Kansas City journal., 1898-01-19

suspicion that the figures given are not
Mr.. Brown or Mr.. Davis or anybody else
should persist at this day in saying that
public reports Of railways are not available
just because they used not to be avail
able ten years ago. To-day anybody who
has the curiosity to see and study any
Of the reports can do so by application in
the proper directions at any time, and there
Is no other business or line OF trade. the
facts and figures of which are annually
published with anything like the same full
ness. or In a way to make them SO easily
accessible to everybody.
Determination In Rates.
a. 1t is complained that unduly low
rates have at times been made on goods
exported to or imported from foreign coun-
tries. If this is soft at proper times. un-
der stress of intense competition, some
companies have seen tit to carry goods
rates-I do not understand how it Injuries
the people Of Kansas. The Santa Fe road
itself Is not accused of offending in this
general public interest that / touch upon
IT. Inasmuch as it is the consumer that
pays the cost of transportation do not un-
people Of Kansas BY the making nj Of # low @
transportation rates on imported goods:
nor, on the other hand, do 1 understand
, be If an abnormally low rate happens at
any time to be made on the transporta-
ton OF his crop to. say. Liverpool, | am
lower rate at one time than another, eX-
cept Tor very good and special cause be-
cause l. personally. and the whole Santa
re management have particular hatred
or any discrimination in rates, which we
believe to be public injustice. 1 am only
or the no, II
occurred. how 1t can be other than to the
benefit of Kansas.
Transportation of Mail Matter.
5) 1t is complained that the government
pays too high price for the transporta-
ton of mail matter in comparison with the
price for the transportation of freight. 1t
Is quite true that the rates for the trans
Portation of freight are extraordinarily low.
must, however. at this time decline to at
tempt to answer in detail all the ridiculous
sophistries on the subject of the mails
which MT. Cowles has accumulated in
ms recently published volume, from which
Mr.: Davis has borrowed his accusations
ana his supposed facts and figures. l will
simply say that the cost of the fast mail
greater than the returns which we receive
for carrying the mails. II the United
states government would be content to
at freight rates of speed, 1t would be wholly
another matter. As il is. the fact that the
United states railway mail service is the
feet public service of any government in
the world has, believe. never been
e99aihlenSsd; en- nor Sd DO l believe that the people
governments lowering the character of
that service for the sake of paying cheaper
rates. II is true that the postoffice depart
deficit. but this is because it permits ali
sorts of impositions under the head of
second class matter and is handling hun
as mere letter postage is concerned. the gov-
ernment makes large profits. l have no
doubt the railroads could carry letters over
a great part of the United States at l cent
ceive from the postoffice department now.
The Cost of Railway Cars.
co. 1t is complained at great length and
with several repetitions that there is some
profound secret which no man can faith
ON" about the cost of railway cars. The
existence Of this secret is based upon the
fact that Mr.. Davis seems to have applied
commission for figures on the subject. and
the secretary gave him the best tigures that
he had available but declined to officially
RIease @ the the s,Sla commission to their accuracy.
anybody else wants to know the price of
a hat or bar of soap. the person that he
would go to. to find the cost Of those partic
ular goods, would be the person who sold
them. He would go the the nearest hat
store or grocery When the Atchison, Tope-
ka q santa Fe Railway Company wants to
IT announces the fact and invites bids from
all the various manufacturers. They SUBJ
init their bids and the Santa Fe buys where
It can get the best goods cheapest. There
is no secret whatever about the prices of
cars. and Mr. Davis or anybody else can
ascertain them at any time by applying
secretary of the interstate commerce COM
mission. who has nothing to do with buy
Ing cars and who has never had occasion
to make any official investigation of the
matter. Mr.. Davis can get the facts at
any time by using 2-cent postage stamp
and writing letter. Or he can use a 1-cent
postal card.
Expense of Passenger Service.
The reason for which Mr.. Davis wants
these figures. however. is a little curious.
He seems to think 1t an outrage that first
class passenger service should cost more
thinks that this difference in cost Is based
on the difference In the cost of the cars
used. but as he says: This extra cost for
cars is not great" / had not supposed
that anybody. however little they knew or
railroading. imagined that 1t was the cost
ference in the expense of sleeping car travel
as compared with freight traffic. 1t is quite
true that sleeping cars I are re expensive things.
usually rented by railway companies of the
sleeping car companies on a mileage basis,
the the sleeping ear. car companies furnishing
paratus. etc. and taking the money paid
for the use of the berths. If Mr.. Davis had
asked any railway man. say an average
section hand. what 1t was that made first
class passenger service so expensive, the
cost of the cars would probably not have
occurred to the railway man of whom he
inquired as one of the items to be con-
sidered In the additional expense. 1t is an
item, but is a comparatively insignificant
one. The real expense-as the section hand
would have told him-is in the weight of
the cars to be hauled and the speeds at
which they are carried. That it Is that
costs fuel. wears the life out Of an engine
and batters the rails and tracks and bridges
to pieces. To quote Mr.. Davis words. he
wants to know why person weighing one
or two hundred pounds should be charged
freight" 1t was curious that Mr.. Davis
should have put the question in these
words. because. as a matter of fact, the
trains of the Santa Fe road weighs just
about three tons. The weight of the modern
Pullman car is about fifty tons. or 100000
Ing as much as 1850 s'' pounds oa "eish. each.
as s' this on ' the SAINT santa fa'e Fe road 30 hfaV fn
fifty-ton car it is evident that there must
weight per person down to the neighbor-
hood of three tons apiece. exclusive of the
weight of the person himself. and also
exclusive OF the weight of the baggage car
as many as sixteen person ON the average
in the sleeping cars of our regular trains,
but counting In the special excursion
trains. which are better loaded. and all
comes to as nearly three tons of dead
weight to each passenger as We can figure
II.
Existing Rates Are Fair.
1t is perfectly right. therefore. that he
should be charged as much as three tons of
freight. AS matter of fact in consequence
of the high speed at which he is carried