People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-04-21
Freight Rates in Kansas.

rates in Kansas, deducted from the
reports of committees on rail
ways and transportation, at
the convention Of retail i'm
! plement dealers which recently
met in Kansas City. From cOmpara-
tive tables the committee showed the
rate on implements to 40 towns in
Kansas and the rate for the same dis.
tance in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.
A perusal of these rates shows that
the implement dealers in Kansas pay
an average freight rate Of Il per cent.
higher than the dealers in Missouri.
100 per cent. higher than the dealers
in Illinois and ST per cent. higher
than the dealers in Iowa. The justi-
tlcatiOn made for these rates is that
Kansas is young state, furnishing
comparatively little business to the
railroads. To rebut this statement
the committee says:
Kansas raised in 1892. one.seventh
of the production of wheat of the
United States. Kansas raised more
wheat in 1892 than Illinois. Iowa, Ne
braska and Missouri combined. Kan
SaS raised more wheat in 1892 than
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont.
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Con
necticut, New York. New jersey
Pennsylvania, Delaware. Maryland.
Virginia, North Carolina. Georgia.
Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louis
lana. Texas. Arkansas, Tennessee
West Virginia and Kentucky com
Oined. Kansas raised only 100000,
bushels less corn and 47,000,00O more
wheat than the great state of Illinois
did in the year 1892.
The committee figures that this ex-
cess over Illinois amounts to $4,000
IClrlOadS of 800 bushels each. which at
SO per car to the Mississippi rive,
amounts to S4,O5O.0OO, and call atten-
tiOn to the further fact, apparent T.,
every one, that there is a car short.
dge at nearly every station and that
there has )een almost a coal famin,
IN Kansas during the past six weeks
because of the inability of the rail
roads to furnish cars enough to d,
the business.
These are astonishing statements
md we have but little doubt Of thei
truth. On this point the Homestead
has for years insisted that The STATE.
west of the Missouri were pursuing Al
entirely wrong policy in working 70.
low, long haulS, and permitting til,
short haul to be from so per cent
more than Tor like distances in low.
Ind Missouri. That was the doctrin,
that deceived Iowa farmers ten years
was advocated by the press and b,
the railroad commissioners and ap
proved by the people. The Thorough
'corching investigation which led t
the adoption of the Iowa railroad Law
? IN 1888, showed the entire fallacy 0
this line of reasoning, and the polio,
; OF the state taking the matter of til,
local rates in its hands, reducin,
them to the limits of Justice and al
lowing the long haul to care for it
I self. Competition will fix that, be
cause al figure when it will temp
, railroads to cut rates, the cuttin!
will be done and no pooling cOmbina
tiOn can be made that will perma
, nently bind the railroads to maintain
the rates. Hence the point of wis
dom for the states west of the Mis-
souri, is to cut the local rate on imple
ments, merchandise, MANUFACTURED
products, and everything else to /
point somewhat approximating tn,
Iowa rate. This will build up factor
les, jobbing houses, creameries ant
canning factories, with the resul
that cities will grow, state population
increase, and state building proceed
+ on proper lines.-TOpeka Daily Press