Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-09
The Commission and Railroad.
ers Talking to Each Other.
SOME MIGHTY FINE TAKERS
Representing the Roads, but the Commission is
Getting On to the Delivery.
| Synopses of Various Grievances Presented
by Merchants and Shippers. and Ar
| Kuments on Both Sides-Debats
at Times was Hot.
Special to the Gazette.

SpeClEl the GaZe1Ue-
AUSTIN, Ten, July s.-The railway CON-
mission opened the conference to-day with
| about the usual number of traffic men
! present. The discussion was IN the main
| of character similar 70 those of tie two
| days previous.
! After Chairman Reagan had read few
! letters of complaint from merchants 1t diff
! terent points the discussion of rates was re
sumed. The salt rate was gone over again
/ Al some length.
! Mr. Marshall of the Texas salt company
! OF dorado City. being the new hand At the
| bellows Boiled down, his griey-
! ance would be removed if the COM
mission would order the roads 10
| give him a blanket rate OF 10 cents
| 10 al Texas points. Us that would place him
| on an equality with the Kansas and Nlichi-
! gan salt makers, who enjoyed u blanket
| rate TO common points III the state. The
| commission clearly understood how that
| would benefit the Texas salt company, but
| appeared not to understand how the con-
sumer would profit by IT,
| The Austin lime burners brought up the
| question of lime rates and sought to show
that they are being Disseminated against in
| favor Of Kansas City and Missouri
| lime. They are given Il maximum
rate OF - Gems in the state,
and represented that they are unable
| to learn the interstate rate, because Kansas
| City lime comes into the state prepared.
| The traffic men stated that the interstate
| rate on lime was As cents to points south Of
! the Texas and Pacific railway, and 81 cents
! north of it. That subject soon gave way
| to vigorous and telling assault, made
by Galveston on the railroads
a lengthy and animated discussion was
carried on between the traffic men and
Messrs. Enrich and Flood. Mr.. Ehrich
was the chief disputant and was at tines
| quite emphatic in his arrsisnment of the
roads, which he claimed fixed rates in the
interest OF New Orleans and against Gal
weston. He stated that the roads i'll Texas
were not wholly 10 blame, as they would
protect home distributors il permitted 10
do so, but they were not. They were con-
trolled and dominated by power behind
the throne, that directed the policy
in, as well as out, of the
state To Illustrate the manner of dis
elimination in favor of New Orleans the
rates on coffee were taken up. Galveston
gets heT coffee from Brazil via New Or
leans. No coffee comes 10 Galveston by
does not Coffee is hauled from
New Orleans to Galveston fUr II cents.
The rate on coffee from New Orleans to
common points in Texas is 81 cents. and
from Galveston to the same points 20 cents.
Add TO the latter Il cents charged on the
haul 10 Galveston, and Galveston IL
out s. cents for haul OF
200 miles, while New Orleans
pays only IS cents for a haul of $50 miles.
Such rate gave New Orleans 8 monopoly
of the state of Texas. She gets the same
rate for shipments 10 all points
in Texas, and that rate is
less relatively than Galveston enjoys
About 100, 600 bags of coffee are umed
annually in Texas. OF that Galveston dis
tributes about 30,o0o bags. Efforts had
been made to obtain relief. but without sue
cess. Mr.. Enrich stated that when he conf
planned to the railroads they sent him
TO the steamers. When the lat
ter were approached they re-
ferred him to the railroads.
The state roads sent him TO the in erstate,
and vice versa. He had been sent back and
forth like school-boy, but got
no satisfaction, but ne thanked his
heavenly Father that a tribunal
now existed to which he could
bring his complaints ana get a
hearing. IL was a fact that cotton bag
ging was shipped from Galveston to st.
Louis via New York. Was il fair to Gal
weston to show that Galveston was no rival
for commercial supremacy with Dallas and
Fort Worth!
Mr.. Enrich catechised the traffic men
with reference to the market from which
such towns in North Texas as Abilene,
Weatherford, Wills Point, Hillsboro, Sui
phur Springs, Mineola and the
like obtained their general merchandise.
1t developed that the bulk of their pur-
chases were made, not in Dallas, Fort
Worth or Galveston, but in New
Orleans. All three, as Mr.. Ehr-
Texas market largely by New Orleans be-
cause she enjoyed low freight rate. The
three Texas centerS had a common cause
against the roads, and Dallas and Fort
Worth should be here to look after their
interests. New Orleans gets such rate
on Kansas City bacon as enables her to lay
l in rTay2S al
So with sugar and other things.
Arguments for Galveston We're set forth
by Ehrlich and Flood, both good takers
and well posted. They were replied to in
the main by Messrs. Newlin of the
Denver and Fort Worth, Smith of the
Missouri Kansas and Texas, Ripley OF
the Texas Central, Turner and Lovett OF
the Texas and Pacific, the latter gentleman
and Mr.. Newlin of the Fort Worth and
Denver doing the principal part Of the
talking.
The traffic men attempted to show that
Galveston was seeking to obtain rate that
would give her monopoly OF the market
II the state, and that would drive out her
Texas competitors.
Mr.. Gresham took a hand in the talk oc-
casionally.
The traffic men declared that the whole
system OF freight rates in the states were
fixed so as to benefit Galveston, and
that if she did not do business
it was her fault and not the fault of the
roads. If she would put on a line OF
steamers and get her coffee as New Orleans
does she would be on an equal footing. Was
it expected that the roads should furnish
her with line of steamers? The basis of
the rates allowed her was the sum
OF the locals to and from, admitted, but Mr..
Flood held that the sum Of the locals was in
the great majority OF cases greater than the
interstate rate, and it appeared from the
facts and figures cited.
The struggle between the traffic men and
the Galveston merchants was hot and
warm, and lasted throughout the entirs
day.
Where the contest will END is not known,
as the disputants We're still at it, hammer
and tongs, when Chairman Reagan pulled
them asunder after + o'clock, in order to
adjourn.
The commission granted reduced rates
on sawdust to the East line railroad, and
also on grain and hay TO Austin, Galveston
and other points. The Cotton Belt was also
given reduced rates on bagging and ties to
common points to meet interstate rates the
same being given to the Houston, East and
West Texas railroad.