The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-24
IN REGARD TO FREIGHT RATES
Chairman Morrison Makes a Reply to the
PETER Resolution.

| PETER Resolution.
| Topeka, Kan, March 23.-In answer
| to Senator PETERS resolution, which
was passed by the senate asking GER
| tain information regarding railroad
| rates and addressed to the interstat;
| commerce commission, chairman Nor
| rison has just forwarded to Washing
| ton an exhaustive reply.
| The first question of the senate to the
| commission in substance was:
| Has there been an agreement among
railway companies to maintain differ
| ent rates east and west of the Missouri
and lawful?
! Chairman Morrison replies:
| There is no agreement or regulation
| in writing other than the regularly es
| tabIished tariffs and rate sheets be-
| tween the railroad companies whose
| lines extend to or through Missouri riv-
er points as towhat rates shall be main
| tanned 10 or from such points. Com
| panies carrying from points east thereof
use the Missouri river as basing line
and maintain the same rate TO all Mis-
| souri, river points.
The rates from Chicago and points
| east of the Missouri river TO points
| west in the states of Nebraska, Kansas
| and Colorado are made, as a rule, by a
| combina ton of the rates east and west
of the river-that is TO say, by adding
| to the rate east of the river the local
rate between the river and the point OF
destina ton west For illustration, the
first1class rate from Chicago to Omaha
is so cents; the local rate thence. to Co
lumbus, Neb., is So cents; the combina-
ton or through rate, being s115. The
rate from Chicago to City on freight OF
the first-class is so cents, and the local
rate thence to Topeka, Kan, is % cents
making the aggregate, or through rate
under this rule of constructing rates
81. o.
To this rule of constructing rates To
points west of the river by combination
of rates to and from the river, there are
exceptions. The first-class rate from
Chicago to Omaha missouri river) is Sc
cents; the local rate thence TO Lincoln,
Neb., is 80 cents; the aggregate of this
combination of rates would be s1.10. but
through rate of 50 cents on freight OF
the first-class is made TO Lincoln. The
first-claSs rate from Chicago to Kansas
City is so cents; the rate thence to OF
tawa, Kan, is % cents; these combined
would make the aggregate, or through
rate, 81 90, but the through rate main
tances the rates and charges are high
err west than east of the Missouri river.
For illustration: The rate from Chica-
go, through Omaha, to Julesburg, on
first-class freight, is $3.50, the division
being so cents to Omaha for a distance
of 492 miles, and 81 west of Omaha for
a distance of 372 miles. The rate from
Chicago, through Kansas City, TO
Dodge City, Kan, is s1.67, the division
being so cents from Chicago to Kansas
City for a distance of ASS miles, and 81
cents from Kansas City to Dodge City,
a distance of 39s miles.
The third question, regarding Kan.
sas grain rates, asked by the senate
was:
Was any agreement recently made by
railways whereby rates on grain and
other farm produce from points in Mis-
souri,, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Ok
lahoma and Indian Territory, to points
in Texas and Mexico, were advanced?
Are such advanced charges now in
force? What was the purpose of the ad-
vance and was it unreasonable and in
violation of law?
Chairman Morrison, to this question,
replies:
On the Sd day of October, 1895. the
forced from certain points in Missouri,
Kansas and Oklahoma and the Indian
Territory to Galveston and other points
in Texas, including points on the Rio
Grand (the Mexican border) were re-
duced. The points from which the rates
were reduced embraced most Of the
south half of all the grain producing
region of the state of Kansas, the south
west, nearly one-haf of the state of
Missouri and parts of Oklahoma and In
dian Territory. On the said Sd day of
October 1895, the rates on flour and
grain TO Texas points above named.
from the north half, approximately, of
the grain producing part of the state of
Kansas, from parts Of Colorado, Ne
braska, the northeast half of Missouri,
and parts of Oklahoma, were increased.
On the goth day of January last all the
above mentioned rates, which had been
either so increased or reduced, were re-
stored and made the same as they were
before October 3, 1895. The result of this
restoration on the Goth day of January
was to increase the rates on flour and
grain from parts of the grain producing
region of Kansas. Missouri and indian
Cerritory and Oklahoma, as part of the
rates reduced and enforced after Oc-
tober 8, 1895.
The reductions made on October 8,
1895, were made by the several roads
carrying to the Mexican border and to
Galveston and other gulf ports. Pre-
vious to this reduction, flour and grain
rates from points in Missouri, Kansas,
Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma and
Indian Territory, were so adjusted that
part of these products was carried east
through st. Louis. Chicago and the sew
eral Missouri and Mississippi crossings,
another part going suoth TO the Mexican
border and the gulf ports over the roads
alluded thereto.
The result of the reductions and
changes so made in rates on October 5,
1895. was to divert to the gulf ports "A
part of the traffic on -four
and grain from the reduced-rate terri
tory, which had been previously carried
east to st. Louis and Chicago, and
through these and other points to the
sea board. The companies car
rying to the east complained os their
rivals and threatened retaliation. This
resulted in a conference in which the
competing for this traffic
were represented and an arrangement
was arrived at. as the result Of which
the rates on -four and grain which had
existed previous to October 3, 1895, were
restored on January 20, 1896, the "rea-
son or purpose Of advance so made on
January 20. 1896. tried by its effect, was
to restore former conditions so that
more grain might be carried over east
I'm and less over lines to the gulf ports.
The restoration was understood TO be
but temporary, the restored rates being
unsatisfactory to many of the railroad
companies interested. II was agreed by
!
IN 10 submit 70 arbitration the settle
nent or determi nat ton of what the rela-
tive rate should be on -four and grain
or oducts from the states and territories