Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-01-23
Des Moines Commercial Ex-
change Furnish Senator Dol
liver With Some Facts
Railroad Freight Rates Shown Con-
cIusivoIy to be in Favor of the
Packer Both Coming and Going -
Livestock and Meat Products Com
pared-other News.

DeS Moines, Jan. o. In response to
Senator Delivers request from the
Commercial Exchange for the reasons
Iowa shippers object to present railway
conditions, Secretary Milo Ward has
secured valuable information regard
ing rates. which he has forwarded.
The request came after the Exchange
had passed resolutions favorng the
Quarles-C Cooper bill and forwarded the
same to each Of the Iowa congressman,
asking for their views.
Secretary Ward shows that Iowa
stock shippers are allowed no feeding
I'm transit rate" as are Nebraska ship
perrs. that u.s. Iowa feeders can not ship
from Colorado or other western points
to Iowa. hold for feeding for a. time
and then ship to Chicago as can the
Nebraska shippers; agin the rates of
the central Iowa feeder to Chicago are
211s to % cents per hundred, while the
Mississippi river rate is Is cents.
Again the rate on dressed meat from
Missouri river points is lS cents and on
live stock 231a cents.
His letter follows:
Effect in Iowa.
Inquiry in several directions revealed
the fact that live stock shippers located
in central Iowa make three complaints
against present conditions, briefly out
lined as follows:
First-There has been no direct adj
vance in rates In recent years, but the
service has been seriously modified and
in such a way that the same is equiv
alent to q marked advance in rates.
For example: Cattle shipped to Chi
cago from central Iowa, until some
eighteen months ago. were run in from
eighteen to twenty-four hours Now 1T
takes from twenty-four to thirty-six
hours. Shippers say that after a run
of twentyfour hours carload OF cattle
will shrink at the rate of 50 per car
per hour. Livestock men say that the
slow and uncertain service rendered is
part Of we'll thought out plan to get
on a tonnage basis. This poorer serv-
ice, however, works further hardship
to cattle shippers. His stock often
reaches Chicago too late for that days
market. He must hold them over un-
til the next day at heavy expense and
face the possibility of a slump In pric-
es. In the case of prime cattle, for
which grade the principal market is
on Mondays and Wednesdays, the
condition greatly aggravated. Should
the central Iowa shipper who starts
his prime cattle with the intention Of
reaching Mondays market be delayed
until IL a. m. or IL, noon, the chances
are that he will have to hold his cattle
over until Wednesday,. OF course this
means a heavy shrinkage and an enor-
nous expense.
Third-While the rate on stock ship
ments has not been advanced In cents
per hundred, the rate on other products
has been lowered. To illustrate: A
few years ago, the rate on live stock
from Missouri river points to Chicago
was 23k cents, and the rate on dressed
beef and packing house products the
same or more. At the present time the
rate on dressed meats and packing
house products is only is cents per 100
pounds but in the meantime there has
been no reduction Of the rate on live
stock. AS most Of the dressed meats
and packing house products are ship
ped In private cars for which the own
err receives a rebate of 1 cent per mile,
1t amounts to a difference of from $l5
to $25 per car load, according to the
| kind of stock, and this for substantial
ly the same service.