The Topeka state journal., 1901-08-03
PLEA FOR JUSTICE
Topeka Millers Appear Before
Railroad Board.
Ask That the Old Differential
Rate BE Restored.
NOT FAIR TO TOPEKA.
New Through Tariff Operates in
Favor Of Kansas City.
Flour Makers in Western Kan
sas Not Affected.
NOT FAIR TO TOPEKA.

| to secure the restoration of the hVt
cent differential that they have had fol
thirty years was begun before the state
| board of railroad commissioners this
morning. The railroads claim that Il
was a discrimination in favor of To-
peka against other towns IN the state
and under the new railroad law they
would be liable to a penalty. Hence
they revoked the rate.
THE MILLERS' SIDE.
Following is the statement of the To-
peka millers in their plea before the
| railroad commissioners for the restor-
alton of the five cent differential rate:
To the Honorable Board of Railroad
Commissioners.
In 1871 Shellabarger & Griswold, now
the Shawnee Milling company, estab-
lished themselves in this city as mer-
chant millers. At about that time, or
within three or four years thereafter,
the Santa Fe railroad gave them a rate
on wheat of cents per hundred weight
less than Kansas City, on that which
was shipped from Kansas points to To-
peka. This rate was in effect continu-
ously up TO March 1S, of the present
year, a period of between % and 80
years, when it was withdrawn In its
place, the Topeka millers were required
to operate under the Kansas distance
tariff. Under the old rates, the large
milling industry of this city, beginning
with 100 barrels daily capacity, increas-
ed until we now have in Topeka five
mills, with a capacity of 5000 barrels
per day. This would never have been
possible, had We not been given this
rate. Without it, there is absolutely
nothing to encourage the building of
mills here, as Topeka is not in the
wheat belt, there not being wheat
enough raised in Shawnee county trib-
utary to Topeka to run the combined
mills of this city, two days in a year.
We therefore, on account of our isola-
ted position, and the fierce competition
we always have to contend with, can
not afford to have cancelled on us a
virtual contract, under which we have
built up our business, and have a tar
iff put in its place. that win seriously
cripple us.
AN EXAMPLE GIVEN
To show how adversely the new tariff
affects US, we will give an example:
Under the old rates, the average wheat
rate from Kansas points to Kansas
City was about 151z cents, and to To-
peka 1O73 cents per hundred weight.
Under the distance tariff, the rate from
Window. Kansas, station on the San
ia Fe to Topeka, a distance of 1853 miles
is 15 cents per hundred weight Gnstead
OF 1O72 cents, as it used to be) which
after paying, If we then give to them
the shipment of the wheat product as
far as the Missouri river, they will car
weight, the balance of the through rate
This is all right on shipments going
that way, and would work no hardship
We're all of our business through busi-
ness; but as we have a large local
trade on flour and feed in Topeka and
adjoining towns, the operation of the
distance tariff increases the price of
the raw material on us to such an ex-
tent that will be compelled TO
largely abandon all such trade.
We claim with the old average rate
of 1O15 cents per hundredweight from
Kansas points TO Topeka, and with our
shipping out flour and feed at high local
rates, that 1t IS good and profitable
business for a railroad, and they can
well afford to encourage it.
We also claim that when wheat is
carried from Kansas City to Chicago,
a distance of nearly 500 miles, for
cents per hundredweight, and some
times for less that 1015 cent rate for
a distance of 16S miles in Kansas is
to asking Is cents per hundredWeight
as per the distance tariff, it is much
more than they are justly entitled to-
And again, when the western roads are
willing to join in carrying wheat from
Kansas City to Liverpool, half way
across the continent and the Atlantic
ocean, distance of nearly 5000 miles,
for 20 cents per hundredweigllt which
has lately been the rate, it surely is nor
unjust to ask a Kansas road to foster
our large milling business by contfnu-
ing to carry wheat to US from points
in this state at an average rate of 101k
cents per hundredweight.
NO CHANGE IN Is YEARS.
For the past Is years there has been
practically no reduction IN the grain
rates from Kansas points to Kansas
City, whilst the tonnage east and west
during that time has perhaps very
half of this period, the Santa Fe has
increased the capacity of its cars from
80, 600 pounds to $4,000 and $4,000
pounds, and have also increased their
minimum weight on wheat from 20 900
pounds to these capacities. They have
also practiced other economies, such as
the adoption of the double-header sys-
TEN, thereby greatly reducing the num-
Der of their train crews. and they have
done all this with locomotives that are
so powerful that one of them can pull
two or three times as many cars as the
old ones used to haul.
The Santa Fse used to justify the high
grain rates they charge in Kansas, be-
cause they had to, to a large extent
carry their grain cars back to the
wheat fields empty. which no doubt 10
or 10 years ago was the case, as the
times then in western Kansas were
very hard and the people were poor
blessed with prosperity, and the people
now have the money to buy more and
better food. clothing. machinery, lurn-
her and other merchandise and instead
of their having to haul empty cars back
into the state as they did, they are now
largely taking them loaded They
therefore can better than ever afford to
haul wheat to Topeka at lower rates
than formerly instead of demanding
nearly SO 1-3 more as they are now do
ing. We think this is too late a date
for them to make the discovery that
their rates are Improbable.
We further claim that they lose little /
if ANYTHING by the tonnage they think
stops in Topeka If it is in the shape
of bran. it is almost entirely fed to
cattle all over this and adjoining coun-