Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-07-17
GRAIN RATES.

| A Decision OF the Railroad Commfssioners-
Rejecting . Petition OF the Farmers' Alii--
ance-The Reasons of the Board for So
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 a number of petit
utlons, very numerously signed by
! mem bers of the Farmers Alliance and
farmers OF Kansas, was fled in the Of
nee of the board, asking for q 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 Of 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 2SK TO 1S1E,
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: In 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 65S 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; eand when this
was pointed out at the hearing as 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 go 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 90 cents per
| 100 pounds to get their corn to Chicago
and the Kansas farmer living 200 miles
west of the Missouri river pays e3l5
cents; to ST. Louis the former pays Is
cents and the latter ISL. 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 4suf-
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 in 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 1875 cents per 100 The Kansas
farmer in the region of Hutchinson
would pay 2315c- To get his corn to ST
Louis the Missouri river farmer would
have to pay So cents, and the Kansas
farmer 200 miles west would have to pay
1917 cents. The total cost of transporta-
ton would not be changed but the rela-
tive situation of the Kansas farmer
compared with those who live nearer
the market would be very materially
changed The difference in cost OF
transportation of corn for Eastern mar
/ Oh 20 &l,ap So
ers, and the farmers upon the Missouri
river, is now 81 cents Under the pro-
posed arrangement the difference would
be 10 cents. This would push the Kan
sas farmer 65z- cents per 100 pounds
further from market, compared with his
more Eastern competitor. How this
would help the Kansas farmer was not
explained. 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 a 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
current 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
J 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 10
market vanishes into thin air when the
witnesses are required to be definite -
Crops Burning Up
TOPEKA. Kan, July 10--Eourteen
, / families of colored people have Just re-