The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-15
GROCERS WIN 1T.
Interior JObbers Score Victory
for Better Rates.
Contentious Upheld by the Rail-
road Board.
HURTS RIVER DEALERS
They May Compete as Far as
Wichita.
Beyond That They Are at a
Disadvantage.
[URTS RIVER DEALERS

It was announced about II o'clock
Thursday night after the state board
of railroad commissioners had been in
session in Commissioner Robison's
room at the Copeland hotel all the
evening, that the grocery jobbing case
had been decided in favor of the Sa-
lima, Wichita, Hutchinson and other
interior jobbers.
This is the most important freight
rate case so far argued before the
board, from the standpoint OF the job
bers at interior Kansas towns. The de-
cision means that interior Kansas
points will receive q great impetus as
jobbing centers. and will practically
control the western half Of the state.
No formal order in the case has yet
been issued by the board. but the an
nouncement is officially made that the
board will order the railroad COM
panies to put into effect westward
from interior jobbing centers the same
rates that prevail westward from Mis-
souri, river jobbing centers.
The rates allowed to Missouri river
jobbers enable them to reach all points
up to 80 miles west of them at a grad
ually increasing scale Of rates, tbs
maximum for 80 miles being 20 cents.
The same rate of 20 cents then pre-
thus taking them about 80 miles west
of Wichita, at which point the distance
tariff is again taken up.
Up to this time, the rates have been
so adjusted that Missouri river jobbers
and interior jObbers were on an exact
parity in western Kansas, while tbs
whole eastern half of Kansas is alb
solutely exclusive territory for Mis-
souri, river jObbers.
Under the proposed new rates, the
Salina, Wichita, Hutchinson, COffey-
Vile and Independence jobbers viii pay
the distance tariff up to 20 cents, and
then blanket at 20 cents the rest of the
western part of the state.
It is likely that under the proposed
rates, the Missouri river jobbers will be
able to reach all the territory of KAN
sas up to about 80 miles west of Wichi-
ia at a profit. West of that, if they
compete at ALL it must be at a loss.
The concessions in rates are not quite
as liberal as the interior johbers asked
Tor. Ihey wanted q rate Dy Whlch they
would be able to "backhaul' some
goods, and get not only all of the ter
ritory west of them under their exclu-
sive control, but also get q chance to
the eastern half of the state. The
board of commissioners decided that
they could not reduce the backhaul
charge to that extent. They held that
Chicago and st. Louis are unable to
compete with points east of them. that
Kansas City and Missouri river points
with points east of them, and that it
would be only fair to fix things so that
the interior jobbers are shut of from
points east of them. It is the backhaul
feature which enters into all of these
conditions, as most of the goods come
in from the east to the grocery job
bers-
OF course goods manufactured in the
interior Jobbing points can be hauled
east at a profit, the same as goods
manufactured at Chicago and Kansas
City.
In addition to ordering the reduction
in the distributing rate on sugar, cof-
fee, canned goods, beans and syrup,
which commodities comprise about 80
per cent of the Jobbers shipments, the
board also ordered a reduction on the
''in-rate" in car load lots on syrup and
paper. The in-rate on syrup will be
reduced from % to 20 cents and on pa
per from 36 to % cents per 100.
The reduction in the paper rate ap-
plies to all classes Of paper, but is Of
chief Importance to the newspapers at
Wichita and Hutchinson which viii
now get their paper at lower freight
rates.