The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-03-25
ITS GOING SOUTH
The Grain Trade That Used to
Go to New York.
And New York is Getting EX-
cited About 1t.
NORTH & SOUTH LINES
Carrying it to New Orleans and
Galveston.
A New York Paper Studies the
Question.
NORTH & SOUTH LINES

business:
The approaching completion of a new
railway line from Kansas City to the
Gulf of Mexico, coupled with the dis
diversion Of grain traffic via the trunk
lines to ports other than New York, has
raised the question as to the future
course of this traffic and the conse-
Quent effect on the least and west
railways which heretofore have carried
the bulk of the business. Concerning
the Kansas City, Pittsburg & Gulf the
new line, which will ultimately bring
Kansas City within 769 miles of tide
water, or about 100 miles less than the
distance by any other line, and more
than 500 miles less than to New York,
VIII nave its terminus at Port Arthur,
Texas, where operations are now in
progress to make the harbor practical
bic for vessels drawing from 20 to 25
feet of water. The line has been built
with little regard to local business, the
chief efforts of its promoters being to
secure short line from Omaha and
Kansas City to the Gulf, with the idea
of getting a large share of the grain
ana other export traffic centering in
those cities This line will soon be
opened to Shreveport, from which point
IL Will nave access to New Orlenas over
the Texas Pacific and to Galveston over
the Houston, East and West Texas.
The Port Arthur terminus will not i'm
mediately become a factor.
The contamination of this project
might reasonably have been expected
TO disturb the owners of lines aIreauy
carrying this traffic. AS a matter of
fact, however, the new line is appar-
emily regarded as of comparatively
small Importance in itself. The import
ant thing is the change in traffic con-
ultlOnS governing business originating
in the west and northwest by reason of
the sudden leap of Galveston into pro
mlnence through the recent assurance
OF ueep water over the bar and the
great increase of facilities at New Or
leans; last year Galveston exported
nearly 10000, 900 bushels of grain of ali
Kinds being practically its first appear
ance on the scene; while New Orleans
advanced last year from 5000 900 to 29-
OOO,0O0 bushels. This in substance was
the view expressed a day or two ago
by Aldace F. Walker Chairman of The
board of directors of the Atchison r.
peka & Santa F'e Railway company. in
Evening Post. Mr.. Walker said:
The building of the Kansas civ
futspurg q Gulf will not materially
disturb the business of existing lines in
the carrying of grain to the seaboard
unless It's managers see fit to indulge in
direct or Indirect rate cutting Which, iS
not expected. as it would obviously be
pso pohcy for them to do so. The fact
mat 1t has a somewhat shortep bo,,I
than the five lines now taking tha bIIsj-
ness Is comparatively unimportant. FIX
1stlng lines will continue to GET their
snare; the new line only adds one to
the number now in operation More
ever grain will have to he rnovod
from the farms to Kansas Citv O+oobo
-, IN order to reach the rails of the
new me, while most of the existing
INES receive it at initial points T1he
sighlncant fact behind 1t all is that the
east and west trunk lines are alreadIy
threatened with the loss of consider
+ +1ole anu an ever increasing share of
the grain traffic they have held so long
ana that they must in the near future
become reconciled to seeing much of
TINS business go by way of the Gulf
% ne x ' the course by which the map
says II must naturally travel The de-
Neiopment of the Gulf export grain
business seems certain to continue and
grow, and there is no economic reason
why all the export grain traffic origin
ating west of the Missouri river as far
north as the Dakotas should not 90
that way A considerable portion Of
the gram produced in Illinois, Iowa and
missouri will also inevitably seek the
Gulf ports via the Illinois Central and
Missouri Pacific lines
AT the same time, it seems equally
certain that the great grain producing
Restons 10 Ine northward, including the
DaKotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin and
most of Iowa and Illinois will continue
TO send their product east rather than
south- Their product will naturally
tend to the waters of Lake Superior
and Lake Michigan. The lines via
chicago will get some of the business.
especially in the winter months but
the bulk of it will go by the great lakes
- D0AAdlO anu OIneE Lake Erie ports
during the greater part of each year.
me grain tonnage on the lakes has
long since reached enormous propor-
IONS and the large boats now in use
make it possible to carry this freight
at cost which puts much of it bevond
the reach of the railway lines"
1t was then suggested to Mr.. Walker
Tnat the improvement and control of
the Erie canal by strong corporation
might solve the vexed question of diff
ferentials against the port of New
York, in that modern equipment of the
canal would probably force the rail-
way lines terminating here to make
such rates as would result in bringing
back the traffic to New York Mr. Wal
ker thought that such a change would
make very little difference in the sit
uation- The rates on the ex-lake
grain made effective March Is by the
Joint Traffic association, he said were
extremely low, and he questioned
whether there would be any profit in
canal competition with them It will
be recalled that this new schedule. pub
hshed in the Evening Post March L.
provided amo1g other things for the
abrogation of local rates and the
substitution therefor of rates on export
grain of from 31h to 5 cents via New
York and from to 4 cents via Phila-
oelphia and Baltimore for the differ
ent cereals.
It had been thought, Mr.. Walker con-
tinued, that much of the grain traffic
might ultimately reach tidewater by
Lake Ontario and the ST Lawrence,
but the traffic had never been consid-
cradle and the rail lines appeared to be
able to hold their own without diff
Guilty.
Returning to the question of ship
ments by the Gulf of Mexico, Mr.. Wal
ker reiterated the opinion that this
would surely be found to be the natural
Winter route for export grain original
ing in Kansas and Nebraska together
with much originating in Missouri
,lri,7
son lines in Kansas as an illustration