New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-02-17
BALTIMORE CORN RATES.
TESTIMONY BEFORE THE INTERSTATE COM
MERGE COMMITTEE.
MERCHANTS WHO HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE
curRATEs IN TINE TO MAKE CONTRACTS
--EvADING A DIRECT ANSWER AS TO
THE SEVENTEEN GENTS RATE.


IBy TELEGRAPH TO THE TkBUsE.l
baltimore Feb 16-Grain circles continue to be
.,taed over the suspicious cast upon the railroads
md the Urge operators in connection with the In
creased corn trade Merchants bitterly ocnoance
New-York and Philadelphia Some OF the opersors
also expressed pretty forcble opinions about the
Interstate Commissioners Commissioner Walker to-
a. mt the baltimore aud Ohio people and several
% tbe prlacipa grain men through rigid cross exami
n.t,on Informing them beforehand that the Com
mission assumed nothing and merely desired TO learn
whether or not there any ground for the charges
made The general freight traffic manager OF the
Baltimore and Ohio. Frank Harriott, SAID
There IS no other official having more to do than
povseM with making rates from the West. The bulk
% this seasons heavy crop in the West has
on,e N baltimore The rate has varied from "a TO 81
cents l think the through rate from the Kansas
district is now about As cents The rates l have
spoken of were made on a through basis some time
Ia December. The proportion east OF Beardstown
agreed upon was 90 cents, and / think this was
taken out early in January. think the Western
roads scale their rates from "a to 40 cents Through
rates depend on the group from which shipment Is
made certain sections OF country being arranged IN
groups"
MIR. walker-Didn't your road enter into settle
ment by which the rate from Lincoln TO Beardstown
was 1s lo cents and your rate east was IL liz cents
Mr.. Harriott--our rates from Beardstown east are
20 cents. ..
Nv walter-It has been testified here that four
arms have received the bulk Of the grain nom the
West DO you know Of any rate concessions w
which they we're enabled to do this
Mr.. Harroft-No, sir, do not. Western roads
make their rates on casbound freghts, ana we LOOK
out for proportion -.
Mr. Bragg-How were cars furnished uy you' '0"~
In shippers in November and December!
Mr. Harriott-we give cars loaded OF empty, 70 our
was,e,n connections, and they load them ana senu
them back We do not make arrangements sneeN "
s,xnv cars 10 any roads or any shippers. Our eoii
pany had no contracts with shippers for corn n''s-
from the West during November or December. 49,
Mfr. Bragg-Have you any information 'na' W.
Baltimore and Ohio or any of its oncers Oh sss
engaged during that time IN the purchase OF gram
Mr. Harriott-No, sir, have not. We 10 no' 20.
commissions on freight traffic. nor do we maAo "'y
concessions to special firms engaged IN inc $50 w
d. not know of any special arrangement WIN 80 49,
Fisher l know of no arrangement WHEREBY '"s
through rate from lincoln by the Cheaso Dun -.
ard Quincy and the Baltimore and ONO was % '0N'''
NJ which our proportion was less than 20 Genus.
Mr.. walkcr-why couldn't other firms besides On
Fisher buy corn for shipment on that 34cent rs'o
Mr.. Harriott-I do not know. Beardsown mas
always had two or three cents less rate on hrousn
business than East ST. Lous.
A. W Reed of A. W. Reed & Co., member Oh 'he
Committee on Transportation Of the Corn ana fi0ur
Exchange, testified:
In November aud December made efforts to buy
corr In the West but did not succeed nsd g a.
I. NJ Parr & Son and T. 5. Clark & sons Were nom on,
~ tsa Market Si cent q one MS ss Offering Our
correspondents I'm the West kept us posted as 70 lhe
he@ oi hsa BY IL to cents bushe hal
knowledge OF the reduction OF rates Dy the rroa y"
Mr. waISer-when railroad companies here make
changes in rates, how do yon get knowledge Oh suen
Mr. Reed-Eastern freight rates are made IN
the West Therefore our information generally
ping power Of roads already contracted for when We
want to ship grain. When we get rates we cannon
suitable rates.
John W. Snyder, Of Harvey. Lacey & Co. said the
firm had been unsuccessful in buying grain In the
West in the last three mouths Mr. SNYDER said
III after it had taken place knew Of = tl5st 90. on
10 HAD sss se@so maze Seep Would have
heard Of it. knew Of the seduction of he tariff from
the West to Bearsfcwn and 20 cents from there
10 Baltimore. Now the rates are IL and 20 cents
The firm of GIL e. Fisher has been frequently men
TONED in the present agitation and when the Com
mission got Blanchard Randall Of that firm on the
stand to-day they Piled him with questions He said:
We had three purchasing agents 1 Nebraska ,da N
November and December We adjusted our onerS ~
several million bushels prior % January l. our pur,
chases were based on freight rate nom Lincoln OF
two cents less About December the rate reduced
o. cents s was w 6s s sSs1 s. a. esS The 70 Ss
question of Commissioner Walker. Have you any ar
fangement with the Baltimore and Ohio Company re-
mo We have not" This about completed the prin-
cipai evidence before the Commission.
Some wags posted yesterday raw mead and
bloody bones notice in the Exchange. which was
alleged 10 have been sent on by the committee OF the
EWhite Caps of New-York" A map of the Western
corn belt I'm controversy was traced in pencil The
notice demanded that Baltimore must git out OF these
YER terTjtorysr within eleven days under threat OF
extraordinary penalties. The baltimore and Ohio
eople stoutiy Contradict the statement OF the Penn
syiyanIa general freight agent that private CON
oessIon was discovered IN November.
FIGHTING FOR CONTROL OF A RAILROAD