The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-17
TUESDAY EVENING,

Newport News and Chicago as compared
with the domestic rate from New York
to that city favored the imported article
to the extent of cents per 100 pounds,
or 1S cents in excess of the duty.
There is no duty on carbonate of pot
ash. The difference in rates on that arti-.
Gle between north Atlantic ports and Chi
cago was Is cents In favor of the import
as against the domestic traffic. Such III
Illustrations might be multiplied almost IN
definitely.
Many witnesses were asked by the COM
mission in its investigation why the rail-
roads made such large differences De-
tween the rates on import and domestic
traffic from points of entry to interior
destinations their answers. though dlti er-s
ing in form, amounted to the same thing.
More emphasis were placed by some upon
the competition of carriers with each
other. and this undoubtedly Is factor
of much Importance. 1t is not s'lftlclent,
however, to account for the great uls-;,
parity observed in many cases and other
reasons were accordingly assigned, based
on commercial and economic conditions,
The amount Of traffic which can be ex-
ported from this country, 1t was said, de-
pends largely upon the amount Imported,
because ocean carriers must be induced to
come here for exports by some opportun-
ity to derive profit from imports This
points which are lower than renumera-
tive basis for domestic shipment.
President TuttIe's Testimony.
This view was so well presented by
Lucius Tuttle, president of the Boston &
Maine RAILROAD, that the interstate COM
merce commission submits in his report
| long extracts from his testimony. He
said ~ -
'"The real reasons why import rates are
1n1x, +1,o,, in otoc ,.n f1o
| commercial necessities of the country's s
business If we were to begin anew es-
tablishlng domestic and import freight
rates, and should appoint a committee to-
represent all of the great railroad sys-
TENS doing business in this country--were
| to wipe the slate clean and start anew to
decide how importing should be conducted
| in the future-the decision would, I think,
| unanimously favor giving to import traffic
a less rate than to domestic traffic, not for
the purpose of making a through rate
from Europe to destinations in this coun-
! try less than the domestic rate from the
| port of entry, to the same destinations,
| but for the purpose of equalizing distances
on import as well as on export traffic, as
has been found necessary in dealing with
| the general subject of domestic rates.
For instance, in making the rate from
New York to Boston or Philadelphia to a
distant common point In this country there
| IA ti0fOi OIL dlICllpI W lldhC o. SClCIllllC
| tariff based on tons and miles. TO COM
| mon western point Buffalo may pay as
| high a rate as Boston without resultant
discrimination against Buffalo or in favor
OF Boston 1t is a duty of transportation
companies to 50 adjust their freight tariff
that, regardless of distance. producers and
consumers in every part of this country
SHALL, to the fullest extent possible, have
equal access to the markets of all parts
of this country and of the world, a result
wholly impc ssible of attainment if freight
rates must be constructed upon the scien-
t1fc principle of tons and miles; and this
is the principle that must control in the
successful conduct Of all import as vel
as export business. ~ :" s'zs%
| "A further reason: A vital necessity
Of this country Is that we shall become
extensive, sellers of our goods in all mar:
kets Of the world; that we shall no longer
continue to live solely upon ourselves
Now. If we are to become extensive sellers
in the markets. we must, under the com
:. monest laws of reciprocity of trade, bt
buyers in those markets. No man anc
no country can long continue to sell goods
In markets where return purchases ar
not made. If we are to sell our goods il
the markets Of the world, we must fur
nlsh export transportation to these mar
kets; we must supply traffic to ocean line
from the ports Of the United States to tn
ports OF Europe. If our laws or the Gus
tom Of our railroads, either by onerou
customs duties and regulations or by eN
!. eessiveE freight Tariffs, or byaebotla,a max
1T impossible to buy goods in foreign mar
kets and resell them in our markets, the1
shall we have no import business; an,
If we have no import business with whici
to fill the cargo carrying capacity Of ou
inbound trans Atlantic ships, then a high
er rate must be levied by them on tn
outbound traffic, or they will become prof
ltless and be of necessity, discontinued
and our export traffic and the sale of on
:" products abroad will likewise be proper
tionately discontinued, ....
Therefore. in my opinion, this Who'll
matter of adjusting the relations of i'm
tpOrt and domestic rates becomes a. com
mercial question, and not one of competi
! tion' only between the various seaport
. Of this country and their allied transpor
tation lines. 1t is an unalterable law c
trade that transportation tariffs must b
so adjusted that salable goods may b
moved at the lowest practicable cost
the most distant as well as the near-b
markets. and obedience to this law is tn
, actuating spirit that governs in the max
ing Of freight rates by all of the grea
railroad systems and trans Atlantic line
lof the present day. 2. ,..a .r:a&i II
"Our exports consist largely. Of bulk
natural commodities. Although we hay
: made some important .invasions of Et
r rope with our manufactured goods, til
quantities of these that we are able
send there are not yet sufficiently larg
to need for their accommodation steam
ship space in any degree proportional
: to that required for the carriage Of OF
. natural products; but whatever spat
> these manufactured exports occupy In ou
Y going steamers increases the obligation
find corresponding quantities of impo
1 cargo, if the ocean service is.to be prof
aJ,1 oo,~ it,t,o T. ,dn1 (NyIr, p1
3 going natural products require steam
,(space greatly in excess Of the incomn
: quantities of foreign goods, and it b
: comes, therefore, a commercial T1ecess
: that every transportation line leading fro
I. each port of entry to the interior of til
e country do every thing in its power to el
y courage the growth of import busi1ss
It even to the extent in emergencies,
q joining in through import rates which a
: Of themselves profitless. This is precise
/, what is being done, under similar conc
2 tions, in the transportation of certa