The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-28
RESTORE THE POOL
Captain Steele's Solution of
Freight Rate Question.
Old Method Only One TO Prevent
Discrimination.
NOT IN HE w A Y.
Says Railway Magnates Wouldn't
Prevent Legislative Action.
An Address to Fruit Men Who
Complain Of Rates.
NOT IN THE w Az.

James W. Steele, a former Topeka
newspaper man, now editor of THE
Earth" a Santa Fe railway magazine,
addressed the State Horticultural So
ciety Tuesday evening and suggested
as a solution of the freight rate diff
culties the re-establishment of the
railway pool under certain restric-
lions of law.
The Santa Fe has had a good deal
of trouble with fruit shippers. espe-
cialy citrus fruit shippers, about
freight rates. Mr.. Steele said:
There is more talk, and much of it
may be called hard talk, about the
railroads and their exactions during
the last few months than ever before.
Our president, with his immense ma
jorities behind him, and honored alike
for his honesty and his courage and
his common sense, has in his latest
message called for action by the ma
tiOnal congress- The coming state leg
islatures are doubtless contemplating
action upon the same subject. Now
let me say to you that no railway
'magnate,' So-called, desires to pre-
vent legislative action. That which he
fears is action that will be prompted
and governed by an discriminating
popular clamor.
Twenty years ago or more the rail-
roads invented a system to prevent
plains of. Discrimination and rebates
were impossible under its workings.
1t became odious to the public and
was suppressed by law. 1t was known
IN its day as the pool.
Time and experience bring their
lessons The pool had it's virtues and
was not altogether bad. There are
hundreds of thinking men now, and
honest men, experts besides, in the
science of rate making as far as that
science has gone, who believe that
under laws that shall control rates,
that shall fix the uttermOst prices for
the only commodity the railroads have
to sell, the necessary adjunct to insure
success must be the revival of the con-
demned system of pooling. 1t is in
connection with controlled rates that
an ancient vice may be turned into a
virtue"
Captain Steele spoke of the new
comm ercial aspects of the orchard
business. and the absolute necessity for
cooperation between the commercial
orchard and the railroads. He says
that refrigerator cars cost about $1,000
apiece, and that the Santa Fe has this
year 1915 such cars in the citrus
the Santa Fe charges only $3.50 a ton
for icing cars, while the cost of the ice
is 1885 a ton. He stated that the
value of the products handled by rail-
roads of the United States every year
is twenty-five billions of dollars, on
which the freight charges are $780,
100000.
''Short Measure Question.
T. E. Armstrong of Topeka, the we'll
known commission man who has re-
Gently established a box, basket and
barrel factory in Topeka, read an in
teresting paper Tuesday in regard to
the demand for short measure" bar
rels- He said in part:
1T is my opinion that there should
be little legislation governing the
size of packages. The first call in the
fall is for eleven-peck barrels, these for
the early fall apples. Then, for the
winter apples. they want a three bushel