The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1894-09-14
ARE We PAYING TOO MUoH2
Telegraph, TELEPHONE and Railroad Rates
Compared and Considered.

eight years afterward, il amounted to
SaO,0O0,0O0, and In the next year in
creased It's stock S2O,000,OO more, oil
Si0,OO0,0O0 and they declared in 1874,
for the one year alone, Ala per cent
dividends.
In the United States it costs twenty
five cents to send a message of ten
words over one division, forty cents to
Jacksonville, or to New York about
seventy-nve cents; while in Germany
Il costs but five cents per message OF
ten words to any part Of the Empire.
And the postal service in Germany is
much cheaper than in the United
states. A package Of ten pounds and
under, Is two cents per pound.
A telephone in The United States
costs from $50 TO 500 per year rent,
and fifty TO seventy cents for five
minutes talk over long distance line,
whilc In Sweden IL costs but 50 per
year rent, and long distance talks in
proportion. Which is the better for
people?
We will now compare the different
rates, for like goods, by the different
roads, and byihese comparisons prove
that we are either paying too heavy
charges or the other roads are doing a
losing business.
Packing house products or bacon
from Chicago to New York, distance
OF nearly one thousand miles, twenty
five cents per 100 pounds; Ocala to
Reddick, fifteen miles, twelve cents
per 100 pounds.
Corn from Chicago to New York
twenty cents per 100 pounds; Ocala to
Reddick, seven cents per 100 pounds.
From Chicago to New York, by rail
and canal grain from four to six cents
per bushel, while in car load lots here
u Is seven cents per 100 pounds.
IL cost 10 ship corn from New York
to Liverpool three cents per bushel;
flour, per barrel, twenty-four cents;
bacon, per ton, $40; pork, per barrel,
twenty-five cents, while it costs us
twenty cents TO ship barrel of vege-
tables, ear load lots, to Gainesville, or
four cents less than it does over 5000
miles.
Are these big roads and long hauls,
carrying goods for the love of carrying
them, or are we paying too much !?
We will now get still nearer home
The g. 5. d +. quoted me rates of SIG
per car of $4,000 pounds for five mile
haul or more, and at the same time
quoted ne rates at $50 per car to Sa-
vannah, $50 miles or more haul over
another road besides their own. How
is that?
IL cost $40 per ear Of 400 crates of to-
matOes from Reddick to Gainesville, a
distance of twenty-miles, while the
Pennsylvania railroad from Washing
Ton to NeM York, a distance of about
2'lO miles, charge for same 400 crates
So. How il that for charges?
II costs me, TO New York via Ocean
Steamship company, eighty cents per
barrel, IN car load lots on cabbage,
while II costs but twenty-five cents per
barrel from New York To Liverpool,
four times as long haul. How is that
for charges?
The J. +. x X. w. carries box of
orangs from Sanford to Jacksonville,
over leo miles. for ten cents, or $50 per
car, while II costs us S42 per ear for a
distance Of twenty-five miles or less.
How is that for rates?
It,osis from points on $. +. X. II.
from nearest points TO Sanford to
fath,iest points, 81 to 500 per car,
while IL costs thirty-live cents to carry
a box Of oranges from southern points
Of Charlotte Harbor division to Gaines
Vile.
And IL costs more from southern In
dian River points TO Jacksonville than
il dose from Italy 10 New York. Were
;he fruit growers of California to pay
same rates as we pay to New York, a
box Of oranges would have to sell for
$500 TO pay freight charges, and We're
same rates applied to Italian fruit a
box would have TO sell for $3.50 TO pay
freight charges
What do you think of the combine
between the S. +. 4 W., the Il. II. v.
4 e., the J. 4. 4 X. w. and branches,
and the Il. G. 4 4. roads, whereby the
two latter roads were 10 ship all the
fruit over the first two roads mentions
cd, thereby receiving S24 from these
reads as a premium. The two Florida
roads agreeing that should Other roads
cut the two roads mentioned they
would raise the freight TO meet the
cut. Had these two roads given the
shipper the advantage of S24 on car
this would have been quite a saving
for our people. Between Citra and
Gainesville from six to eight cents on
each box of oranges or vegetables
shipped, and as there has been ship
ped from this distance the last year,
about one million packages of fruit
and vegetables, they would have saved
between seventy and eighty thousand
dollars ia the one year. And yet the
railroads say they are doing nothing
and can't pay their expeass and must
60 into the hands Of a receiver.
The rate on phosphate, when we
had railroad commission, from For'
White 10 Lake City was fifty cents pei
ton; after the railroad commission
was destroyed by our legislature the
freight rates for same distance was =
per ton.
From Fort White to jacksonville the
rate increased from Sl.20 TO $500; 9