The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-03
RAILROADS GIVE 1T up.
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these 80 towns. he said. will be s1Os6 a
car load over the old car load rate.
Mr.. Potter also said that cattle are
now selling on the Kansas City market
for just 81 a head less than they did
two years ago and he pleaded Tor a re-
storation of the old carload rate
I'VE all realize" he said, that the
railroads are a great thing for the coun-
try and we need them. We also want
them to realize that they need US With
the possible exception OF the grain snip
pers we give the railroads more tonnage
than any other class. When the coun-
try was new and the railroads were hrst
built we realized that the hauls were
short and the tonnage small, and we
stood a stiff rate without complaining
but we think now that the roads nave
far more business with longer hauls the
rates ought to be less. Instead they nave
been increased especially during the
past two or three years, and the service
was never poorer.
Years ago" continued Mr.. Potter,
addressing the railroad men. we gave
you d free hand and let you have your
own way in everything. Now that your
business has so greatly increased we
feel that we ought to have less rate
and instead Of that we find the rates
raised on us We think we ought TO
have the old carload rate restored. We
did not have any trouble with the rail
roads then. Now the roads are making
double and treble the net profits they
did ten years ago, yet they still increase
our freight rates."
Paul Morton, second vice president of
the Santa Fe, took an active part in the
cross examination, largely to show that
the railroads are not entirely to blame
for the losses of the cattlemen He
brought out that the cattlemen also
pay excessive stock yard rates, feed
charges. commission charges, and that
they are at the mercy of the packing
combine.
The railroad attorneys also brought
out the fact that shipments which go
into Kansas City over the Santa Fe,
Rock Island, and over the Missouri Pa
cihc from the southwest cross the state
line into Missouri before the cars are
eventually unloaded, and the railroad
attorneys contend that this constitutes
interstate commerce and cannot there
fore be regulated by the Kansas rail-
road board.
J. w. Robson, of Ell Dorado. presi-
dent of the Kansas Cattlemen's associa-
ton, Senator Harry Mcmillan. of Otta-
wa county, and others also testified at
the night session of the hearing last
night. Senator Mcmillan desired to in
froduce newspaper clippings showing
the increased earnings of the railroads.
but these were ruled out as evidence.
In cross-examining Mr.. Robson,
Vice President Paul Morton incidental
ly brought out the fact that while cat
tie rates may be high, grain rates are
uucn HlBner IN Kansas. In TACT, it de-
veloped that the freight rate on a car
load of corn from Ell Dorado to Kansas
city Is more than double the rate on
cattle
IAN Of the Kansas cattlemen who are
raising or feeding stock" said Mr. Rob-
tson, are losing money. This increase
in rates will mean an additional loss
of from five to ten dollars a car. All
branches of the cattle industry, in Kan
sas are losing money. We are between
two combines. They are the packing
house and the railroad combines"
Have you lost money on the cattle
you are feeding this Year, asked Mr.
Morton.
Yes, sir"
What is the cause?"
We'll, the railroads are not all to
blame. We have lost some money be-
cause we paid too much for our feed
ers."
Were you not dealing some m ru-
lures when you obtained your feeders p
No, sir" declared Mr.. Robson; Il
never sold a pound of futures in my
life"
What do you get for hauling a car
load of corn from your county to Kan
sas City?" asked ME-. Morton.
About eighty dollars"
How much corn is required to fatten
a car load of cattle?"
Not less than one and sometimes
two"
And we haul a load of cattle for
Yes"
Then" said Mr.. Morton, I'VE are
hauling the cattle and corn for about
half what it costs to haul the corn"
WHAT IT COSTS CATTLEMEN.
While Mr.. Potter was on the stand he
made the assertion that the increase in
rates over those of two years ago will
cost the cattlemen alone an increase of
$548000 annually.
There were received in the Kansas
City market last year 117,00O cars of
cattle" said Mr. Potter. "Of these
Kansas furnished about half 1t is safe
to estimate that at least $4,000 cars
came from Kansas. This increase in
rates then will cost the cattle shippers
about S54S.000 annually. which amounts
to more than our taxes"
M. A Low on cross-eXamination
brought out the fact that this estimate
probably would not hold good, for the
rate is not raised from all points and
the cattle shipped from points where
there Is no raise in the rate would have
to be deducted from the estimate.
A discussion also arose in a cross-ex-
animation conducted by Second Vice
President Morton in which 1t was
brought out that the shippers do not
load their cars as heavily now under
the hundred pound rate as they did
under the carload rate. and Mr.. Morton
made the point that 1t therefore costs
the railroads more to haul the cattle.
why don't you load the cars as
heavily as you used to?" he asked Mr..
Potter.
We'll" replied Mr.. Potter, I'VE feel a
good deal like the man who went into
the railroad eating house and while he
was eating he put his hat on a stool and
they charged him storage for IL. If we
ship four car loads of cattle you arr
going to charge US for five cars anyway
so we just use the five cars"