The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-04-16
THE VISITING COMMITTEE.
Report Made to the Full Legislative
Committee.
GREAT AND UNJUST DETERMINATIONS
Are Alleged to Exist, Affecting
Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma
Products vitality.

| Austin, Texas. April 15.--The legislative
committees OF Kansas and Oklahoma met
in Oklahoma City. o. T.. April 5. and while
there they appointed Il sub committee con-
sistng of Hon. Ed. I. Hackney, q. w.
johnson and w. +. Brown OF Kansas and
Senator Garrison and Representative Il. B.
Shannon of Oklahoma Territory TO visit
Galveston and such other points as they
would have time to visit for the purpose
OF gathering facts and data with reference
10 the facilities for handling the export
able products OF those sections and the
rates on freight. both to and from gulf
ports. The committee visited Galveston,
Texas City. Bolivar Point and beaumont.
and then came to this city. where they met
the entire committees from their sections
and to which they made the following re-
| port:
MIR. Chairman: Your Sub committee. act
| Ing under your instructions. proceeded d.
rectly from Oklahoma City to Galveston.
| We were given a most hearty reception
| by the business men and leading citizens
of the city. who were unsparng and un-
RENTING in their efforts TO make our stay
| both profitable and pleasant, aud they
were Jealous in their endeavors to give us
all the information in their possession.
| We have visited the great hayeS and
warehouses. which are capable OF accom-
modating an immense ocean tonnage,
| We found elevators capable OF holding
| about 100000 bushels OF grain. while 1t is
! proposed TO erect another In the near fu-
/ ture.
| Major Miller. who has charge of the gov
ernment work and who superintondod the
construction of the ietties. rendered the
| 70
on tho government tug for tour OF in
spection of the ietties. which Invitation
was gladly ACCEPTED. This work is one OF
stupendous magnitude The general gov
eminent has expended from first TO last
| something like $1,000. 900 on this work
which is now practically completed. Sound
ings wcro made at the mouth of the let
tics and showed Il depth of from twenty
! four and one-half to thirty feet. des pte
the fact that the tide was at its lowest
ebb. and as the tide raises 10 a height OF
about two feet proves that high lido is
sufficient TO float vessels OF the largest
tonnage.
Your committee is fully convinced that
the port of Galveston Is one OF bouudless
and lmitlcss possibilities. and We are as
! sured by one of the leading ship brokers
that while he furnished 100 ships during
the past six months of an average tonnage
of $500 tons. he could has furnished 100
moro had there been sufficient freight to
demand IT,
Your committee is fully convinced fur
thcr that Galveston harhor IN enc of the
finest and safest in the world and while
we are discussing this phase OF the cues
tion 1t might be well to notice The facii-
ties for handling grain a little further and
the cost thereof.
The railroads that cater Galveston all
have their terminals at the wharf. but the
Wharf company owns all of the tracks that
are laid upon the wharf, Of which there
arc about fourteen miles. so all grain for
export is hauled by the engine directly
into the elevator. where IL is unloaded into
the chutes. and the vessels anchor by the
elevators side and the grain Is loaded di-
rectly from the elevator into tho ship
and. to Illustrate the rapidly with which
this work can be done. permit us To In
form you that a cargo of some 1870 600
bushels of wheat was loaded into vessel
in the very short SPACE of two hours and
forty minutes. Statistics prove that the I'M
port business of Galveston has increased
about 60 rer cent during the year PAST.
and investigation proved TO the satisfaction
of YOUR committee that the only bar to
further and more extensive increase is
the exceedingly high and discriminating
freight rates that are In force TO the in
terror: aud we might remark in this con-
nection that the wharfage charges at Gal
weston arc cent per bushel. as against
80 cents in New YORK ana l'Ao cents IN
Chicago. and VIZ were assured by good
and competent authority that the wharfage
charges on grain in the port of Galveston
are lower than those Of any other Port on
tho American continent.
In the matter of freight rates we not
only found rates from Kansas and okla
homa points extremely high. but discrim
mating as well. IN fact the discrimina
ions are of such elaring and unreason-
able character as to be absolutely mex
cusablo. For instance. the rate from
Wichita. Kan. to Galveston is 26 cents per
100 pounds on corn and 81 cents per l00
on wheat while the rate from Omaha.
Nob.. to Galveston on corn IL only 22 cents
per 100 and wheat q cents pcr 100, despite
tho fact that the haul Is nearly 400 miles
longer from Omaha than from Wichita.
This is but one instance. and for tho
purpose OF showing you that these discrlm-
nations are general we append the fol-
lowing list with the rates PEI 100 en- corn
and wheat from the points given to Gal