The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-20
Carr Taylor Getting Ready His
Salt Controversy.
Charges Gross Discrimination by
the Railroads.
QUESTION OF REBATES.
Rates Raised and Trust Given
Refund, He Says.
Hearing viii Be Before Rail-
road Board Tomorrow.

Tuesday morning the state board Of
railroad commissioners will start in
to wrest1e with the salt rate case.
This is the case in which the salt pro-
ducers at Hutchinson. Anthony. Lyons.
Sterling, Kfngman and Ellsworth are
asking the board to restore the cents
per 100 rate which was in erect q
number of years ago before the Joy
Morton paper railroad, called the
Hutchinson & Arkansas River. was or
gapized for the purpose of giving re-
bates to the salt trust.
When the thing was arranged to
give the salt trust protection by the
rebate system, the rates were raised
from s cents to u cents, from pro-
ducing points to the Missouri river.
But out of this u cents the trust was
given a cent rebate.
After Carr Taylor started this suit
against the railroad companies, the
Santa Fe signified a desire to compro-
mise and put in a new schedule of
rates which would be satisfactory to
the salt shippers. It was admitted a
few days ago, however, by J. r.
koontz, general freight agent Of the
Santa Fe, that the new schedule did
not provide for any material reduc-
Taylor decided to go ahead with the
trial of the case.
Witnesses will be here from all the
salt producing towns, and Mr.. Taylor
says:
''Thfs is one Of the strongest cases
we have, and feel confident that we
viii be able to get some substantial re-
duct1OnS. As it is now, it costs more
to ship salt than it does to ship -four
II the railroads we're able to haul salt
n ri rTrr F~x7-
100 pounds a few years ago, why
can't they do as well now? The only
apparent reason for increasing the
rate was to drive the Independent salt
men out Of business"
A request was fled with the board to-
day by the United States Express COM
pany for permission to increase its
charges on shipments of whisky in the
state of Kansas. On packages of ten
pounds weight or less the company
wants permission to charge thirty-hve
4 cents as a minimum and a graduated
/ increase from that minimum.
fThere is no reason" says the applI-
which is a luxury. should be car
ried at less rate than articles Of
necessity. The present rate works a
discrimination in favor Of whisky"
Car shortage is still the principal sub
! ject of complaint before the board By
! the shippers of Kansas. Today John Earl
1 Of Kelso, Kan, complains that the Mis-
souri,, Kansas and Texas fails to furnish
/ cars for the shipment of baled hay. Mr..
/ Earl says his hay has been ready for
/ shipment for some time and is spelling.
]. H. Richards. attorney for the Mis-
/ souri, Pacific, has come forward with a
plea for more time in the car shortage
/ complained OF by F. +. AldFich, g hay
/ shipper of Yates Center. Aldrich said
that he was unable to get cars while
some of his competitors were getting all
the cars they need.
In his reply, Mr.. Richards declares
/ that Mr.. Aldrich's competitor Mr.. Laid
low, is also about to file a complaint,
setting up the same charge that A1drich
makes that the company, gives all its
empty cars to Aldrich. He has made a
written demand for cars anN has de-
posted his money as provided by the
reciprocal demurrage law.
$50 YOU see, says Mr. Richards, I'VE
4 are between the devil and the deep sea,
and It is impossible, as you know, for all
! the roads to furnish all the cars to all
the shippers who all want them all at
/ the same time. The only thing there
! fore see to do it to wait developments.
The Missouri Pacific has fled with
the board its formal refusal to build a
depot and establish an agent at
| Arnold, Ness county, as asked for by
Frank x. Wilson. township trustee,
and a number of other petitioners
The Missouri Pacific says that the
business does not Justify the establish
ment of a depot at this point that
during 1904, the total passenger re-
/ ceipts from Arnold were S4.S1, and the
total freight receipts S312.52- They
say that there is q town five miles each
side of Arnold, and that conditions do
not warrant the opening Of new de-
pot
At MorganviIle, Kan, the Morgan
Vile and Elevator company thinks Il
is not getting square deal on coal
coal weights In a letter to the board
it is set forth that according to the evil
dence obtained by the milling COM
pany, coal shipped to them is not
! weighed according to the recent law
requiring the weighing of coal at the
mine. IT is charged that some cars re-
ceived show a tare less than the
weight of the car; on other cars the
stencil weight Of the car is deducted
from the gross weight. They say it Is
evident that empty cars are not
weighed before loading. They cite one
instance where a car received by them
was loaded at Mulberry and weighed
at Arcadia.