The Topeka state journal., 1897-04-28
REDUCED GRAIN RATES.
Efforts Are to Be Made by Four
States
To Secure Reduction in Rail-
road Charges
For Shipment of Grain to Gulf Ports
Results of the Meeting at
Austin, Texas.

AN1L44As @C<Ae%1e
In discussing the tour through the
south and the conference with IeAas'
oklahoma and Kansas committees WIN
reference to reduced freight rates anu
the problem OF transportation OF 1rels ~
between points in the north ana south-
ern ports, Representative Ed Hackney
said to a Journal reporter today;
In reality nothing definite has peeh
accomplished so far, but the committee
feels that the movement has aWaheheu
interest in the subject ana thaC tile i
people in the states tributary 70 ~ ~
gulf are talking and studylLs '1lo 17
question and they viii also bring II 70
closer attention on the part Of the ral-
road companies and in manner Whlch
is bound to cause them 70 give more
careful attention TO the sltuaIloh-
At the meeting in austin, president
Ripley of the Santa F'e and the man
ayers of the various lines were con
frOnted with a united demand, mace
officially by Kansas, Nebraska Okla-
hona and Texas and the matter was
presented in way which made 1t clear
10 them that the people were in decld-
ed revolt against the present dlscrlII4-
nations.
The railroads now charge such rates
as viii compel the people OF Kansas ana
the territory tributary to the gun 10
send all their products to the AtIanuG
sea board. St Louis is about equal
distance from the Atlantic ana 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 l4Ou4S 10 Ne"
York When a Kansas farmer wants
to send his wheat to Europe they TX
the rate for him by charging the rate
from Galveston to ST Louis plus the
local rate from st. Louis to the point
i'll Kansas from which the grain IS 10
be sent. Oftimes mabingH the rate 1or
hauling the producIs.tWIce the distance
and amount necessary
For example, the rate from Wichita
to Galveston on corn for export IS 70
cents The rate from Kansas CITY 70
Galveston IS Is cents RMS rate Is
made up Of about a Is cent rate TO 81
Louis and the other IL cents is the rate
from Wichita to ST Louis
we found corn selling in beaumont,
Texas. which is in the lumber belt as
high as 50 cents per busheI- We also
found that lumber which ordinarily
costs about So per thousand in kansas
and Oklahoma, retailing there 1t So. II
the railroads would give Us the same
treatment in our shipments to the gulf
that they give Indiana, which is about
the same distance from the Atlantic,
that Kansas is from the gulf. we would
save at least 80 per cent on all the lum-
ber We use and commodities of like
character and receive almost 100 per
cent more for cur corn.
The railroads have another peculiar
way of treating the Kansas farmer If
he wants to sell his corn TO Texas feed !
ers he is compelled TO pay nine cents
more per bushel from Wichita than if
he ships his corn to Europe Now if the
railroads can haul corn from Wichita
for . cents for shipment abroad they
can certainly haul in the same distance, J
or frequently a shorter distance for To-
cal consumption at the same price
Then there is another thing The
rate on corn from Wichita to Galveston
is 26 cents, while the rate from Omaha
Neb., almost 400 miles farther is only
% cents. Similar Determinations exist
in the rates on wheat and other pro-
ducts.
The Illinois Central has punctured
many of the claims of the railroads
about the difficulty of making ship
ments south by putting on and main
tanning - 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"
The committees representing the four
states met at Austin and perfected a
permanent organization which will
hereafter be known as the Gulf and
Interstate Transportation committee.
Senator George Campbell of Kansas
IS chairman of the committee and Rep
resentative Forest Of Oklahoma, is sec
retary.
a subcommittee was then appointed
consisting of Senator L. P King of
Kansas, chairman, Representative For
est of Oklahoma, Representative Sand
ers Of Nebraska and Wells of Texas
and charged with the duty of carrying
out the wishes OF the general committee /
aS 10 Ine preparation OF an address to 4
the people of the western states. calling !
upon them to cooperate in this effort |
TO secure reduced rates to the gulf
To this committee has also been en- /
trusted the duty of arranging for the
interstate mass convention, at Topeka |
or Wichita as deemed best
Asked today when the convention
would likely be called Senator CamDbsIl |
said; I really cannot say at this time /
but it will certainly be held before T11Iv
l. The latter part of May has been s11e-
gested as a suitable date but T1Ee |
seems to be more generally satisfac- !
tory"
The members of the Kansas committee
VINO went south We're: Sensatorss Kfno.
and Campbell and Representatives E@3 1
1ackney, w F. Brown of Pratt and q |
W johnson of Nemaha. the latter baine
republican, and the only one upon TIE |
committee. ~
The general meeting Of the committees
representing the four states was held ar
AUS n Sepresenl:lti johnson F2r0zTy /
and Hackney were designated as a S,,b /
comm ltee from the Kansas cornu7fr4ee +o |
NLSll tAe gulf ports and ascerra in T-bar /
EacllltleS exist for the handling 0f erra59 /
ShOuld Such concessions of rates he -
cured that would take the Kansas5 r,r0
ducts south. tAo-
OF this subject Represent ati,-a ETs,1-
ney said this Al ternoon- We found r..
the gulf ports have ample facilities for