Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-01-31
WORK OF THE RAILROAD COM
MISSION.


CONTINUED FROM LAST SUNDAY.
In Justice to the Texas managers of some
Of our interstate railroads, will state that
personally they are friendly to Texas inter
ests and would gladly so adjust local and
interstate freight rates as to enable our
merchants and manufacturers to do bust
ness at home, instead of having to move TO
St Louis or New Orleans to reach the
Texas trade as many of them have already
done, but they do not own the properties
they manage, being simply executors OF
general policy formed by boards and
directories who have no particular interest
in Texas, and they are therefore powerless
10 help US. Nearly all roads built by Texas
enterprise, and in part by Texas capital,
and which, could they have maintained
themselves as local enterprises, would have
benefited Texas commercial and manutact-
uring interests UNNECESSARILY, have long
since been merged into one of three great
systems of roads traVerSing the state, the
preponderance of whose interests lie out
side of Texas The benefits the state now
derives from them are purely incidental
and of L character they cannot prevent
flowing 10 any country through which they
pass. They have ceased to be ''of and for
Texas" and are not favoring the building
up of great trade centers in the state, like
Kansas City, Mo-, or Atlanta, Ga, which
would afford our people the advantage OF
home market and source of supply within
easy reach Houston might, possibly, be
an exceptional case, but 1t remains to be
seen whether it will continue TO receive the
fostering care of the Houston and Texas
Central railroad when that road shall have
been fully merged into the "Hungtngton
system" Of railroads, whose principal in
uerests lie in California and Louisiana.
Dallas, Fort Worth Waco, Austin, San
Antonio and other interior cities have at
tempted 10 secure such an adjustment Of
state and interstate rates rs would enable
wholesale dealers at those points to reach
retail merchants and consumers IN Texas as
cheap as the same articles can be shipped
directly to such merchants from jObblng
ceuterS outside of Texas. The answer to
this apparently reasonable request is that
the jObbing interests of the aboye-named
places seek this advantage at the expense
of the smaller towns, or, in other words,
that it cannot be granted except at the eX-
pense Of the trade of such towns.
That this is not any more true OF a Texas
than it is of a st. Louis wholesale dealer is
suscel tible of demonstration. In the first
place, three-fcurths of all the goods sold by
retail dealers in Texas are purchased from
jobbing houses and not from first hands.
Secondly, those purchased from the manu-
factureP himself are sold at jObberS' prices,
or. to put it differently, the johber sells at
manufacturers prices. and 1t Is rare case
where it makes any difference to a retail
dealer whether he buys goods from a man
ufacturer or a frst-claSs wholesale dealer.
If therefore, goods as rule go into
1obbing house somewhere for distribution
10 the Texas retail trade, why not in
Texas city, as well as in st. Louis Kansas
CITY or New Orleans2 They would cost no
more to the consumer if shipped from the
factory 10 q Dallas or Fort Worth whole
sale house, and thence to retail merchant
at Granbury, than if they passed through
O. fN,.1nu inhh dc
provided the rate from the factory to Dali
las or Fort Worth and thence TO Granbury
did not exceed the rate from the factory TO
ST. Louis or New Orleans and thence to the
same point.
But, as rates are now adjusted, goods can
be shipped from the factories North and
East TO ST. Louis or New Orleans, and from
thence to any point in Texas, much cheaper
than from the same factories to Fort Worth
or Dallas and thence to any point IN the
state: hence wholesale dealers who desire
10 command i respectable share OF Texas
trade have either to locate in wholesale
trade center outside of the state, or main
tain warehouse in one and fill the bulk OF
their orders through the branch eStaonSh-
ment, the Texas end being maintained for
the advantage which the name OF being
Texas house is supposed TO afford
The Texas wholesale dealers, in asking
that rates be fixed that will enable them TO
reach the Texas retail trade on terms OF
equality with st. Louis or New Orleans
wholesale dealers, do not seek that priTi-
lege at the expense of the retail merchant.
They would deprive him Of no advantage
he now enjoys in reaching outside mar
kets, but would supplement It with the ad-
ditional advantage and convenience OF
competing market nearer home.
But Texas wholesale merch ants have not
even asked for rates on goods from Eastern
points 10 Texas iobbing centers, and thence
to the retail merchants in Texas, as low as
Existing rates from outside iobbing centers