Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-07-17
A QUESTION OF RATES.
Common Freight Rate Is Now of Great
Importance to Oregof;ians.

/ A COMMON fre1qnt KATE IS NOW oI VI iSsAh
| Importance TO Oregonians.
Considerable interest is mani
tested i'll the question of railroad
rates in this state. The average
person occupied with local affairs,
has little time and less opportu-
nifty, to make any study and
comparison OF questions Of rail-
road rates and transportation
charges generally.
If one happens to be abroad
and desires to ship goods to a
point i'll Oregon, the rate given
will be for Portland, and any
haul beyond will be paid for at
the local freight rate. Thus 1t
costs more to ship to a valley
point than to a point say, in Port
land, hundred miles beyond.
It will be readily seen that such
condition gives shippers near
the point where the through rate
applies, an advantage over the
shipper further distant from that
common point. Local legisla-
, ton and interstate commerce
regulations seem pewerless to
alter this condition of affairs,
and as a result, many classes OF
industry in localities which have
to pay the additional local rate,
1anguisll and remain uudevel-
oped. For the reason that the
cost of material, labor and other
expenses being equal throughout
! the country, the additional rate
for freight destroys competition,
and cuts off the local industry.
An excellent letter in the Ore
gonian of the I2th inst, by
President Hammond of the c. &
E., and Astoria roads, states
some of the effects of this condi-
ton, and would indicate that a
paramount necessity to insure
prosperity for this valley, as well
as other points, is common
freight rate applying to all local
tiles equally. Just how the
communities affected by the dis
eliminating freight rates are to
bring about common rate, is a
question yet to be solved. The
person who arranges plan by
which this may be accomplished,
land succeeds in enlisting in its
support the united strength of
the several communities affected,
will confer benefit to the en-
tire state. 1t is useless to COM
plain of Portland, the metropo-
lis, that she gets the benefit of
the commoa rates and that she
does not assist to establish like
common rates throughout the
state. Portland alone cannot
accomplish such change. 1t is
to the interests of Portland that
the entire country tributary to
Portland, have common rates in
ORDER that the country may pros
per and enlarge its trade with
Portland to the utmost extent.
Trade is what develops and
makes important any city.
Look back into history and see
how England forged ahead. un-
der Edward ", owing to the in
terest he took in his trade with
Flanders. Look at the wealth
which flowed into Vienna from
q Its eastern trade. At the as
tendency which followed the
trade of the East India Company.
What has made New York and
! Chicago great cities. 1t has
been the trade which has concen.
: trated about those cities, and SC
with all great marts of trade and
, commerce. And in these mod.
ern times the railroads ane
steamship lines are the grea
!: arteries through which flow the
!, commerce that stimulates anc
!, gives impetus to all branches o
. trade and to all lines of inter
, nal development.
= Now, if you close up thess
e arteries, or if you put obstruc
tons in the way Of free inter
e change of commerce then, OBJ
n viously, this development an
v this metropolitan growth will b
= affected. And this is exactl
IS the condition which confronts t
e here in Oregon. We have Oh
o o common point. That is prima1
- - lily due to the fact that Portlan
\ is a railroad center on the ope
Z sea. Any port where deep Sc
ID vessels can enter and carry ava
cargoes is on the open sea. An
p it is to Portland's interest,
ol we'll as to the interest of tt
er great empire surrounding Por
ol land, that the common rates |
n made to apply to all points, f
xt by this means, can the create