The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1901-10-04
WE WANT PRoPoRrIoNarE RATES
The Sesbosrd Air Line officials Visit
oeals, and Hear Pleas of Business
Men for Freight Equalixstion.


Men for Freight Equalization.
The freight officials of the above
road passed through Ocala Tuesday
and made q stop over of several hours.
Following are the names of the gen.
tlemen composing the party:
III. W. B. Glover. freight traffic man
ager. c. R. Caps, general freight
agent, II. NJ. Boykin, division freight
agent, o. b. Bidwell, jr., freight claim
agent, f. d. Kyle, division freight
agent, ]. G. Cantrell, general western
agent, c. E. Taylor, travelling freight
agent, NJ. V. Raley, train master.
The object of the visit is said 10 be
for the purpose of the interchange of
views with the shippers in the hope
that the interests of both parties
might be mutually strengthened.
Mr.. II. A. Ford, the active and en-
thusiastic president of the Ocala Board
Of Trade, Mr.. ID. 5. Williams, its eff
ficient secretary, Mr.. Jake Brown, of
the Tea Pot grocery, Mr.. Harry B.
GARRISON, of Hubbard and McDuff,
and Mr.. +. G. Mcleod, farmer and
mIllman, addressed the freight Off
cials briefly setting forth the griev-
ances Of this section and proffering
certain suggestions.
Mr.. Ford very lucidly set forth the
| grievances and necessities of the phos-
phate shippers and especially in the
prompt delivery of cars.
Mr.. Brown stated that the Seaboard
Air Line would haul a barrel of flour
from Jacksonville to Ocala, rehaul the
same barrel from Ocala to Silver
Spring, reload it on board boat and
deliver it at any point on the Ockla-
waha river between Palatka and Sill.
yer Spring, for twenty-one cents, but
the price for barrel of -four to Ocala
straight is thirty-three cents.
The freight on all other goods of
course is in the same proportion.
Mr.. Brown further stated that the
Jacksonville and Tampa wholesale
merchants can deliver a barrel of
-four to the retail merchant at Belle
view, lin stones throw of Ocala) for
almost identically the same freight
rate a. the Ocala wholesale merchant;
that ia pursuing this policy the heart
and core, the very life blood of the in
terror section are slowly but surely be-
ing squeezed out in order to build up
seaport city at either end of the
peninsula.
That already three wholesale estab-
lishments had been forced to pull up
stakes and quit Gainesville and had
located in Jacksonville because of the
unfair freight-rate levied against the
interior.
Mr.. Brown contended that it was
within the code of strict business
ethics, and seemed to him but fair,
that freight rate should be fixed that
would enable central interior shipping
points To- business within the terri
tory Immediately contiguous to them,
say within q radious of forty or fifty
miles, and not permit the seaport
cities, by favored rates, to root them
out entirely and annilate all interior
towns.
To say that this discrimination is
done TO meet the water competition
fails to meet the argument and is a
weak contention. If, for instance, the
Seabosrd Air Line can, as Mr.. Brown
says, haul barrel of flour from Jack
sonville TO Ocala, rehaul to Silver |
Spring, load on boats and deliver to
parties along the river twelve cents |
cheaper than to Ocala direct, and !
make money, the places that unfortu-
nately hav'nt water competition,
hence are unable to help themselves,
is taxed more than their neighbors and !
more than their share on account of |
4.