The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-02-26
Discrimination In Freight Rates.

To the Editor of The Daily Leader.
In line with the agitation Of the trans
portation question started in Sioux Falls
a few evenings since, l wish to compare
my experience with the facts there given
out. Iowa freight rates we're referred to
as follows: "The freight to Sioux City
and extreme western points OF the state
OF Iowa, are, on Iowa slack coal, &c; on
Iowa nut coal, 800. To Sioux Falls, g."
I find that freight on any and all coal
received here at Madison from any
Iowa point Is 1855 per ton by the Car
and no discrimination on the kind or
quality of the coal as there is in all
other states. There is a certain accum.
ulation of fine or slack coal at all mines
which IN heavy steam power like the
electric light works can be used to great
advantage, and costs at the mines Acc
per tom The freight from Mystic or
Ottumwa is 1856. Thus it will be seen
where and how electric lights cost 80
much. The writer had occasion to ship
a car of hay to Dubuque, Iowa, from
Madison. Returns have just been re-
ceived as follows:
~ tons hay at s. per ton. ........S3 7.5 90
Commission, $3.50; freight, s25.7 1926
Net to shipper. 1925
nr ol,C,,f al NOR ton Tho how xpo,,lI
have readily sold here for 50 per ton.
This hay vas put up at Ramona at, say,
81 per ton; baling cost $1.5O; hauling and
loading, $3.50; 81 on track at Madison,
or $50; net loss to shipper, Spills. How
car a farmer shipper or business man do
business at these rates, or how can a
community prosper? Many do not con.
slider what we pay in outgoing rates be-
cause the freight is paid by the con-
slgnee and the object lesson is not clear.
ly before US. The difference between
the Chicago market and the Madison
price of wheat is the freight, or dc per
bushel. What Is the railroad profit?
Say an engine will haul 16 cars of wheat
containing each 6OO bushels. a total OF
5000 bushels, at 21c freight, sl,9l6.
This train at ordinary freight train
speed should run this load to Chicago in
80 hours, with a crew of four men at
wages not exceeding SIG and an expense
Of coal not exceeding $50; total expense,
S4J; net profit in 30 hours on train Of l6
cars, 1850. Say this same train turns
around and brings back 16 cars of coal,
26 tons to the car, at $3.50 per ton which
equals Sl,l2O as will be seen, netting the
railroad nearly $1,000 for one train for
five working days-and this is almost
wholly what Is the matter with Dakota.
In Iowa where the rates are from 20 to
100 per cent. less than in Dakota, land
is worth from $40 to 500 per acre more
than in Dakota, and the land in Iowa is
scarcely if any more productive than the
fair soil Of South Dakota and Lake
county. Therefore, it is easy to see the
cause Of our non-prosperity. The reason
of this is the railroad law in Iowa. A
few of the merchants of Sioux Falls, TO-
gether with Judges Palmer and Garland,
prepared a bill identical with that of
the Iowa law and expected it would be
met with favorable consideration by the
last legislature, but the railroad lobby
was too strong for the handful Of earn
est men who prepared this excellent
bill and asked that it might be passed
and become a very beneficial law to
South Dakota. Men should be chosen
to represent the state who are known to
be above bribery or OF receiving them.
The Taylor steal pales into insight.