Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-08-25
GREAT WESTERN CUTS.
Low Commodity Rates Which Will
Cause Trouble Between Kansas
Cfty.ChfcaxO Lines.


Cfty-ChicagO Lines.
The more other line freight agents study
the commodity rates published in the
August number of the Chicago Great West
ern's tariff book the more excited and
mystified they become: excited because
such big cuts are made in some Of the rates
between Chicago and Kansas City and
mystitied because they say the Great West
ern has not been getting any undue amount
of business. as it would naturally seem they
would with rates SO much below the other
roads. They affect to believe that the COM
modify tariff was put out by the officials
of the road with some design III view
which they wanted kept secret and that
even the Kansas City representatives Of
the road did not know their tariff showed
the cut rates.
On the other hand, Great Western rep
resentatives say that the only difference
between their rates and those of the other
roads is that their rates are published while
the others were making the same rates
secretly. AS proof that their published
rates are not lower than those the other
roads are secretly making they point to the
fact that they have not been getting more
than their ordinary share of the business.
Had their rates, they say. been away below
those the other roads were actually making
the Great Western would have gotten all
the business. which notoriously has not
been the case.
The ordinary citizen is at liberty to take
his own view of this part of the matter.
But true it is that the commodity tariff
issued by the Great Western was well cal
culated to escape detection in the matter OF
cut on rates. Besides being printed in
small type, most of the articles on which
the largest cut in rates Is made are not
found in the list in the place where 1t
would naturally be looked for. Coffee, on
q cents in the regular agreed schedule. is
listed under the head OF oils. Canned
goods are cut from z cents to 10
cents but instead of appearing among the
Cs are cunningly injected into the list as
Peas and other canned goods" There are
many other such instances. Notions are
also listed at 81 cents and include goods
which have paid a tariff of so cents. The
word motions" on account OF being too
general in its meaning. has not been used
in freight tariffs since the days when "mer-
chandise' was eliminated for the same rea-
son, and no competing freight man would
have thought OF looking for notions at all.
Under the Great Western tariff the word is
made to include millinery and many articles
upon which regular rates are very high.
In looking over the book the freight
agents discovered. also. that not only does
the Great Western cut the rate from Chi
cago to Kansas City, but it also cuts the
other way, notably in packing house prod
ucts. hogs. cattle. sheep, etc. These are
put into the list under one item, packing
house products and live stock, except
horses" and the rate named Is, Is 10 cents, in
stead of the regular rate of 23l2 cents.
All these low rates quoted are Chicago
to Kansas City or kansas City to Chi
cago," but of course they apply to all in
termediate points when the regular rate is
higher. Other lines here believe that in the
matter of packing house products, at least.
the Great Western has been pushing the
cut rate in St. Joseph. for they have I've. be been en-
having large amount of that business
there lately 1t is not thought they have
done anything with the packing house rate
here because they have been handling very
yt of hot n Kansas
The Kansas City representatives of the
Great Western will not give any explana-
ton of the matter. having been instructed
from the general offices at ST. Paul to say
that they know nothing about it.
The other roads will bring the matter be-
fore the commissioners of the Western
trunk line committee in Chicago immedi-
ately and the Great Western will be asked
to withdraw the rates. The other roads
believe the Great Western will acquiesce in
| this demand though they will have ten
days in which to do it, Meanwhile the
, other roads will meet the rates named in
the Great Western commodity schedule.