The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-06-16
Interior JObbers Are Ready for
Actual Hostilities.
Will File a Sensational Case. in
Few Days.
WANT 1T ALL REVISED
Will Ask for Withdrawal Mis-
souri, River Tariffs.
Also General Reduction From
the Interior Points.

News comes from Wichita that the
interior jobbers have their attorneys
at work preparing to file within a day
or two a sensational case before the
state board of railroad commissioners
which means a practical revolution of
all existing commodity schedules, and
will precipitate the tremendous
struggle between the Missouri riveB
and Interior jobbers which has for
long time been brewing.
1t is expected that the interior job
bers will not only ask the railroad
commissioners to order the with-
drawal of the Missouri river tariffs.
but viii also ask for a general redue-
ton in all freight rates out Of interior
points
This general rate reduction viii
draw the railroads into the fight and
will line them up. it appears. in oppo-
sition to the demands of the interior
jobbers
Monday is the day set by the state
board of railroad commissioners for
the hearing of the application of the
railroads for a withdrawal of the Mis-
souri, river commodity rates. It was
originally set for May II, but was con-
tinued, after the interior and Missouri
river jobbers had sat around and
made faces at each other for a while
The rumor is now that his case will
not be heard on Monday, June 19, but
will be either dismissed or again con-
tinued to make way for the new action
which the interior jobbers are plan
ming to bring.
What the Interior jobbers want is a
modification of existing Missouri river
tariffs SO that the Missouri river job
bers at Kansas City, Atchison, Leav-
enworth and Fort SScott will have To
pay. a regular distance tariff to get
their goods into Kansas. As it is now,
they pay a blanket tariff. Under this
I blanket tariff they are able to send
their goods into nearly all parts OF
the state at more advantageous rates
than can be secured by interior job
bing houses.
According to the present arrange
ment of rates, there is strip down
through the center Of the state lying
Just west OF the Gordon of interior job
bing points, in which the Kansas City
and other Missouri river point jobbers
can not compete. The interior job
bers can get in their goods at a less
freight charge than the Kansas City
Jobber has to pay to send the same
goods to their town. In shipping west
beyond the interior town, the interior
Jobber must pay the local rate from
town to town. In course of about ZOE
miles. this gradually increasing local
rate equals the Kansas City rate
again, and consequently there is a
strip down the western portion of the
state Whlch Is also missouri river ter
fItory. The Missouri river point job
bers therefore, under the sO-called
Commodity rate" have the inside
track on freight rates in the eastern
and extreme western portions of the
state. The interior jObbers catch the
central portion, and Topeka, Lawrence
and EmpOria each have a territory
blocked off to the west in which they
can get better rates than can Kansas
City.
IN this manner the railroads have
practically assigned to each jobbing-
house the territory which it can cover,
and it is held firmly within its own
a secret deal with the railroads to help
it extend its trade.
What the interior iobbers want is
not d withdrawal of the existing Mis-
souri, river tariffs, but Il general read
justment of all the freight rates and q
from Missouri river points
They want II fixed so that the KAN
sas City jObber who ships to Kansas
will have to pay q gradually increasing
goods into the state They are willing
TO have the same scale of increase ac-
cording to distance applied to their
own SHIPMENTS. Such an arrange
ment would limit the territory of the
jobbing houses strictly on the merits
Of their geographical location A job
bfng house at Hutchinson would be
able to compete on equal terms with
iobbers at Salina. Wichita and other
Interior points, and it would probably
have little advantage over points
east in covering the western portion
of the state Not only that, but the
interior jobber would be able to get
into some of the territory east of him,
in competition for trade which he has
heretofore been unable to touch.