The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-12-02

| or more, Whlch are mucn lower imam the
regular class rates, that for distances over
| 1856 miles being 60 cents. which is 5 cents
| lower than fourth class rate for the same
! territory.
L; the adjustments above explained The
differences between the car load and the
| less than car load rates from st. Louis
10 Texas were taken into considerltio
the object being 10 permit the distribution
| of the articles in question from the va
rious centers in Texas in a reasonable
extent of territory surrounding each.
| The joint rates, or those applying on
shipments transported over two or more
| lines of railroad not under the same mar
! agement and control. are. in this adjust
ment, governed by the rules prescribed in
our general tariff of class rates No. !
! for the formation of joint rates. These
rules direct that the following amounts
! be added TO the rates applying on single
I lines of road. viz:
Cents per 100 Funds
Glass . 3 /
For distances of - miles
:, or less; ......-: 90 os ca o.
For distances over 20
70 nile, npalo ~ ;o,nt y, VA "a w
! the rates so made shall not exceed the
| sums of the rates applying to and from
the points of interchange. or the max
! imum rates prescribed in the tariff
! This provision was deemed necessary to
! prevent eXorbtant rates for compare
lively short hauls by the combination of
the local rates applying TO and from
junction points and At the same time 10
afford reasonable amount of revenue 10
he divided among the various lines par
ticipating in a joint haul.
The petition referred to contains the
following statements. to-wit:
BY the fact that Texas. as far Us in
terstate business is concerned is common
point territory, and the rates, both car
load and less. are blanket rates, we have
| been forced in order 10 do business. to
establish branch houses or locate respon-
sibe customers all over the state at dis
tances apart not exceeding fifteen or
twenty miles. We ship from the fac
| tories up north in car loads to these Gus
toners direct. As these customers or
| agents are located not further apart than
twenty miles AT the outside. the distribu-
ton of the commodities above mentioned
| by them is by dirt road or wagon road
and not by rail at all as the farmers buy
from them and take home in wagons. so
that il is clear to the commission that
the only haul, practically. the railroads
, i'll Texas get on these commodities is
their part of the haul from the factory
TO these points in car loads, and thar the
only money they get for hauling these
commodities in Texas is the very small
division or part of the through car load
rate which is received by them
And they add that:
I'VE respectfully call the attention of
the commission to this fact and ask thcm
10 have il investigated"
And that:
I'VE do not believe that > per cent
of these commodities is moved by the
railroads in Texas in less than car loads
and any rate which would increase less
than car load distribution of these COM
modities in Texas would just Nut that
much more money in the railroad peck
cts than they now get. even if the rate
should be only 10 cents per 100 pounds
ma Ximum.''
And they say:
This is practically The situation as
to machinery. engines and boilers and
light vehicles
We quote the above language in the
hope that it may reach the business men.
the shippers and the railroad officials.
and also the purchasers of these articles
and the men who nay the freight and lie
| by them compared with their statement
of the rates of freight made in the pc-
tition, which preeedes il. Can such
statements be accounted for on any other
ground than that they may have been
written by some one reckless as to what
he said, and signed by the petitioners
hlllOul cNItc i'"h VI NiNhpuN pNiAI-
derstood?
In order to ascertain whether the state
mCnt of the belief of the petitioners. that
not per cent of the shipments of ag
ricultural implements and machinery into
the state in car loads is correct, we 20
quested. by circular letter, the railroads
of Texas 10 report 10 US, within three
weeks, a statement of the shipments Of
agricultural implements. machinery and
! machines received in car loads AT and
forwarded in less than car loads from
the various stations on their roads for
the period of twelve months ended June
30 1897. We have received responses
to this request from the following named
roads, tO-wit:
Austin and Northwestern; Central Tex
as and Northwestern: Chicago. Rock
Island and Texas; Fort Worth and h"r-
yer City; Fort Worth and New Orleans;
Fort Worth and Rio Grande: Calves
ton, Harrisburg and San Antonio; Gal
weston, Houston and Henderson, Calves
| ton, La Porte and Houston; Gulf. Beau
mont and Kansas City; Gulf Western
Texas and Pacific: Houston and Texas
Central Houston, East and West Texas;
! International and Great Northern: Mis-
souri, Kansas and Texas; New York,
| Texas and Mexican; Paris and G:cat
| Northern: Rio Grande and Eagle lass:
| St Louis Southwestern of Texas San
| Antonio and Arkansas Pass; sherman,
Shreveport and Southern: Texas and Pa
cific: Texas Central Texas Mexican;
Tyler Southeastern; Nelasco Terminal
Waco and Northwestern. and Weather
ford. Mineral Wells and Northwestern.
The responses from these roads show
the following results:
Total number of pounds agricultural
| implements received in car load ship
ments, 3274S.627.
| Total number of pounds machinery and
machines, in car load shipments, 26,IOO,-
! $50.
Total number pounds shppeu out in
! less than car loads, agricultural nipple
ments, 9,4S1 .034.
Total number pound of machines and
machinery shipped out in less than car
! loads. 1898, 000.
Percentage of agricultural Implement
received in car loads. shipped out in less
than car loads. 20.
Percentage machines and machinery, re-
ceived in car loads shipped out in less
than car loads. % -.
These figures show the inaccuracy W
the statement that not per cent of these
articles shipped into the state in ,caI
loads, are shipped out again in less than
car loads.
Three of the foregoing roads, viz: the
Houston and Texas Central. the Mis-
souri,. Kansas and Texas and the Texas
and Pacific. furnish the information fol