Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-08
THE COM MISSION.
IT MEETS WITH RAILROAD MEN
TO DISCUSS RATES.
Group Rates to Lumber Mill Men-Ths
Kick From Round Rock Merchants
Listened to-Their Claims
Special to the Gazette.

special TO the Gazette.
70 AUSTIN, TEX, July THE full commits
sion met with the railroad men this morn
ing and resumed consideration of freight
rates, with a special view to the question
of distance tariffs. Mr.. Weiss Of Beau
mont undertook TO maintain the
justice of group rates given
the lumber mil men of the state
Chairman Reagan asks if Weiss thought it
fair to make man who paid $50 an acre for
land pay the same freight rates on his lum-
Der as the man farther away who paid only
s. or & for his land
The reply was that 1t did not seem fair.
In reply 10 8ir. Foster he said that the
price of lumber had declined in recent
years about one-third, but could not say
whether the cost of shipping lumber to
Austin did not exceed the entire first cost
and saving Of it. Lumber rates have
not decreased in ten years, and
Could say that the reduction in the
price of lumber had resulted from the i'm
position of group rates. Rates on lumber
from Beaumont 10 Austin, Dallas, Sher-
man, Denison, PA cents, to Yer
non and points in West Texas
p cents. \ distance tariff to
those points would shut out Beaumont mills
entirely. Lumber was higher last year
than this, difference not due 10 any change
in freight rates.
Upon being asked if lumber was not
cheaper ten years ago than noC. Mr.. Weiss
said he thought not, although ten years ago
it was very cheap.
Another lumberman from Orange said
lumber was higher by 81 10 s. a hundred
The complaint of the merchants of Round
Rock, stating that class rates
on merchandise from Austin 10
that point were more by rail
road now than formerly by
OK carts, was taken up. They complained
that they have to pay exorbitant prices on
grain and cotton to Galveston and East
Texas. The rate on cotton to Calves
ton is 20 cents, and to New England Sl.2O
The differences in distances did not, they
held, justify the rate to Galveston. 4
Round Rock merchant stated the case for
his people and urged lower rate on corn
to East Texas Eani on lumber in return.
The matter was passed over and other COM
plants were taken up and placed before the
railroad men.
An attorney Of Weatherford complained
that the rate charged by the Texas and
Pacific on wheat from Alodo, six
teen miles. to Fort Worth was Is
cents a bushe!, while the grain was hauled
TO st. Louis for % cents.
Mr.. Turner of the Texas and Pacific
stated that the rates were fixed in groups
grain producers there. 1t was prac-
tically the same for the millers in
Fort Worth, Abilene and Weatherford,
and placed them all on a like footing.
In reply 10 a complaint by A. Calvert,
fruit-grower, Mr.. Ripley of the Central
stated rates on fruits have been so fixed
as TO promote the fruit industry.
The supply of melons shipped
this year from Waller county would reach
$50 carloads. Two or three years ago it was
not one-third of that.
He stated, in reply to Mr.. Foster, that he
did not know whether the Houston and
Texas Central company or individual
stockholders of it owned the various
cotton presses on the line of the roads.
The same rates We're charged on ship
ping compressed or uncolnpressed cotton.
The gain to the road in compress
ing is the saving in transporta-
ton. SIT makes no difference TO
the road whether cotton Is compressed
or rot. My charges 10 Cents per 100
pounds for Gsmpressfng."