The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-11-01
NEW GRAIN RATE
DiferentiaI Fought by Com
merciaI Congress Removed.
BIZ RAISING TARIFF
What Wichita Has Done in
Flour Export Business.
TARIFF
RAISING

AT the session Of the Mississippi
congress here last May, one of the hottest
debates of the meeting was over the diff
ferential in freight rates favoring the
shipment of wheat and corn to the At
lantic seaboard for export as against
meal and our and manufactured products.
The men who debated the question here
helped to fight a case before the Inter
state Commerce Commission at St Louis
for the removal of the differential one
month later. Recently the commerce
commission rendered a decision in the
case ordering the same rate on -four and
meal as were given on corn and wheat
Today the new rate goes into effect from
Wichita. The rate is made the same on
flour and meal as on wheat and corn, but
it is only a raise on the latter products.
1t is an equalization of rate by raising
them on the product which has been sub
ject to the lower tariff.
This differential in favor of wheat has
existed for years, and has driven many
Kansas and Oklahoma mill out of ex-
port business.
Yesterday representative of the Eagle
went to the Office of ]. E. Howard pro-
brietor of the Union mills here, to ask him
what effect the new rate would have on
the export -four business. The mills were
turning out car of -four at the time for
Belfast, ireland.
I'VE have shipped 28O,0OO pounds of
-four to Europe this year. Mr. Howard
said. I'VE should have done four times
that business. and every other. mill in
this part of the country should have done
the same thing, and would have done it
had it not been for the discrimination
against -four in favor of wheat. The cost
of exporting -four is made so much great
er than exporting wheat that foreign
millers can I'LL their mills with wheat and
grind it into flour and sell it cheaper than
we can make the flour here and ship it
there for sale
Another reason for the decline of ex-
port flour business is that the organized
millers in foreign countries have forced
their governments to charge American
-four much higher import duties than IS
exacted for American wheat. Germany is
obliged to import large quantities Of Am
ed out. France quite often relies on Am
erican wheat to make up her DEFICIENCIES,
but American flour is ruled out The few
wlndmills in Belgium have succeeded in
putting a forty cents duty persack on
American -four, While American wheat is
admitted free. These are only a few IL |
Illustrations of the discrimination against |
American flour. It is a reproach to the |
millers of the United States that such |
Determinations are permitted to stand; |
united action on the part of millers of |
this country would soon bring the needed |
relief.
The most serious cause Of the decline In |
On the milling industry is the favoritism |
shown by the American railroads to bulk |
grain shipments. Large wheat shippers
have always had undue advantage in
freights. and the Interstate Commerce
commission was mainly created for the
protection of the public against discrim-
3nation. Unfortunately, that commission
has not sufficient legal power to enforce
sts rulings: in consequence, it is now OPP
emily disregarded by the railroads as a
harmless nuisance-wheat rates are made
to suit circumstances, while flour has to
pay full tariff rates. The tariff is grow
ing higher from month to month. with
intimations of still higher rates in the
near Enthusiastically the freight charges
are much higher than for many years
past.
Kansas and Oklahoma millers, and mil
lers in other states, are beginning to COM
bine for mutual interests. and will present
a bill to the next national congress
through j. D. Bowersock of Lawrence.