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

| nlRueT. l. nc poor Idtt Oh az lCulJuIdl III
| plements from the Mississippi to the Missouri
| river was higher than the local rate from
| Davenport to Burlington by couple of cents,
| but we always charged the local rate.
| Senator Young: You will excuse me for
| interrupting you. / have nothing more to
| ask.
| Senator Finn: That was your actual re-
| Enumeration for carrying the through freight
from Council Bluffs to Chicago; what did it
| pay your road? What part OF it did you
get?
| Mr.. Sage: want to state, Senator, that
| that was matter that was generally left to
| arbitration. l wanted as good a share as
! others; a great deal more than l could get
l thought the Rock Island was the best road
| in the country going through the capital,
| and l thought it should have the biggest
| proportion. The Northwestern claimed that
| they were the Oldest road and shortest, and
| they claimed they must have the biggest
| proportion. The "Q'' road claimed they had
| a great deal more from the southwest. and
they wanted the biggest proportion. There
was only hundred per cent to divide, and
| we all wanted it. 1t was often changed.
| There was no six months in the last few
| years that it was the same. Each road got
all II possibly could.
Senator Finn: / was trying to find out
what sums you thought would remunerate
| you for carrying freight from Council Bluffs
| to Chicago.
Mr.. Sage: In general way the Burling-
ton and Rock Island roads were considered
| about on par most of the time. The Wa
bash was not. twas a long, roundabout
road from Chicago. The Milwaukee s. St.
| Paul came in last. There was little differ
| ence. Taking everything into consideration
| the first idea was to divide on ffths, and
from the fact that some roads could not do
| as much as others, they took less.
| Senator Finn: | am speaking Of your di-
vision, as you say you had to divide with the
Union Pacific.
Mr.. Sage: Oh, that is another matter.
| That is the division of the through rate.
| Senator Finn: That is what l am speak
| ing Of What proportion of the through
rate, say the through rate from any given
| point in Nebraska was seventy-fve dollars,
| what proportion of that through rate did
| your road get from Council Bluffs TO Chica-
| 90? Forty or fOrty-fve dollars?
Mr.. Sage: From forty-tiye to fifty dollars
| think. 1 think the average would be
about forty-four dollars.
Senator Finn: You would not carry it
for forty?
Mr.. Sage: The short distance proportion
of the rate did not go below forty-five dol
lars On the long distances from Idaho the
divisions we actually got were more than
our rate. because we had percentage diy-
! sions. The rate from the far west was very
| high, and our percentage gives us a higher
revenue. We frequently got from Council
| Bluffs ON east bound business coming from
| the Union Pacific more than our tariff. l did
| not really get more in the aggregate, but
| taking one class and another sometimes we
| would get more and sometimes less than the
| tariff, the average making up the tariff from
| Council Bluffs.
| Senator Finn: You charge the fellow at
| that end of the line all he could stand, and
| then you divide it?
| MIR. Sage: The fellow at the other end of
| the lire had nothing to do with the division.
| lie had simply his rate
| Chairman: What is the present rate from
| Council Bluffs to Chicago on live stock?
| Mr.. Sage: l don't know. The war has
| struck this State since l left Chicago. The
| established rate has been $50. OF course,
| whatever lower rates are in existence to-day
/ am not in position to say.
Senator Young Did you have any pool
at Des Moines?
Mr.. Sage: We first had what was called
| a tariff arrangement; that is to say, every
body was to maintain the rates, carry all
| they could, and when anyone cut the rate
| he would be fined. But it did not work: as
all those roads before you came into this
| great city, and they all wanted all the bust
ness, they were threatening to demOralize
the business all over the State. We could
not stand fight at Des ~Mones because it
! was the center of the State. We did get
| into pool on business beyond the State,
not Iowa, but it finally broke up disas-
| trously. This has not been much of a town
| for pools.
Member: The thirteen or fourteen roads
that came in here all violating that for two
years, would make quite an assistance to the
school fund.
Mr. Sage: l am explaining the matter
| from an interstate view. Small roads are
not recognized in the pools. When the St.
Paul road went into the pool she would not
have the Narrow Gauge for partner The
st. Paul would not permit it to be a member
of the pool. The freight pool originated ont
of the State of Iowa, or was destined to
points beyond Iowa.
| If these questions are answered satisfac-
| tory to Senator Young, i would like to say
little on the railroad question. 1 am exceed
ingly sorry that the time is so short, that
fear ii will be impossible for me to really give
| you what the railroad view of the situation is.
Since the 9TH day of April, 1887, the freight
men before you have been engaged daily in
| endeavOring to make rates to suit the bust
ness of the Interstate law. In Iowa, for
| instance, if the rate from Chicago to Des
Moires is so much, we draw a line north, at
| Amcs, duo north, the rate is the same. |
will take the Central Iowa as q backbone
The rate from Chicago to Ottumwa, via tho
| Burlington railroad. Oskaloosa AMI Grinnel
| by the Rock Island, Marshalltown by the
| Northwestern, way up to Mason City by the
| Illinois Central, would be the same from
| Chicago. No road was willing that the rates
| should be lower than its competitors line
| north or south Of It, The Illinois Central
| was Just as anxious the rate should be as
| low at Mason City as the Burlington was at
| Ottumwa, the Northwestern at Marshall.
town, and the Rock Island at Grinnell. You
see, therefore, the difficult position the Cen
trial Iowa is placed in, having the same rate
from Chicago to towns at both ends of their
| line. The great highway from east to west is
| through Iowa, and there are strong and pow
| erful roads through Missouri to compete with
| us. Missouri has the short distance from
| the Mississippi TO the Missouri river, and has
the advantage in this respect over Iowa. Tha
| shortest distance being across the State of
| Missouri, whatever the rate may be on that
short distance will necessarily make the
| through rate through Iowa for the long dis
lance TO Kansas City. Apparently this Is an
| Interstate matter and will not interest you,
| but whatever the rate from Mississippi points
TO Kansas City it has to be the same t.
Omaha and Council Bluffs. Accordingly the
| rates made through Missouri are the maxi
| mum rates we could make through Iowa
| In other words the interstate law settles the
4 question of maximum rates in Iowa. aud all
the rates in Iowa must be no greater than