The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-09-24
Railroads Grant Freight Con-
cessi0ns to Wichita.
May Have Feared the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
SESSION THERE TODAY.
Commission Will Prod the Al
legged Determinations.
Charges on File Against Five
Railway Companies.

Wichita's fight with the railroads of
that city seems to be bearing desirable
fruit. On the eve of the Interstate Com
merce Commission meeting in that city.
the roads announced that they would
make a rate on grain shipment from
Wichita to Texas points equal to the
Kansas City rates to the same points.
Wichita will no longer be compelled to
souri, river and thence to Texas.
OF course the railroads deny that this
reduction has anything to do with the
meeting of the Commerce Commission
in that city today to hear the complaints
against the Atchison, Topeka & Santa
BE for alleged rate discrimination
against Wichita.
Wichita's chief complaint to the COM
mission is that the Santa Fe is making
an excessive charge on export grain
from Wichita to New York. But there
are numerous other complaints against
other roads, including the Missouri Pa
cific, Illinois Central, Rock Island and
Frisco.
If Wichita seems to be having good
success in forcing the railroads to act
fairly on the freight rate proposition,
there may be some movement to have
Topeka resort to the same means to Sc
cure a revision of the rates from To-
peka.
The contention of Wichita is that the
Santa Fe grain rates are too high as
compared with those from Kansas City
to New York. 1t is further represented
that the company permits shippers at
Kansas City to hold grain shipped to
them from other points indefinitely and
finally allows them to ship it from KAN
sas City to Galveston or New Orleans
for Is cents hundred pounds, and that
on through shipments from Wichita to
Galveston the rates are based
on the local rate to Kan
sas City plus IA cents from Kan
sas City to Galveston, although the nat
ural route for such traffic is direct from
Wichita and not through Kansas City.
L is also alleged that the SINE situation
exists with reference to rates on flour
and other products from Wichita to
Galveston and New Orleans.
The allegation is further made that
the same railroad has violated certain
sections of the interstate commerce
law in that rates on coal and stock to
Wichita from Minden. Mo-. McAlester,
l. T., and Russellville, Ark, are higher
than to Kansas City and ST. Joseph,
though Wichita is nearer the coal min
ing towns named.
1t is still further claimed that the
Santa Fe and the Missouri Pacific rail-
roads have been guilty of making I'M
reasonable rates on shipments of sugar
to Wichita.
The commission also will hear the
case of Wichita against the Illinois
Central Railroad company, involving
rates on bananas, the claim being made
that the rates from New Orleans to
with those from New Orleans to Den
yer, Kansas City and Omaha.
Other cases to be tried are the follow
ing:
Mayor and council of Wichita against
the Rock Island railroad involving dis
eliminating rates on lumber in car load
lots.
Against the Missouri Pacific Railroad
company for undue prejudice in the
matter of rates on flour from Wichita
nOinfS nd
souri, to points in Texas.
Against the Frisco railroad and others
for the establishment of class and COM
modify rates from Louisville and Gin
cinnati to Wichita, it being alleged that
they are unreasonable when compared
with such rates to Oklahoma City, Ok
In answering the allegations the rail-
roads set up defense dissimilar cir
cumstances and conditions such as
competition, density of traffic number
of railroads, population. etc, and gem
orally deny any violation of the inter-
state commerce law.