The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-08-13
FREIGHT RATES.
How Some of the Jobbers in Wichita Talk
About the New Distance Tariff.

People oft with the best intentions,
through lack of practical knowledge, fall
short of performing the good offices which
they have in mind. 1t is so easy to get
lost in theories and figures that it is not
surprising that the simple and practical
views are overlooked. Even Sir Isaac
Newton in a moment of inadvertence made
! large hole and a small one for his two
cats losing sight of the fact that a small
cat can go through large hole A prom
inent local ]obber in speaking of the
new tariff promulgated by the railroad
commissioners said that while magnifi-
cient design had been thought out and a
system of rates based upon it, yet few
things had been overlooked of the utmost
Importance to interior jobbers. While it
should be the design of the Kansas COM
missioners to assist and foster home trade
ii was not necessary to give competing
points outside of the state equally in
creased facilities at the expense of the
railroad
No one can appreciate the many little
points that should be considered except
practical man who was making his bread
and butter by saving in rates and natur
ally whose mind was constantly dwelling
upon the subject.
A jObber at distance of say 300 miles
Will pay on a certain class of goods Is of
cent mile whereas the interior jObber in
distributing his goods for fifty miles is
compelled to pay % of a cent Thus the
interior Jobber will pay Al cents a hundred
for car load lots for POO miles in, and dis
trlbuting rate of q cents on the same
goods ty loo fnr al
rate 62 cents. The jobber at a distance Of
200 miles from him will ship to the same
destination, say $50 miles, less than car
load lots on fourth class rate at 81 cents,
making a discrimination of II cents against
the interior jobber. All freight men will
agree that tonnage is a fair basis of
freight rates and railroads practically
figure that way. To illustrate this point:
The rate on sugar from the Pacific coast
to Kansas City is 60 cents but to points
in Kansas, a shorter haul by over two
hundred miles, the rate is Sl.0l; or the
Kansas City rate places the local rate to
interior points. Again, the rate on sugar
from New Orleans to Kansas City is 20
cents, while to Hutchinson, Salina and
Wichita, a shorter distance, the rate is 80
cents. The schedule of rates promulgated
by the commissioners is based entirely
upon distance, losing sight of the tonnage
consideration. In the tariff referred to
the scales of rates is uniform based upon
mileage after a certain distance is reached.
There is but one conclusion in regard to
the effect of this amongst interior jobbers,
and that is that the new tariff is decidedly
in favor of outside jobbers and is against
the interior trade more than the present
tariff. At present the rate in on fifth class
goods from the Missouri river is SO cents
per hundred weight. The distributing
rate for fifty miles on the same class of
goods is - cents, a total of 40 cents. The
rate from Missouri river to same destina-
ton is A cents. A 3 cent discrimination
to overcome. BY the new tariff the rate
is so increased that the discrimination is
IL cents instead of 5 cents.