The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-12-02
TIE RAILROAD COMMISSION OF
TEXAS YESTERDAY ISSUED
AN OPINION.
IN DALLAS FREIGHT APPLICATION
The Request of the Dallas Merchants
for Lower Agricultural Imple-
ment Rate Rejected by the
Railroad Commission.

and light vehicles, and assign their rel-
sons in the following opinion:
On the 18th day of September last
presented to the railroad commission II
petition asking for change of freight
rates on agricultural implements. ma
chinery and vehicles.
In this petition they make the follow
| ing statement as to the present freight
rates on agricultural implements, ma
chinery, engines, boilers and light We
! hicles,' to-wit:
The carload rate from st. Louis to
| Texas common points on agricultural
implements is ca cents; less than ear
loads, S130, frst-class; S1.13, second
| class; 81 cents, third-class, and 30
cents, f.urth-class. The difference be-
! irg. G6 cents. first-class; 40 cents second
class; SO cents. third-class, and 81 cents,
! fourth-class. Averaging as near is can
be figured, second-class. 40 cents. The
carload rate on machinery, engines and
! boilers from st. Louis is class a, Ii
cents; less than carloads, S1.30; differ
| ence. J6 cents.
| Accepting their own statement as
| true, inasmuch as the carload rate
| from st. Louis to common points in
Texas on agricultural implements. first
class, is 66 cents on the 100 pounds. less
than carload rates, this gives Il circle
round Dallas, as its center, of 26G
miles in diameter, within which the
business men of that city have lower
rates than the st. Louis man sending
| his merchandise to Texas in less than
carloads. That is. 66 cents per 100
| pounds will carry these articles, i'll less
! than carloads, on single line of road
to points 1873 miles distant from Dallas,
| at the same aggregate rate at which
! Al 10 ;nJ I ~
the same points in less than carloads;
and for all distances less than l33 miles
the carload rate to Dallas added TO the
| less than carload rate out of Dallas
are together less than the less than car
| load rate from St. Louis by an increas-
| ing graduated scale of reduction Is the
distance becomes less.
On the second class of these articles
| the difference between the carload and
less than carload rate from St. Louis
| to common points in Texas, is given as
40 cents, and the petitioners allege that
most of these articles are second-class
A rate of 40 cents on the 100 polinds
will carry these articles, in less than
| carloads, 103 miles from Dallas, giving
the business men there the advantage
in a circle 210 miles in diameter over
, the st. Louis man, this advantage grow
! ing greater the shorter the distance
from Dallas.
| On the third class the Dallas mer-
chant would have a like advantage IN a
diameter of 15S miles, and on fourth
class in a diameter of 134 miles.
On machinery, class "a according
to their own statement, the less than
carload rate from st. Louis to common
points in Texas is S1.30, and the car
load rate "A cents, making difference
of Sc cents. This enables the Dallas
| nl, ,,aintc 119 plilpC
equal terms with the st. Louis man,
less than carload shipments taking
| first-class rate, thus giving them the
advantage in a circle of 226 miles, the
advantage becoming greater at points
nearer to Dallas.
While the foregoing. based or their
statement, would be true as to Dallas,
il would be equally true as to all otter
cities and places in the state where
agricultural implements ana machinsr!
are shipped.
The commission has, in its eOmmod-
ity tariff No. %, of July ), 1897, made
provision for agricultural implements
and machinery, less than carload, ss
follows
On agricultural implements, rates hrst,
second and third-class, the rate Tor 10
miles and less, over single line OF ioil-
road. is made 40 cents per 100 POUNDS,
rates are less. The reductions from
the regular class rates resulting from
this adjustment are, on first-class, ID
cents; on second-class, y cents, ana on
third-class, cents per 100 pounds.
Under this adjustment the hrst-ciass
rate of GO cents is reached at ~
miles. and the second-class rate OF 10
cents is reached at 12o miles. AS most
of the agricultural implements, snlpped
in less than carloads within the state,
are subject to second-class rates, 1t Will
be seen from the above that any dis-
| tributing center in Texas can, over
single line of railroad, supply customers
at a distance of 10 miles on strict
equality as to freight rates
with the st. Louis merchant
small quantities, the increase in the YER
ritory adjacent to any given center Delns
twenty miles over and above that de-
pending upon the existing class rates. or
! considering the territory surrounding ans
given distributing center in the state;
! there is established a circle increased
| forty miles in diameter in which the local
! dealer may operate upon equal terms
with the st. Louis merchants. anu AZ
! points distant less than 1O5 miles enjoys
! advantages in the margins of freight
rates practically beyond the reach OF the
merchant shipping small quantities from
|
! st. Louis.
On machinery, engines and boilers
rated first class. the rate for 10 miles
and less, on single line of railroad, Is
made 80 cents, except in cases where r"g
ular class rates are less than 81 cents
and for distances over 20 miles advance
gradually until the maximum of so cents
is reached, this rate applying as blan
| ket rate for all distances over $50 mlieS
in common point territory. In this case
the class rate for 125 miles is reduced
cents per 100 pounds. and those for al
distances exceeding 125 miles are alst
reduced, the reductions varying in amour
from 6 TO g cents per 100 pounds. As
sc cents is the regular first class rate FL
113 miles. representing circle of -
miles in diameter surrounding any DIS
tributing center the rate of Of cents
which we have adopted for 125 miles
on less than car load shipments of ma
chinery. increases this circle to diam
eter of $50 miles. The advantages. II
rates for all distances less than 113 miles
on a single line of railroad, from m!
given distributing center enjoved by IN
local merchant and not by the outsH'
competitor. remain undisturbed. while M
material reductions in the rates for ~
distances exceeding 125 miles make J
possible for the Texas merchants to shll
machinery. in less than car loads. 10 nj
most all points in the common Doint ter
ri'ory in the face of any existing compeu