The Portland daily press., 1900-05-11

~ ans tM4t ~ WU9Eo ~ a. ~ ot8t@t&&@ff
there iss freight rates are high. wallis
In the territory which it has 10 shars
with other roads. It, ratss are much
lower.
The Boston g. Mains's exclusive terri
tory Is. speaking In . general way. North
ern New Englspd. 10 extends from
the city Of Boston along the northsrn part
OF Massachusetts,. parallel to the Fitch
burg railroad 10 far as Northampton and
pripgasld, thsnce north along the lin,
Of tie uonnscticut river valley 20 the
Canada line. thsncs northland esss across
the boundaries OF New Hampshire and
Msine to the fafthsst eastern point Of the
United States; thence baek s1sug the
shore line to the city Of Boston. The
states Of New Hsmpsbirs and Maine are
embraced in shis territory and also part
Of Massachusetts,. The residents Of this
territory Gan get no fright trans-
ported except with the consens or By the
aid OF this road, and hence the road
Bxss the psios they have 10 pay fur It's
srAnsporfation. In this exclusive Ter.
risory the Boston & Maine demands more
than in territory where It has compsti.
tiln. Fer instance. II freight be shipped
from Chicago for wotceassr, Aver, Green-
tieIr and Keene. which towns have more
han one railroad. It demands q certain
proportion of the through rate for iss
part; bus II the shipment be to paints in
It's exclusive territory It dssl,nes to accept
the same proportion OF the through rate,
A.. "a h~A ta EnA L. a
cirolss as an arbitrary proportion"
President Clement made this distlnction
clear BY the following illustration:
suppose q carload Of grain comes from
Chicago over the ki,hiyan Central New
York Central, H., W. s. U. line ami HUT
land to Bellows Falls destined for Boston.
At Bsllows Falls We give 10 to the Bos-
ten & Maine road, and that company
takes It through TO des1ip petion. Sup
pc 50 that the frs zht rate is IL cents per
hundred pounds for the entire distance.
The Boston & Maine proportion OF that
through rate 70 Bostcn IL 2.94 cents per
100 pounds. Now let us take the sans
oar CT freight aud start again from Chioa-
og, and this time. instead OF coming TO
Boston. we will bring IL down 10 Bellows
falls over ths same ronte, ano from there
to Haverhill, Lynn, Aedford or Chsisea,
Mass. Stopping this car Of frtisht ut
any Of these points, the Boston 81 Maine
will take 3 50 cents per 100 pounds, or
about 33 psr cent. greater revenue than
IL the car went through to Boston.
On less than carloads OF sny kind Of
freight the Boston g. Maine demands
arhitraiiss for esoh GLASS; in SONS cases
0 cents par 100 pound above ths Boston
rate, in addition TO Its pre-rstiug propor-
tion Co some interior junction poirt on
Its road; for instance, Msriimac, Mass.
1t demands cents per 100 pounds ON
first class, and relative rates down to
cents per lC0 pounds on sixth class, from
i4awrencs Ia Merrimac, and at the same
Tins exacts NJ great proportion OF the
balance of the through rate from Chicago
as it would receive II the frs light had gone
clear through to Portland, or 225 milss.
This form of division 10 oallsd dividing
on a cor ssructive mileage. and. Of course,
reduces the proportion which other roads
In the line receive.
On west bound trsffi Its ''arbitraries'
apply on carloace, es well as on lass than
carloads. but In settling with other roads
In the lire tns Boston 81 Maine takes Q
different oourss. On east bound the ar
bltrary Is added TO the Boston rate and
maid by the consgnes. On west-hound
business the arbitrary 10 first dsdu ,tsd
from the through Boston-Chioago rata.
and the ba lance OF earnings divided on
Portland mileage the same as east-bound,
thus compelling the other roads IN the
i1e to absorb the Boston g. Maine arbi-
traTy. II says, 10 effect, this 10 our ex
olustve tsrrifory. In order TO get to IL
you must pay our Areitraries. We win
charge you AZ much as We think you
will stand. and not absolutely refuse to
carry the business. This IL an all-rail
freight.
You win remember that the Rutland
lake and-raii Iate is ~ cents lower than
Its ali-Fau rate first GLASS. You might
fsxs txr Rknk
through rate on lake and rail 10 less than
the all rail- rate. the Boston 81 Maine
would accept q smaller proportion and
haul 10 for less money. but that II not
true. On the other hand. they exact In
many cAses higher rate on lske-and-rAil
business than they do on all-rail business
For instance, the rate on grain from
Chicago to Boston end Boston rate points
ID, at the present time. IA osnta per hum
6ced pounds. or the proportion east OF
Ogdsnsburg the Boston 81 Maine road
tskes 2.65 oe nts per hundred pounds for
lite haul, bu IL We take the same carload
of freight ard stop ct Haverhili. or any
Boston, It exacts on arbitrary Of 4, l-2
or osnts hundred pounds.
1t is trus as . general proposition that
In all territory under Its exclusive o,n-
troll the Boston s. Maine sxaots q higher
proportion OF the through rate than they
are willing TO accept at points whore
there are competing roads. The road
would contend tbas inasmuc
as this inorsassd proportion comes out of
the connecting roads from which IL takes
the freight Il makes no differences TO the
people, bus that must be fAilaoious, for,
ss Presi1en clement points out, the oon-
Meeting rosds being aware Of this arb!-
trary demanded by the Boston 81 Maine
must take 1t into account In fxing the
through rate; placing 1t alta higher
figure than they would were IL not for
this "Arbitrary." Thus ultimately 1t
comes out Of the people. 90 that 1t 10 per
fscsly true that wherever the Boston q
Maine exclusively dominates territory
the people have to pay higher rates on
their freight than where 1t meets with
com petition.
These ''arbitrarisa" have not only In
creasea the cost OF goods to consumers In