The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-12-01
WHARF COMPANY FIGHT.
Their Assessments Are Not E,or.
b'tant as Alleged.
CHICAGO 81 AND ST. LOUIS IS A CAR
A General Notice Issued by the HAIL.
f"ad commission at Austin-De-
cembcr IL the Day Set.


eie"' in'eref's In this port and no interests
IN the Wharf company said today.
me petition filed with the commission
! states that cotton consigned to the Moody
press passes over the Wharf compnnv's
tracks in reaching the press and for this
service the Wharf COMPANY assesses :,
| charge OF III per car There is nothing in
| 'He petition to show that this charge is
| unjust or unreasonable or that there Is any
discrimination against the Moody press
discrimination on the part OF the Wharf
| company Is not charged. because il does
not exist, the fact being that every ear
ioad OF freight of any character. whether
| on through bill Of ladlng or local pavs In,
| "hari company 81. The fact that this busi.
ness passes over only GOO feet of the Wharf
companys track does not enttle II to a
ioWe' rt'e' as 1t 10 known fact that a eur
can De moved one mile on the wharf front
as cheaply as It can be moved COO feet
colonel Moody and possibly a few 9TH
cfs III galveston. are of the opinion that
all terminal charges should be absorbed by
the rail lines. ard the usual argument in
support of this theory is that on certain
characters OF business such charges are
supposed TO be absorbed by the rail lines
- 10 tNh'leiig uuutISlnpl tnIp trdCkuEC
| on export and imporl business Is laid BY
the rail lines handling same out of their
proportion of the through rate But sure
" no one in Galveston could object, II the
railroads are willing to stand the expense
The cry is often made that with all in
terests trying to build up the interests OF
Galvoston. everything passing through the
city Is made to pay tribute to the Wharf
company, that horrible nightmare of the
10 1...l
corners that Galveston would grow and cN.
pand at much more rapid rate II ihe
Nharf company were to retire from bust
ness and deed its property to the city. The
very people who talk in this strain object
10 the railroads stepping In and relieving
traffic of these charges. II the arguments
OF the croakers are true there would be
little or no competitive business passing
through Galveston unless the railroads did
absorb these charges, because it is no.
torious fact that commerce always flows
through that channel where 1t meets with
the least resistance.
THE Wharf company was organized for
business purposes and Is not supposed to
perform the functions OF ;hlanthropic
institution. number OF gentlemen have
a large amount of money invested In the
Wharf companys properties. and 1t is
! commonly accepted theory that the investor
| is fairly entitled to a return On his invest
mcnt. A charge OF 81 per car Is assumed
I TO be a fair charge for the service perform
ed and as I have stated, this charge IL
assessed on every car load Of business pass
ing over the wharves
I'm Chicago. the great cattle market If
he world, charge OF 81 per car is rs
sessed on every car load OF live stock
switched over the stock yards railway to
tho Union stock yards The cattle shippers
of the West and the live stock dealers of
Chicago have had the support Of the rail-
road commission Of Illinois. backed by the
attorney general Of the State, in an Mt
| tempt to compel the railroads entering Chi
/ cago to absorb this charge. This matter
| has been in litigation in both State and
/ Federal courts for the last two or three
years. But the railroads have won every
suit. and this charge is still being as
! sessed
at St Louis there is charge approxi'
mating S. n car for every carload of freight
| crossing the Mssissippi river. The rail-
roads leading from st. Louis to certain
parts of the country absorb this charge
and make the rates the same from either
side Of the river Lines leading to other
portions of the country refuse to do this
| The business interests If st. Louis nav"
| united TO overcome this apparent dissr!m-
| nation. They have appealed to state r'io
! interstate commissions, 10 State ana f"h-
/ eral courts. and even to congress ndt nave
never as yet been able TO enforce their &C.
mands II is true they are receiving soi'e
/ relief. but that Is because one OF the larg-
| est railroad systems ccntoring in that city
| has built an independent bridge over the
| Mississippi river, and can now hanNi"
| freight 10 and from ST Louis without pay
ing tribute to the bridge and Terry COM
| rRnics. , Co..
| 1T will be no;nl that the charge Tor
| switching car at Chicago Is " per CT
| The charge for crossing car oVer w
| Mississippi at ST LOUIS wv ~
| Wherever there are terminals opernteh m
/ denondently Of railroads, and for the gen
craI qon, Of ceuterng lines there are toI
/ r,jnaI cbarrps This Ia true all over tnls
I country. These charges ara necessary ~
rot,roods con rot be expected TO acquire
| oxnensjye terminals and maintain 'he.h Nv
an enormous cost for the mere iun U. W..
hing All the sentiment 10 pt i'nnu
Rae would not move car load OF tfe'Sn'
;,ch Money is the power behind inc
,,,,o,e business. Without terminal cha'
,born would be no money TO operate 'pe
terminals"
,r.tir Texas. November 3o.-The rah-
road commission to-day Issued 'he INV"
ing general notice; 49,,
whereas. w. L. Moody & Co. and 'h'
Moody romnress company have filed W'lh
the railroad commission OF ieNas '.,'.
tion alleging among other things 'hs' '"'
Galveston Wharf company owns anu W"
trolls a standard gunge railway IN 'he Guy
r. galveston, Texas, known as the oa ,'' ."
ton Wharf company railway 'ha' pe',.','
I'D onernte cotton compress ~
Gated on the line of said railway N 'a'
.ny of Galveston; that on cotton ''@"spY' :,
Cd from the interior Of Texas by rai,foaa'
copnec,ipg at Galveston with said railway y,
peti,ionsrs are required 10 pay; ,of ,ro nau y
~ fnw hundred feet over sag . caiwo:ton
charge OF y P't Ina, said charge Of y re5
cor is cxccsslvc. exorbitaut ana un!use 10, a.
ep' must imposition upon commerce a no,
that shs csros s f Sg a% !. "l
lehas na' ~ w" and maintain he rates maj
e Ha be 70 chargei and collected by the ad,.
SeSt. '' Wharf company for the use oil "s