The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-09-23
THE RATES ON GRAIN
INDIANAPOLIS SUFFERS AT THE
RAILROADS HANDS.
Another Raise VIII Cause Farmers TO
Hold Back Their Grain TIL
Spring-IrOn Trade.

Said one of Indianapolis's largest grain
dealers: This city has lost its grip as a
grain center. In the seventies and early
eighties the indianapolis dealers handled
%, oco, 900 TO 2S,00oCoO bushels OF grain a
year. Now hardly 100000 bushels is ham
died." This led the reporter TO ask the
cause of such a decrease in SO important a
traffic. The grain dealer answered that the
nterstate-commerce law was largely re-
sponsibIe for it. and that while Ind.anap-
oils has suffered BY it, the farmers. whom
It was proposed TO benefit, had suffered
more, and to-day the interstate-commerce
law is costing the farmers of this State
and Illinois SO carload of grain or cattle
shipped, as the law played right into the
hands CT the railroads The grain man
feared that in the future the evil would be
even more pronounced, as he had noticed
IN the Journal that. with the presidents
agreement going into effect, an advance
in rates will be among the first NOV es.
and an advance in rates will further in
crease the unfavorable conditions for such
grain centers as Indianapolis and for the
farmers i'm the territory which ship via
indianapolis lines. The rate on grain from
indianapolis to New York is is cents a
hundred pounds, and should not be dis
turbed. although grain could be carried by
the roads at 10 cents and leave a hand
some margin TO the railroads He then
stated that in 1882, when there were as
heavy grain crops as this year, the rate
was for weeks about IL cents per hundred
the highest rate. With this the roads had
one or their most prosperous years. AL
bert s. White was then general agent of
publicly that the actual cost of hauling a
hundred pounds OF grain from Indianapolis
to New York, when figured closely, was
~ The TH cents ensin per ashared S s;nes
not complaining OF the present rate, is
cents. but were 1t advanced. as threat
sned; there ere would be trouble He really
and the roads would make more money
the next four months on a fifteen-cents-
per-hundred-pound rate on grains, Indian
apolis to New York, than on an eighteen
cent rate. higher rate would mean such
low prices for grain that the farmers of
this State and Illinois would hold 1t until
spring and then ship via Chicago and the
lakes.
1t is very singular, said the grain ship
per-. that, with the greatly improved ia
last few years, and the more economical
methods of operating roads, that in 1895
the rates should be so much higher than
shippers will not be able to pay more
than 20 cents bushel for corn and Is
cents for oats, and an advance in rates,
as Threatened, Wouiu Simply mean a rover
price for these cereals, and the farmers
who are able to would hold the grain for
the opening of navigation in the spring.
This talk of a scarcity of cars to move
road companies, said he. In 1889 there
were bigger crops than this year, and
the roads. did not then have SO many cars
or cars Of as large capacity, but there was
an ample number of cars to move the
crops as fast as they could be marketed
STILL continued the shipper ''if the
freight officials will let the grain rate re-
main as 1t is the shippers will not COM
plain, but it is useless to talk of Indian
apolis being a grain center again or of
the farmers in this and surrounding States
being as prosperous as in the eighties
while the interstate-commerce act is in
force"