The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-09-16
rHm COMPRESS REGULATIONS.


railroad clearly demonstrated that. consd-
cred from the transportation standpoint.
| the question OF compressage is one which
| has been greatly mistaken BY the commits
sioners and that the rules which they have
| laid down for the government thereof are
based on wrong theories.
| After showing that the lines which no
represents can not get cotton from points
south OF Bryan and BRENNAN and east OF
LaGrange. Schulenburg and Yoakum, Owing
to the lowering Of the minimum rate out
Of which cofnpressage can be paid for by
the railroads. Mr.. Bcin addressed himself
to the commissions compress regulations
In general and effectually attacked the
proposition that az cotton can be more
economically transported in a compressed
condition it should be compressed at the
first press reached in transit after
n ,venty mile haul has been had Com
~ essage In transit is an insurance and not
I'm economical question, he asserted, and
nom of the traffic men present contra
die ted him, although several were listening
wht affect love for the commissions regu-
latISns because they enable them to move
Gotta at saving of available ear space.
while the truth OF the matter Is that their
emily reason for favoring the delay OF cot
ton at interior presses is 10 get II in
shape to be moved in box cars and coyerabe
by Insurance. The lines represented by
Mr. Bein move cotton on flat and In box
practically on flat cars-and their
only object is to get II to destination as
quickly AZ possible to the great ADVANTAGE
Of the shipper. They carry their own risks.
hence are not Interested In delaying ship
ments and getting insurance, and It can be
truthfully stated that they have fewer
fires than their competitors. Fire can be
detected much quicker in cotton moved o.
flat than in box cars and the burning bale
can be pushed Oft by the train crew and the
balance Of the load saved while II IL prac-
tically Impossible TO save cotton which
catches fire In box car.
In plain English. the issue between the
lines represented by Mr.. Ben and the lines
favorable to the COMMISSIONS compress
regulations Is ono OF business methods.
The former want to move cotton quickly,
carefully and economically. while the Inter
have little care for ITS prompt handling
and expeditions delivery Just SO cond-
tons are such as to enable thcm to get
beneath the protecting wing of an insur-
ance company.
Another point developed by Mr.. Ben
was that the back haul charge fixed by
the commission operates against the gulf
ports, for which It always manlfcsts great
protect against outside competition To
Illustrate: Cotton concentrated at Dallas
from Lancaster. cay. or concentrated ut
Paris from Santa l'e points east OF Dallas.
can be exported Via the Atlantic seahoard
or New Orleans without the payment OF
back haul. Suppose however, that a Dial
las buyer In the first instance, or Il Paris
buyer In the second desires to ship his
cotton out Via Galveston, he has to pay
for the hack haul under the commission s
rules because it was concentrated at II
point out of tho line OF destination. II
might be said that the Dallas or the Paris
man could stnrt his cotton southwark to
begin with II he We're going to ship At to
Galveston and avoid the back haul.
Suppose. however. that his headquarters
are at either point and that all his fncili- |
ties for classification and concentry,-
ton ARC there. is 1t fair to compel
him to concentrate In the direction
OF destination to avoid the back haul
simply because he desires to take a,lyan. |
tage OF Texas deep water? Should he pay
some one else for classification and han
ding when he is fixed to do it himself a,
Dallas or Paris in order to be permitted
to patronize a Texas port2
turning from Mr.. Beln's presentation OF
inc case, from the point of view OF a trnf- |
Tic man DESTROYS of moving cotton exne.
ditiously and willing to pay for conpross.
age solely because competitive conditions
render 1t necessary for him to do so. and
approaching the question from tho pro- |
ducer's side thereof II appears that the |
latter must be the loser In the end II The
eommissicn's compress regulations stand.
said regulations, II is claimed, were made
TO "diffuso" the business OF compr,ssln,
ana 70 prevent the larger cotton buying
| ''N''' N'''ihS uut the Utile ones, At
tention might he called to the fact that
one OF the larger firms aimed at was n
pioneer in the interior cotton buying busI.
ness. but that feature OF the case need not
be discussed. The most extensive cotton
buyers In Texas ara located in Houston
ahd desire to compress their cotton there
The commission forbids their doing so up.
less they pay for the compressape ,ber.
selves II It is done ut Houston.
| What VIII be the resuitY
WIN they go out of buslnessG Not much
They win continue to concentrate In Hons.
ton. but the producer win get so cents
bale less for his cotton And the railroad
commission will be to thank for 1t, That's
ALL
Houston does not want to drive the In. |
terior presses out OF business but n do.,s
not want to be placed at disadvantage IN |
competing with them. It Is willing that
the interior PRESSES have what cotton they
m ot.tt 1al -