The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-04-10
RAILROAD RATES
Virginia Merchants As.
sumo Role of Guardians
For North Carolina
North Carolina Wholesaler Oppose In
crease Freight Rates and Ask
for DifferentiaI Rate
For Car Loads.

For Car Loads.
| To the Editor: Replying with your re-
guest TO furnish you with some data re-
lating to the position of the North Caro-
| lima jobbers on the question OF ditferen-
! tial rates, as now proposed by the rail
roads on certain commodities, and The po
sition taken by the Virginia trade on this
question, North Carolina joJbers, as /
am in no way connected with any OF
the ir associations, therefore any opinion
! may express on this subject is Il per-
sCnal one. | have, however, iii the past
had the privilege Of advising Wt1 them
on freight questions, and believe l under
| stand their position and demands. In the
outset / would say there is no secret
about their demands and no injustice TO
ally class of merchants Stated briefly.
! they simply ask the railroads - give o
| them on car shipments a lower rate than
is charged on 1UO pound shipments. Ihls
cemand is not based upon any arbitrary
ruling, but is founded Oh business prjn-
| Ic.ries and simple justice. / do not know
a single retail merchant in the State who
does not recognize the equity oi this
proposition and is willing to allow these
diterentials, nor do l know a single job
creased rate on less than car shipments
or who believes conditions justify any aG-
vances.
| Eulas governing car shipments make i
incumbent upon the shipper to load cars
without cost to the railroads, and the
merchant receiving it must likewise I'M
load without cost to the road, solid cars
being hauled without handling or trans
tcr, risks OF loss, damage in transit, etc,
| is reduced to a minimum, the expense to
the railroad is less, therefore equity de
muDds a lower rate. No advantage is ask
ed Tor place or class of shippers, the rail
roads themselves recognizing the justice
of the demand, but TO the present have
refused to allow 1t, saying the public did
not want it, and behold IS soon as they
decide TO make a differential, our good
friends and neighbors in Virginia assume
the role OF guardian for North Carolina
and put themselves to great trouble and
expense to induce the railroads to sus-
pend the rule until they can have time
to convince the merchants of Moth Caro-
lima, on whom they have lived and grown
lat and wise, that they have not yet
ro acEed the age of discretion; that it will
be an awful predcament the retail mer-
Chant Will find himself in, when he no
longer finds it necessary to pursue his
lcLg accustomed habit of sending his
orders to Virginia cities and pay to them
d bonus tOr distribution of mercha adise.
j notlce an officer OF the Virginia
Wholesale GTocers' Association has issued
an appeal to the retail merchants of
North and South Carolina to rise in 1
their might and avert this great calamity.
Let us state plainly what it is they ask
you TO do: 1t Is simply this that Virginia
merchants snail in future, as III the past,
enjoy SPECIAL privileges and rates that
will hold the Carolinas in commercial
bondage; that they are to have car loads
ot goods hauled TO them (many of them
through the whole State OF North Caro-
iEa) divided up into small shipments OF
ilom 100 pounds up, separate bills of lad
ing issued for each shipment, loaded into
cats at railroad expense, transported to
North Carolina points, unloaded at rail
road expense, put into their Warehouses.
wlitten notices delivered to the mer-
chants, then loaded on drays at railroad
eXpt nse, tickets issued for each load
and for what compensation? Why, iden-
t,cally the same prce they want North
Carolina merchants to pay for same COM
n,odites delivered at their stations in
car lots, without any of these incidental
expenses. | will relate personal ex-
rCrience as illustrating their demands:
had car of oats shipped from Chicago,
through Raleigh to Norfolk--the same car
forwarded back to Raleigh and the cost
WIS no more than it would have been to
stop the car in Ra!eigh-giving a gratui-
tCus haul OF $50 miles to our Virginia
irieads. They not only demand that this
shall continue, but that they may have
the privilege Cf taking this car and di-
viding 1t up into say 400 shipments. and
that the railroad must take this back TO
400 North Carolina customers without one
cents cost to them, Tor that the rate TO
Norfolk, and return to North Carolina
points in broken shipments shall not be
aLy more than they would charge to
step the said car at the North Carolina
point. Now, is this not a nice PROPOSE
tion to come seriously from any set of
intelligent men, whose only excuse for
offering it is, that North Carolina is pe-
cularly situated and is not fortunate in
having big cities like US, and that North
Carolina merchants are too poor to buy
car loads-therefore you are not get com
petent to enjoy these privileges and
you viii be eternaly damned CONNER |
cially) if (after having drawn their sup
port from favoritism shown them by
railroads. they exclaim, behold this pro-
position of differentials comes from the
Greeks" the railroads, who are bearing
gifts to entce you into their tolls. fly |
from the Greeks into our arms and
VIC will absorb you as heretofore.
E. L. HARRIS.
Raleigh, N. c., April 8, 1904.