The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-20
KANSAS FREIqHT RATES.

road rates and addressed to the interstate
| commerce commission, Chairman Nor
rison has just forwarded to Washington
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 diheren1
rates east and west of the Missouri river,
and is such differences reasonable and
lawful
Chairman Morrison replies:
There is no agreement or regulation in
| writing ether than the regularly sstab-
lished tariffs and rate sheets bstwesn the
railroad companies whose lines extend to
or through Missouri river points as to
what rates shall be maintained to or
from such points. Companies carrying
! from points east thereof use the Missouri
river "a q basing line, and maintain the
same rate to all Missouri river points.
The rates from Chicago and points east
states of Nebraska, Kansas aud Colorado
are made, as a rule, by q combination of
| the rates east aud 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 psint of destination west. For
| illustration, the first class rate from Chi
cago to Omaha is 80 cents; the local rate
| bA0ASS 70 - OS CSAbSp
the combination or through rate, being
| $1.15. The rate from Chicago to Kansas
City on freight of the first-class is 80
cents, aud the local rate thence to To-
| peka, Kan, Is % cents, making the ag-
gregats, or through rate, under this rule
of constructing rates $109.
| 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 80
| cents; the local rate thence to Lincoln
Neb., is 80 cents; the aggregate of this
com bination of rates would be $1.10, but
through rate of 65 cents on freight of
the first-clas9 is made to Lincoln. The
City is so cents; the rate thence to Ottawa
Kan, is 20 cents; these Gem
bined would make the aggre-
gate, or through rate, 500, but the
through rate maintained is $LO5. In
proportion to distances the rates and
charges are higher west than east of the
] Missouri river. For Illustration: The
rate from Chicago, through Omaha, to
Julesburg, on frst-class freight, is $3.50,
the division being 80 cents to Omaha for
a distance of 492 miles, and 81 west of
! Omaha for distance of 372 miles. The
rate from Chicago, through Kansas
City. to Dodge City, Kan, is 81 ct. the
Kansas City for a distance of 459 miles,
| and 81 cents from Kansas City to Dodge
City, distance of 369 miles.
The third question, regarding Kansas
grain rates, asked by the senate was:
Was any agreement recently made by
railways whereby rates on grain and
ether farm produce from points in Mis-
souri,, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Okla
homa and Indian Territory, 70 points in
Texas aud Mexico. were advanced? Are
| such advanced charges now in force?
| What was the purpose of the advance
and was it unre asonable and in violation
of law?
Chairman Morrison, to this question,
replies:
On the third day of October, 1895, the
rates on -four aud grain previously en-
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
Grande (the Mexican bordsr,) were re-
duced. The points from which the rates
were reduced embraced most of the
south half of all tho grain producing
| region of the state of Kansas, the south
west, nearly one-half of the state of Mis-
souri, aad parts of Oklahoma and Indian
Territory. On the said third day of DC
teber. 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, Nebraska, the
northeastern half of Missouri, aud parts
of Oklahoma, were increased. On the
goth day of January last all the above
mentioned rates, which had been either
80 increased or reduced, were restored and
made the same as they were before Oct.
3, 1898. The result OF this restoration
on the Goth day of January was to in
crease the rates on -four aud grain from
parts of the grain producing region of
| Kansas. Missouri and Indian Territory
and Oklahoma, as part of the rates re-
| duced and enforced after October 3,
1895.
The reductions made on October 3,
1895, were made by the several roads
| carrying to the Mexican border and to
Galveston and other gulf ports. Pre-
vious to this reduction, -four 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 south 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 g.
1890, was to divert TO the gult ports
considerable part of the traffic on flour
and grain from the reducsd-rate terri
tory, which had been previously carried
east to St. Louis and Chicago,
and through these and other points
to the Atlantic seaboard. The COM
painless carrying to the east complained of
their rivals and threatened retaliation.
This resulted in a conference in which
the companies 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 exist
ed previous to October 8, 1895, were
-aato-ad n11arz % 1903 iha son