The Globe-republican., 1890-07-16
GRAIN RATES:

a Decision Of the Railroad COmmlaeiOneFD
Rejecting = Petition Of the Farmers' ALI.
ance-The Reasons OF the Board for 80
Doing Set Forth.
TOPEKA. Kan. July 1.-THE State
Board Of Railroad Commissioners has
issued its decision in one of the most
important cases that has ever come be-
fore it. On April IL . number of petit
titlons, very numerously signed by
members of the Farmers Alliance and
farmers of Kansas, was fled in the Of
hce of the board, asking for reduction
OF local rates from Kansas points to the
Missouri river on corn, wheat, oats,
hogs. cattle and other farm products.
The specific reduction asked for was
rate If from to 10 cents from Hutch
inson to the Missouri river and CORE
spending rates for all other distances
The Railroad Commissioners contend
that if the rate from Hutchinson to
Kansas City was reduced to 10 cents it
would make the Chicago rate from
Hutchinson on corn so cents and to St
Louis IS cents instead of 231s to 1871,
the present figures.
Discussing the proposition of the at
torneys who represented the farmers,
that the rate east to the river should be
lowered correspondingly. the board
says: SIN each case the reduction asked
for, if the railroads were to take us at
our word and make them effective in
the only manner in which they could be
made so, would advance the cost Of
transportation of corn 81 cents per hun
dred. But it would be unfair to create
the impression that the gentleman who
advocated this proposition intended to
bring about this result; and when this
was pointed out at the hearing as a very
probable result the Kansas City grain
brokers gave us their assurance that if
we would adopt the proposed local, they
would take care of the rates east of the
river, and Major Jones stated that they
proposed to 60 before the Interstate
Commerce Commission for a reduc-
ton of the rates east of the
river. What they proposed to do,
and the extent of their ability to do in
this respect was left in a state of uncer-
tainty. We should hardly feel justified
in putting the Kansas farmer in the po-
sition above indicated, trusting to the
vague assurances of others to do some
thing else to relieve him from that
dilemma. But the plain implication
conveyed by these assurances is that
these gentlemen would endeavor to OBJ
tain such reductions in the rates east of
the river as would prevent the sum of
the local rates exceeding the present
through rate"
''Under the present arrangement of
rates." continues the board, farmers
upon the Missouri river pay 20 cents per
100 pounds to get their corn to Chicago
and the Kansas farmer living 200 miles
west of the Missouri river pays 2311E
cents; to st. LOUIS the former pays Is
cents and the latter 1917. Or in other
words the Kansas farmer living 200
miles and upward west of the Missouri
river is only 81 cents further from mar
ket than the farmer living upon the
Missouri river. This is now the extent
of the disad vantage the farmer living
200 miles west Of the Missouri river suf-
fers compared with those living on and
near to that stream.
'Under the arrangement proposed,
assuming that Major Jones and the
other gentlemen should succeed in
bringing about the reduction il rates
east of the river this would be the stu
alton: The farmer on the Missouri
river would pay to get his corn to Chi
cago 1917 cents per 100. The Kansas
farmer in the region of Hutchinson
would pay 2311c. To get his corn to st.
Louis the Missouri river farmer would
have to pay 81 cents, and the Kansas
farmer 200 miles west would have to pay
1s% cents. The total cost of transporta-
tive situation of the Kansas farmer
compared with those who live nearer
the market would be very ma terially
changed. The difference in cost of
transportation of corn for Eastern mar
kets, charged to the Reno County farm
ers, and the farmers upon the Missouri
river, is now 81 cents. Under the pro-
posed arrangement the difference would
DO 10 cents. This would push the Kan
sas farmer 611 cents per 100 pounds
further from market. compared with his
more Eastern competitor. How this
would help the Kansas farmer was not
The Kansas city grain
brokers had no difficulty in showing US
how it would help them"
After quoting the cross-examination
of Mr.. Davidson, a Kansas City grain
man, in which he said that prices were
based on Chicago prices and through
rate, the board says: From the forego-
ing it will be perceived that the Kansas
City grain man don't buy of the Kansas
producer, but Of the Kansas grain deal |
ers; that they buy with reference to the |
market as fixed from day to day
in Chicago and other grain centers, and |
that the Kansas elevator man buys on !
the same basis from the farmer, SO that |
all the vague talk about the Kansas |
farmer being benefited by the railroad
being required to dump all the Kansas
grain upon the banks of the Missouri |
river before being taken forward to |
market vanishes into thin air when the |
witnesses are required to be definite"
Crops Burning Up