Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-01-08
CATTLE SHIPMENTS
New systcm Of Charging by Actual
Weight of Live stock.

weight OF Lave SApSNf
Houston, Texas. January g.
The new system Of charging OF ship
ments of live stock by their actual weight
instead OF by the hundredweight. Just In
aueurated by the Western lines, promises
TO be extended to other roads II proved
n SUCCESS All the railroads handling
live stock have issued new tariffs under
which the new system of charges are TO
he made and great preparations have been
made by their live stock agents and the
Western Weighing association for the
weighing and handling of the many cars
of cattle, hogs and sheep that arrive daily
at the Eastern and Western markets,
Relative 10 the new system the Kansas
City Star says II is n departure from the
old rule of charging for shipments Of live
stock by the car load--a rule which has
been in force practically ever since kan
sas City became "A live stock market--and
naturally there Ia feverlsh anxiety
among the live stock men as to what VIII
be the outcome OF It. The commission
men. who ara solicitous for the welfare
OF their customers. view the new sys-
tenn with trepidntinn. Not only do they
fear that the Weighing OF the cars Will
cause delay in handling stock on the mar
ket, they fear also that II Will take long
time for the shippers to get used to the
new tariffs. and consequently there Is
some Likelihood that the market viii be
disturbed. Under the old system Of charg-
ing by the chr load. which has always
proved satisfactory, n dealer shipping a
car load of cattle or hogs TO Kansas city
could tell exactly what the freight would
be. Under the new system the shipper
only knows how much per hundred
pounds he win have to pay, but he viii
have 10 be n good guesser Of weights if
he can tell how much tho freight wifi be
befor. the car is weighed In Kansas city.
The live stock agents OF the railroads
say they VIII be Rhle 10 handle all the live
stock that comes TO Kansas city without
any decay or Inconvenience to the market.
Some OF the roads have I,accd automatic
scales on the tracks lending to the stock
yards, by which they claim the exact
weight of a car can be licked on while
II IL running at n speed OF five miles an
hour. Other roads. notably the Missouri
racine. prefer to weigh tho cars In the
OLD way. as the mechanism of the auto
matte scales Is 30 complicated that trouble
wohld ensuo IL ever they should get out
Of order.
Concerning the new tariffs. the i've stook
agent OF one OF the roads said yesterday
that the shipper would nav ito more
freight by having his cattle ard hogs
weighed and charged by the hundrd-
weight than no would by paylup freight
Mt so much per car lond. the only ship
pers who would 10 affected would l,t, thos.,
VINO have been accustomed 30 overioadinr
GERS by urowdus In 5000 pounds il a car
which should only carry 1900 pounds Tue
agent admitted that tho new Aystcm
would mean more revenue TO tho roads.
hut II would be at the oSppnse OF inoks
who have heretofore overloaded tho cara.
The new Weighing rule does not apply 70
shipments billed from today. and 70 little
chance WAS afforded today to commission
4. sfa.as. .lft ne
the pian Tho transportation bureau has
provided the commission men with cons
plant cards on which 10 record their OBJ
jections to the new weighing rule.