People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1897-04-29
LEGISLATIVE CoMMITTEE.
Report Of Visitors from the Kansas and
Oklahoma Law-Making Bodies.
THE DISSEMINATING FREIGHT RATES.


committee CONSISTING Of Hon. Ed T.
Hackney, G. W. johnson, W. F.
Brown of Kansas, Senator Garrison
and Representative +. B. Shannon of
Oklahoma, appointed by the legis a.
tive committees Of Kansas and
Oklahoma, which met in Oklahoma
City, Ok, on April 5, for the purpose
OF visiting Galveston and other points
they might want to for the purpose of
inspecting the facilities for handling
the products Of exports Of their Sec
tlonS, and to investigate the rates on
freight both IT, and from the gulf
ports. The points visited by the
committee were Galveston, Bolivar
point, Texas City and Beaumont, and
are now here where they met the entire
committee from their section. L,
which they made the following report.
which was adopted, LO-wit:
Mr.. Chairman: Your subcom-
mlJtee, acting under your III
structlons, proceeded directly from
Oklahoma City to Galveston. We
were given a most hearty reception
by Tue business men and leading
clJlzenS of the city, who were
unSparlng and unremiUtlng in their
Efforts 10 make our stay both prohta
ole and pleasant, and they were
Jealous in their endeavors to give us
all the information in their D s
session.
We have visited the great wharyes
and warehouses, which are capable OF
accommodating an immense ocean
tonnage.
We found elevators capable of
holding about 2,45O,OOO bushels OF
grain, while it Is proposed to erect
another Ill the near future.
Major Miller, who has charge of the
government work and who superin-
tended The construction of the jettieS.
rendered the committee an invitation
to accompany him on the government
tug for a tour Of inspection of the
lettleS. which invitation was gladly
accepted.
This work is one of stupendous
magnitude. The government has
expended, from first to last, some
thing like SS,OOO,OOO on This work
which is now practically completed.
SOundingS were made at the mouth
of the jetties and showed depth OF
from 24g to 80 feet, despite the fact
that the tide was at its lowest ebb and
as tie tide rises to a height Of
about two feet, proves that high tide
is sufficient TO float vessels of the
largest tonnage.
Your committee is fully Convinced
that tie port of Galveston is one of
boundIesS and limitleSS possibilities,
and We are assured by one of the
leading ship brokers that while he
furnished a hundred ships during the
past six months, Of ali dyerage
tonnage Of $500 tons, be could have
furnished hundred more had there
been sufficient freight to demand il.
Your committee is further CON.
WINGED that Galveston harbor Is
one Ul The finest and safest in The
world, and while we are discuss my
this phase Of the question it will De
well 10 notice the facilities for
handling grain d little further anu
the ctSJ thereof.
The railroads that enter Galveston
all have their terminals at the wharf,
but the wharf companies own all OF
The tracks that are LAID upon the wharf
OF which there are about fourteen
miles, so all grain for export is hauled
by tile engine directly into the
elevator, where it is unlOaded into
the chuteS, and the vessels anchor oy
the elevators side and the grain is
loaded directly by the elevator into
the ship, and to illustrate the
rapidity with which this work can be
done, permit US to inform you that "a
cargo Of some 10000 bushels OF
wheat was loaded into vessel in the
very short space Of Two hours aud
forty minutes. Statistics prove that
the import business of Galveston has
increased about 80 per cent during
the year last past, and ivestigaton
proved to the satisfaction of your
committee that the only bar to a
further and more extensive increase is
the exceedingly high and discrim.
mating freight rates that are in force
to the interior. and we might remark
in this connection that the wharf lge
charges at Galveston are one cent per
bushel, as against about 2! in New