The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1904-01-06
rReloAr nY ELgcrRIc LlNEs.
secretary Of Agriculture Makes Inter
esting Statement.

b25reau Of The Leader
6 l41s G. ST., N. w.
Washington, D. c., Jan. 6.--The
secretary Of agriculture has just Is
sued a statement concerning the
4 i'Transportab5n of Freight by Elec-
Rtric Lines" and It contains many
Facts and suggestions of interest toI
i ybusiness men as well as agricultlr
4 Asts.
The secretary says that electric
4 ltraction has become one Of the most
4 important recognized factors In
4 freight transportation for short dis
d gtances; ard that in the immediate fu-
. sture it will be a factor in long dis
tances even to the spanning Of the
7 Icsatinent.
1mring the past few years this in
4 sIdustrv has increased very rapidly,
3land man. rural communities through
Tout the country depend almost entire
B by upon the electric railroads for the
4 transportation of their products to the
= NEARBY markets.
4 The development Of this branch of
4 telectric transportation has apparently
4 gassumed greater proper ions in the
s middle western states than in any 9th
ier part of the country, although there
n fare examples of it in practically all
\ parts of the United States
I The Importance OF electric lines as
& freight carriers must be considered,
4 las yet to be very slight, but there are
Il individual instances of really remark
E liable development; and several lines
sgive the territory through which they
Operate, service equivalent to that
: sgsven by the steam railroads. carrying
Alpractically all commodities offered,
4 5either in carload or less than carload
4 lots
IN many cases farming districts ad-
~ iacent to cities are served by electric
4 lines, garden truck, milk, and live
a stock are carried to market in freight
or express cars, while the farmer pro
4 cures his supplies from the city in the
y same manner.
The freight equipment of Different
4 roads, of course, varies greatly. Where
the busiiees y small, combination
ipassenger and baggage car otter
meets TIE requirements, while there
are mary roads which are able (
meet all ds.aaEds for freight transpor
f ..4s.. ,.,ssl ~ - tr,o hox ~ fraigb
cars There are instances, however
a where the freight equipment is verl
large, reaching as high rs ninet,
y freight cars for singl eroad, aid in
i Guiding Sox. fiat and combination
cars
Freight rates vary greatly between
idifferent roads for Ike distances
When an electric line parallels ,
q steam road it generally bases IL
rates upon those of the steam line
The official classification used by tn
steam railroads in the territory cas-
of Lake Michigan, Chicago, and th'
Mississippi river, and north of th'
4 Ohio anc Potomac rivers to the AT
lantic seaboard, is used to some ex
"a tent by electric lines in this terri
81 tory for the purpose OF classifying
their freight Printed tariffs enbrac
ing a great number and variety o
commodities are issued by numbe
of lines.
While the development of freigh
transportation by electric lines ha
been very rapid in the past few year
there are many reasons to believe tha
an increased growth in the future is 4
y be expected. Many roads which hav
not yet a freight service have indicat
scd their purpose of establishing one
and number which are carrying on
" a small amount Of freight expec
to increase their tonnage by improy
ing their freight carrying facilities.