Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-06-11
THE RAILROADS.
As Predicted by the Gazette the Cattle
Rate War has Begun.
Tie Houston and Texas Central Makes til
Break-Rumors Of an Atchison and MIS-
sOurl Pacific onsolidatIOn.

Right on top OF the passenger rate war
came the cut in corn rates to Texas
poigd from Kansas, and this, it now ap-
peal has been the starter of another
var that bids fair to be just as hard and
SIS bitter as the one just ended. The cut
made by the Missouri, Kansas and
txas in corn rates has been promptly
MET by the Missouri Pacific and the Santa
We; but this is not all.
I For some time past there has been
? hard feelings between the Missouri, Kan
sas and Texas and Houston and Texas
Central people about the cattle business,
the former charging that the Central
would not give through bills of lading of
cattle over the "Katy, - compelling
shippers who insisted on shipping over the
Katy 10 rebill at Deuison; but the Cen
trail would give through bills of lading
over the Frisco road. Since the Frisco
was absorbed by the Santa Fe, how
ever, this arrangement was rather dis
turbed, and the Missouri, Kansas and
Texas people were satisfied that the Gen.
tral would try some other plan to divert
business from their line. A close watch
has been kept on the Central and the
y
Texas, but it now appears that no watch
was necessary, for the Central has come
ont fat footed and given the required
notice, and has cut cattle rates from ell
points on its line TO Chicago st. Louis and
other points, and they have cut deep
from the jump; and the cut will no doubt
be met by the other cattle hauling roads,
and it is more likely that rates will go
much lower than those announced by the
Central.
Yesterday g new rate sheet Issued by
the Central, dated the 9Th, became pub
llc and 1t fixed the rate per 100 pounds
on all cattle shipped from any point on
its line TO st. Louis at twenty-five cents,
and TO Chicago at thirty-One and eight
tenths. Former rates from Texas points
10 St. LonIs ranged from thirty-six cents
to forty-fouT cents per 100 pounds, and
from Texas points to Chicago, from
fOrtY-two and One-half cents to fifty
three cents per 100. This rate will be
effective on and after tomorrow. The
Central Will bill cattle through to
any point via the Cotton Belt, the
transfer being made at Corsicana.
The other roads here had taken no ac-
ton yesterday, so far as heard from, but
Missouri, Kansas and Texas people we're
active in search OF information of the
cut, and they had no trouble in learning
all they sought 10 know. One of the
officials of the Katy in answer to q
question as to what his road would do IN
the premises, said:
"Wait and see; there is going to be
lively times, and don Z you forget 1t. -
The Missouri, Kansas and Texas has
hauled immense numbers of cattle ont of
Texas this year, and as the beef move
ment has just begun would have
to haul them; and 1t
is hardly likely that they will
submit quietly to the cut and
not cut back. The Santa Fe is also
in this fight and will have 10 join in any
rate, no matter what it is, that other
roads make.
The effect of this attic rate war, If il
goes on, can hardly be told now, but it
is feared by cool-hesded cattlemen that
it will cause a rush of half fat cattle to
along with those that are fat, and
that the final result will be q drop in
prices.
''If this should be the case, said one of
them to GAZETTE reporter yesterday,
every body-raIlroads and cattlemen-
will be losers, and the commission men
Will be all who profit by the cut. -
A Texas and Pacific official in speaking
of the cut remarked that If he had it his
way he "would haRl cattle from Texas
10 Chicago at So q car. This would put
stop to the Internal foolishpess quicker
than anything else -
Perhaps he IVES right.