight could actually be loaded in q single car
He then presented q carefully prepared esti-
mate of the relative cost OF transporting car
load frsight and freight in less than car load
quantities which, he said, showed that the lat
ter cost from so to 100 per cent more than the
additional cost of handling at stations
rs claimed that. contrary to popular
belief the charges on local traffic were
NOT high. but too low, and that,
as a matter OF fact, the railroads made up for
the losses on local traffic through their profits
on low.rate through freight. Mr.. Fink also
compared the American classification with the
classification prevsilIng over the railroads OF
Germany. go
The German system had been adopted with
view of securing uniformity and simplicity OF
rates Their classification was based entirely
upon carload and less than carload quantities:
All articles transported in less than carload
quantities were charged alike, regardless OF the
character and value OF the articles. They
charged as much transport 100 pounds or
sugar as to transport 100 pounds of silk, but
either of these, any other articles, when
transported in carloads. could be shipped at
could be transported in small lots. while the
discrimination 10 this country between carload
lots and less than carload lots was only about
20 per cent.