The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-21
DISCRIMINATING RATES.
The Case OF the City OF Wichita Presented to
the kailrosd Commissioners.

Yesterday was the day set for the hear
| ing of the case OF Wichita versus the rail
way companies charged with unjust dis
elimination in freight rates. The railroad
! commissioners, Messrs. John Hall OF Erie,
2. s. 3Iaxson of Enporis and W. d. Vim
| cent OF Clay Center, were present to hear
! the case. There were also present Judge
/ kelso OF Atchison aud J. II. Richards OF
| Fort Scott. attorneys Tor the Missouri
/ Pacific. and ~ j. Hurd Of Topeka.
-attorney Tor the Santa Fe. j. 4.
/ Middleton, assistant general freight
! agent CT the Frisco; J. c. Lincoln. assist
! ant general freight agent of the Missouri
| Pacific. and c. r. Hudson. assistant gem
erai freight agent Of the Santa Re, were
| also present.
| George L. Douglass and j. E. Howard
| represented the city. The court convened
| in the city council chamber at o'clock IN
the afternoon and after some preliminary
work the taking of testimony began. The
/ first witnesses were the dealers in agricul-
turaI implements. They were Messrs.
Rehstein. Smyth, Wallace, Benton, Pol
lard and Taylor.
The next witnesses were the dealers
in lumber, and Mr.. George Pratt gave his
| testimony, after which Mr.. j. c. Lincoln
| assistant general freight agent of the Mis-
| souri, Pacific was pat on the stand TO tes-
tify as TO the rates charged from different
points on his road to Wichita and other
points. And to the average man the rates
| were unjust, disproportlonate and dlscrim-
mating without doubt.
This work consumed the afternoon and
the commissioners sdjourned the further
hearing of the case til O'Clock p. n.
The first witness examined at the even
ing session was T. j. Schwartz as TO the
ates on coal. Mr.. Schwartz said the es-
timated consumption OF coal annually in
Wichita amounted TO 1000 car
loads, or $1,000 tons: The price
paid per ton on lump coal shipped from
Cherokee county to Wichita, was LOO, for
slack, $50. The price per ton on the same
coal TO Kansas City was 20 cents per ton.
the distance being about the same
Mr.. c. r. Hudson. assistant general
freight agent of the Santa Fe, took the
stand and stated that the rate per ton from
Frontenac TO Wichita, a distance OF 1oo
miles was 81 60; that the rate on the same
from Frontenac to Kansas City, 154 miles.
wis 50 cents per ton. The rate on coal
from Usage to Wichita was Sl.20 per ton:
from Usage to Kansas City it was
90 cents, the difference in distance being
trfie Mr. Hudson also stated that
the rate per ton from Weir City TO Wich-
tia was SLIGO, ths distance being 22S miles;
from pittsburg TO Wichita, 1872 miles, the
rate was the same The rate from Weir
49, l. tbA t-to a
the same, was 50 cents per ton.
Mr.. j. c. Jennings, commercial agent OF
the Missouri Pacific in this ciey, was the
next witness. He testified as TO the rates
on coal on his road. The rate from Pitts
burg, Fleming, Cherokee and Folsom to
Wichita, the distance being about 195
miles, was SLIGO per ton. The rate from
the same points TO Kansas City, the dis
lance being about $50 miles, WAS 20 cents
per ton. The rate from the same points to
Atchison, the distance being the same as
to Wichita was 81 per ton.
Mr.. Douglass as this point stated that
he had expected to examine very many
more witnesses but that the merchants
engaged in the different lines of trade
would only repeat what had already been
late he would rest his case, and would rest
it securely, as every single allegation
made had been proven. All the points ex-
pected to be brought out had been clearly
and explicitly shown, and he would leave
the case with them. The commissioners
stated that their time would be fully occu-
pied until after July I and it would be inn
possible for them TO hear anything further
before that time. The attorneys for the
different roads wanted TO produce their de-
Tense in Topeka, where all schedules and
other necessary papers were, and the conf
mjssioners finally allowed them till Tues
day, July IS in which to make their de-
Tense and then promised, II Wichita
wanted to produce any rebu:tal testimony,
they would return here and hear il. The
case would then be pushed to speedy
termination, which Mr.. Douglass urged
upon the commissioners rs being highly
desirable
Thus the matter stands at present. The
commissioners acted very fairly and i'm
partially, and everything looks favorable
10 a final settlement OF this vexed ques-
ton OF freight rates.