Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-07
Jlaim Nebraska Has Better Shipping Rates
Than Iowa.
IRO CALLS ALL CHARGES FAR TOO LOW
st. Paul Vice President Declares Railroads
Make Too Little.
MEDICINE MEN ALSO MAKE COMPLAINT
AlleEe New York Central Charges
More for Their Advertising
Matter Than for That of
Any other Glass,

CHICAGO, Nov. 6.-The Interstate Com
merce commission began a two days ses-
sion in this city today with NJ. A. Knapp.
J. d. Yeomans, c. A. Perry and ]. w. Fifer
present.
In the case Of the Chicago Live Stock
association against the eighteen railroads
charging discrimination in rates. Mr.. Tom
linson, secretary OF the live stock asso-
citation outlined his charges against the
railroads.
The schedule, he said. Disseminated
against shippers in Minnesota, Iowa, Wis
consin and Missouri, as we'll as live stock
dealers in Chicago, and enabled the stock
man in Nebraska to market his products
at less cost than the stock man of those
states. The schedule favored Kansas City
against Chicago as a live stock market.
All Rates are Unreasonable.
A. c. Bird. third vice president Of the
St. Paul road was the first witness Of i'm
portance, and when asked II he desired TO
defend the reasonableness OF the St. Pauls
live stock rates he declared that they were
not reasonable.
mot only are our live stock rates un.
reasonable" he declared, but all ouI
freight rates are unreasonable because they
are entirely too low to compensate for the
service rendered. All freight rates should
be raised and am surprised hat the rail-
roads do not make a combined effort TO
raise them
This statement surprised the commission
and Mr.. Bird was asked his reasons.
He replied that it was unfair to take the
past two years as a basis from which to
judge rates and the fairness OF the remun-
GRAFTON derived by railroads, for during
that period the volume Of trafic had greatly
increased. whereas before railrosding had
not, as a general proposition, been remun-
erative.
With respect to cattle rates, Mr.. Bird as
serted that cattle did not now. and had not
for years, paid their just proportion Of
transportation charges and that to further
| reduce the rates on cattle would be to make
a bad situation worse
when asked What govefneu the seientIfc
making Of rates, he replied that he had not
seen the time in twenty-five years when
rates could be made on a scientific basis.
On the contrary, they we're always based
\ upon competition, comparison and compro-
mise.
Mr. Bird explained he had always deemc
| II wise policy to make as low a rate on raw
material as on the finished product, but that
when a rate on the latter which was not
remunerative was forced upon the roads he
did not believe in forcing down the live
stock rates to maintain the relation.
Railroad Claims to be Fair.
! The State Railroad company OF Minnesota
was granted leave to file an intervening
! petition in which they set up that the
present relative rates between live stock
and dressed beef and packing house prod
ucts were fair and equitable and should
! not be disturbed.
The case against the Santa Fe was dis
missed at the request Of the live stock as :
| sociation, as it developed that the road
had recently reduced it's rate on live
stock from % TO IL cents from Missouri
| river points.
| The forenoon session was devoted to
the case OF the Proprietary Medicine COM
pany OF America against the New York
| Central.
In this case it was charged that the
railroad Disseminated against patent med
icines advertising. charging more to ship
slmanacs and proprietary printed matter
than for advertising matter OF other con-
Germs.
c. z. Gill, chairman OF the Official rate
classification board, Of New York City testi.
fed today. He said agricultural products
paid the largest percentage OF freight rates
of any commodities the railroads trans
ported and further the freight rates or
wheat corn and potatoes are 50 per cenl
| Of their value.