The Wichita daily eagle., 1896-05-07
SERMON ON RATES
WHAT CAN BE DONE THROUGH CEN
TRIAL BASING POINT.

Some Logical Facts and Propositions Sci
Forth and Discussed Before Oklahoma
Business Men - Proposed Elevator at
Wichita is Commended highly as a
ContIibutory Step Towards the solution
of the Question of Cheaper shipment of
Products-W hat VIII Benefit This Ter
ritory Will Also Benefit oklahoma.
When a reporter for the Eagle called
yesterday at the local Office OF the Car
weston Export company, 10 ascertain
some new facts about the elevator, ne
found the same evidence Of business
rush about the place which has char
acterized it during the past three weeks
u have a whole lot of things 10 say"
Eaid Mr.. Imboden but 1 want 10 call
your attention to some articles in a
Guthrie paper, which expresses my
IDEAS 10 dot. He then produced some
clippings from one Of which the follow
Ing extracts are taken. The Guthrie
paper says:
Among the addresses delivered be-
fore the Guthrie club last Friday night
was one Of more than ordinary import
Rnce on tine grain market of this sec
ton Of country by Mr.. E. P. Burlingame
By request Of many members Of the
board IL is printed in full. Mr.. Bur
lingame said:
The matters 10 which desire to di-
rect your thoughts are in my opinion,
the most important which have been
brought to the notice of the people OF
Okla nryaa SfOca T 20 J,ara
relate to the project of the Galveston
Export company TO build a large eleva-
tor at Wichita, making that plSce a
basing line at which 70 concentrate
the grain in favor Of Galveston as a
place Of export.
Many years ago congress appropria-
tel a large sum for the improvement
Of the harbor at Galveston, and six
million dollars have been expended in
the construction Of jetties, which have
increased the depth of the water on
the bar at the entrance to the bay
from twelve to twenty-five feet.
That difference of ten feet-yet to
be increased perhaps ten feet more
means very much indeed to Galveston,
ana ! hope our minds may follow lines
or thought which will bring US to see
what IL means to Oklahoma
When the south jetty had been ex-
tended into the Gulf several miles
and the indications Of success were
manifest in the securing and shifting
of the channel, the Galveston Wharf
company erected a million busheI eIe
vator at a cost Of nearly two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars The build
Ing was completed and ready for
grain early in June 1892, and l had
Charge OF it from that time for a year.
j was thus brought into close obserya-
non or the conditions relating to the
export Of grain at Galveston and be-
came acquainted with the nature of
such obstacles as then stood in the
way OF entire success.
Galveston has adequate storage
shipping facilities and harbor advant-
ages, for handling two hundred cars
a day say one hundred and twenty |
i've thousand bushels. But the pro- |
prletors cannot afford to keen the eIe |
Vator open unless a business is provid- |
ed for II. The pay roll for necessary
employees, exclusive of labor for un- /
loading cars, is fully eight hundred |
dollars per month. 1t requires quite |
a large business to make this good and |
although there may be an abundance |
of grain in the country, it may avail /
nothing If the railroads refuse to make |
rate that will allow a margin of pro- |
fit TO the exporter
The present move on the part of the |
export company is designed to compel |
rate through the volume Of the busi- |
ness which may be controlled by con- |
centrauon, and the establishment of a 1
base In the midst of the grain produc- |
ing region. that shall be as much in |
proximity to Galveston as to any other |
point Of export. Concentration az /
Kansas City has never done us here
any good whatever. and has been ar
obstacle TO success at Galveston. BY
mus accumulating grain near the
place of production, sufficient duanti-
~ can be controlled to influence rates
and give a paying business to the eIe-
Vator so that it can be kept in opera
tion.
In the matter of grain supply there
are some natural permanent advant- !
ages which are obvious as soon as sug-
gested. A glance at the map will re-
veal the geographical advantages pos
sessed by the beautiful island city.
galveston and Kansas City lie close
upon the same meridian, and west of
THIS lies the acreage which produces
the greater part of the export grain.
And Stiu further west Of this meridian |
so far as to be beyond the reach Of
competing points-lies the future acre
age OF the Atlantic slope Western
Kansas, western Oklahoma. the west
ern part OF the Indion territory ana
western TeXas-the whole vast area
IS al tributary to Galveston as viewed
from the geographical standpoint
Other things being equal, the nearest
point Is most advantageous, and the
shorter haul the cheapest.
We see. too, that when grain has
'eached Kansas City, St. Louis or
Chicago il is yet a long distance from
he sea-further than from Wichita 10
falveston-and has still 10 be trans
ported and hauled before it is loaded
nto the ocean vessel. On the other
hand, grain from this area can be
dumped into a car at the farmers
ration and in forty-eight hours be in
4 vessel at Galveston. where one hand
ing and single tariff have deposited |
- once bring the artificial conditions |
n accord iwth the geogra phical and a |
louhie track would not be sufficient |
.or the business Of the road that rms |
through Guthrie.
Have YOU thought Of the climatic al ,
fantaSes that permanently favor the
galveston route? Start a train OF cars
o Galveston and no matter how bit a.,
erly cold the weather may be. If rae
rain can make a start il is likely 10
yet through, for every mile means
higher temperature and mild weather;
out start your train the other way and