The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-07
WANT NO INCREASE
Fight Over Method of Charg-
ing for Shipping Cattle
BRINGS OUT STATEMENT
From Local Railroad Man Ex-
planning Reason for Change.

The change in method Of charging fol
the transportation of live stock from car
load figures to so much per hundred
pounds has brought on such a complaint
and such a show Of legal contest that
it has become the absorbing interest just
now between railroads and shippers OF
| live stock in this territory. The cattle
men are arranging to begin suit and are
collecting evidence that the new method
increases the rate very materially. A
local railroad man made the following
statement for the Eagle yesterday in ex-
PLANTATION Of why the change had been
ordered. He said:
THE reasons for changing the method
Is not based on a desire to receive greater
compensation for the service performed.
although there is no other business we
DO west Of the Missouri river that yields
as little net profit to the carrier as the
transportation of live stock; while, on the
other hand, there is no other pursuit that
the farmer can follow that will yield him
the same profits. The railroads give the
live stock business an accelerated speed,
use cars Of a special design, are obliged
in most cases to run the cars westbound
empty, and while one carload of steers
will eat up about four carloads of corn,
we receive as much for carrying a carload
of corn, worth about $50, as we do for
carrying one carload of steers, the value
Of which will approximate four or five
times as much as the corn. The chief
-.
in the method of charging for transporta-
ton of live stock are:
'First-It is the only just way In which
to assess the charges. If one shipper
with less humanity than another insists
on crowding more cattle in a car than his
neighbor does, ought he not be made to
pay for it;and. regardless of the penalty,
is not the carrier entitled to receive more
compensation for hauling $1,000 pounds Of
stock than it receives for transporting
10000 pounds
'-Second-The change has been in effect
and is in full operations in other sections
of the country. All the live stock arriv-
ing in Chicago Is charged, and has been
charged, for in accordance with its weight
for the last ten years. The cattle ar1iv-
ing at the stock yards at South street
st. Paul, which embraces to a large ex-
tent the range cattle from the plains Of
Montana, the DOkatas and the northwest.
are all charged for by weight, and all the
cattle shipped from Missippi river points
and east thereof to New York and other
eastern markets pays tribute to carrier
by weight. In fact, all the cattle from
Indian Territory, Oklahoma, New Mexico
and other points into Kansas City is now
charged for by weight, and it seems to me
that it is perfectly proper to make our
charges on the Kansas live stock in the
same manner.
'Third-Charging by weight takes away
the premium that has always existed on
overlooking cattle and is a proper meas
ure to adopt as a prevention of cruelty to
animals.
80 far as it is possible to do so, the
new rates will be arranged so that there
will be no change in the charges for an
average carload, but necessarily in the re-
adjustment Of these rates, there will be
some instances where they are reductions,
while in other cases there will be an in.
crease, although as a general proposition
the change is not made for the purpose of
increasing otIr earnings, but because as
business proposition it is proper
change to make"