People's voice., 1897-05-06
tiaekney on Transportation Problem.

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\ .. In discussing The tour through the
( south and the conference with Texas,
Oklahoma and Kansas committees
with reference to reduced freight
rates aud the problem Of transporta-
tlon Of freight between points in the
north and southern ports Representa-
tive Ed Hackney said TO a Topeka
reporter:
In reality, nothing definite has
been accomplished SO far, but the
committee feels that the movement
has awakened interest in the subject
and that the people in the states
tributary to the gulf are talking and
studying the question and they will
also bring it W closer attention on the
part Of the railroad companies and in
a manner which is bound to cause
them 10 give more careful attention
to the situation.
'At the meeting in Austin, Presi-
dent Ripley Of the Santa Fe and the
managers Of the various lines we're
confronted with d united demand,
made officially by Kansas, Nebraska,
Oklahoma and Texas and the matter
Was presented in a way which made it
clear to them that the people We're in
decided revolt against the present
determinations.
"Tae railroads now charge such
rates as will compel the people of
Kansas and the territory tributary to
the gulf to send all their products to
the Atlantic seaboard. st. Louis is
about equal distance from the Allan.
tic and also from the gulf ports. The
railroads charge about the same or a
little higher rate on everything from
St. Louis to Galveston, than from st.
Louis to New York. When a Kansas
farmer wants to send his wheat to
Europe they fix the rate for him by
charging the rate from Galveston to
st. Louis plus the local rate from st.
y Louis to the point in Kansas from
which the grain is to be sent, Oftimes
tmaking the rate for hauling the pro-
I ducts, twice the distance and amount
necessary.
For example, the rate from Wich-
ita to Galveston on corn for export is
26 cents. The rate from Kansas City
to Galveston is Is cents. This rate is
made up of about Is cent rate to St.
Louis and the other IL cents is the
rate from Wichita to St. Louis.
1--WE found corn selling in Beau
mont, Texas, which is in the lumber
belt, as high as 55 cents per bushel.
We also found that lumber which Or
dinarily costs about S22 per thousand
in Kansas and Oklahoma, retailing
there at $6. II the railroads would
give US the same treatment in our
shipments to the gulf that they give
Indiana, which is about the same dis
tance from the Atlantic that Kansas
is from the gulf, we would save at
least so per cent on all the lumber we
use and commodities of like character
and receive almost 100 per cent more
for our corn.
"The railroads have another pecu-
liar way of treating the Kansas far
mer. II he wants to sell his corn to
Texas feeders he is compelled to pay
niue cents more per buShel from
Wichita than if he ships his corn to
Europe. Now II the railroads can
haul corn from Wichita for 25 cents
for shipment abroad they can Cer-
taiuly haul in the same distance, or
frequently a shorter distance for local
consumption at the same price.
"Then there is another thing. The
rate on corn from Wichita to Calves
ton is 26 cents, while the rate from
Omaha, Neb., almost 400 miles farther
is only p cents. Similar discrimina-
J tiOns exist in the rates on wheat and
other products.
"The Illinois Central has punCtured
many of the claims of the railroads
about the difficulty of making ship
meuts south by putting on and main
tanning a Is cent rate on corn from
any point in Illinois to New Orleans.
This distance is fully as great in
every point as is that from Kansas to
Galveston or other gulf ports"