Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1888-03-01
Molnes and any of these jobolng oeu,ors,

freight Is IL necessasy for the farmers family
to receive from the railroads TO supply them
for one year? Take the clothing first. Any
Of you gentlemen can probably make pretty
close estimate as TO how many pounds there
are in the suit you have ON. 1t probably
does not exceed ten pounds, unless YOU have
on heavy oyercoat; II you have good
heavy oyercoat ON that will probably in
crease II five pounds. Suppose they have
two suits piece-glve them three; there Is
five people at fifteen pounds each is seventy
five pounds.
Member: We don't care so much about
that but when you come to the car load of
grain.
Mr.. Ives: l am coming TO that Tho
freight bill ON the clothing which is carried
for this mans family will not exceed
seventy-fiye cents year. Take his gro
ceries and take his sugar, aud the few
pounds Of starch and a little soap and a lit
tie ginger, and SO on, all these items that
goes to make up housekeeper's bill. 1t
won't take to exceed one dollar and q half
to pay his freight ON that There still say
Is two dollars and twenty-five cents. Double
that four dollars and fifty cents. Put ON
half dollar and call II five dollars. The
freight on that farmers goods, whatever he
uses In his household, Is five dollars year,
and would not be afraid to guarantee Il
won't average that by from ono TO two dol
lars.
How little II is to him. How little II Is to
the farmer TO have these reductions made.
Now, then, take II on the other hand, where
does his advantage come in? 1t certainly
comes in In the shipment of his produce.
That is where the money comes in and the
reduction of half cent hundred on the
carrying of his car load of corn, II he ships
carload. Or Of five dollars ear IL he ships
hogs or cattle, will pay the freight bill on
all the things which enters into the use OF
his family. Now. as we know, the great mar
kets for the extra produce Of the State of
Iowa are not In the State These statistics
In regard TO the tonnage Of the State shows
that but very small proportion of the pro-
ducts of the farms of Iowa Is shipped from
the home farmer to another farmer in Iowa.
II has been an exceptional case In this year.
In the Northwestern part of the State they
had good crop, both of grain and hay.
The southern portion of the State has been
short OF both, and there has been u much
larger per cent OF the products of one'p or-
tion of Iowa conveyed TO another portion of
Iowa this year than | have ever known be-
fore In the twenty-five years that haye been
In the railway business exclusively In the
State of Iowa. We do know that the pro-
ducts of these farms seek q general mark /,
and that is either Milwaukee, Chicago, Peo-
ria or ST. Louis. The rates from all interior
points in Iowa to all those places vary but u
triee, and to most of them they are exactly
the same. These rates are beyond your con-
troll. They are Interstate rates, and com
petition is the only thing that regulates
them. 1t has been shown by the figures
read to you in regard to the reduced rate Of
tonnage on which our estimates are based,
that the rate per ton per mile
Id been reduced from over three
cents a ton per mile down to tritle over one
cent per mile. This shows what conipeti-
ton has done for the farmers of Iowa In the
way of conveying their produce, and, as ]
showed you, the difference on one car load
Of corn and one car load of hogs and cattle
Is more than the whole other freight inter-
ests the farmer has. As l said, this can not
be regulated by the State Legislature. There
Is no law yet to fix rates on Interstate com
merce; but is not competition among the
railroads doing that for you, and doing II
fast enough? ] assure you 1t Is doing II a
good deal too fast for me. Ii the Burllng-
ton is going to keep up, do not know where
we are going to get out. We have not much
margin to go on. IL we follow these reduc-
tons, which may 80 lower, we may be worse
of.
Member: Some OF the farmers In the
southern part of Iowa will be In tho same
fix, no corn In the northwest and the cattle
starving.
Mr.. Ives: We have hauled hay from the
farthest county in the State of Iowa; we
have hauled hay TO Dies Moines county, In
the southeastern corner, and i have not
heard the first complaint in regard TO the
rates charged on that hay. How IL may
have been In the section TO which you refer
j can not say. II occurs TO me that this ex-
ceptiona time when it is necessary TO move
corn out of the northwestern part of the
State to the southwestern or southern part Is
a thing that has not happened before, as l
say, for twenty-five years. 1t is generally
the southern part of the State which fur
nlshes the corn for the balance Of it,
Chairman: Would not any Legislation
that might be passed here this winter in the
interests of the farmer be in the interest Of
a majority of the people Of The Common
wealth?
Mr.. Ives: think there are majority OF
the people Of Iowa engaged In farming, but
there is question for you TO decide-should
legislation be In the interests of class al
though that class may be In the majority?
There are other classes which have perhaps
the same right TO justice which the farmer
has, and their interests should be looked
after just as well, and while justice should
be done to all, yet justice should not be done
to part at the expense OF another part. In
this matter of the change of these local
rates, ii does not seem TO me you are going
10 arrange local rate that will it every one
in these cases, so that ii will be no relief.
AS to the rate on corn to which you referred,
do you remember what that rate Is? To
what place do you refer?
Member: | have reference to Marshall
town. 1t cost about as much to get 1t there
as to Chicago.
Mr.. Ives: The farmer there makes the
price at home.
Member: / guess the railroad company
gets the most of the profit
Mr.. Ives: would be glad TO know what
ii costs to ship that corn from any point, so
we could see what proportion we get.
Member: think 1t is fifteen cents hun
bred.
Mr.. Ives: That would be just little
over seven cents bushel, about seven cents
bushel in freight i don't know what the
price Of corn is.
Chairman: There seems TO be COM
plant originating from eastern and central
Iowa they cannot get corn from the western
part of the State for less than they can get. it
from Chicago. j don't know to what extent
this exists, but we all have good crop In
the western part of the State and there Is the
shortest crop in the central and eastern part,
and the stock men of the central and east
ern part claim that they can get corn out OF
the State for substantially the same rate that
they can get 1t in the State. That Is where
the complaint comes from.
Mr.. Ives: II it Is about the same distance
to haul ii Is there any reason why 1t should