The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-23
he COT REBATES.
3. s. Moore Makes Revelations
at Coal Rate Hearing.
Given 25 Cents a Ton Until
March, 1905.
GIVEN BY THE FRISCO.
Quit PayingWhen i-Discrim-
ination Bill Passed.
Mr.. Taylor and Mr.. LOOmis Have
War of Words.

Il L. -. 4AOO4G5 plOpIlGlOE VI the Ills
worth Salt company, opened up the
| hearing of the coal rate case before
the state board of railroad commits
| sioners this morning by the direct
charge that the Frisco railroad has
been allowing him rebate of 25 cents
a ton on slack coal from August, 1904,
to March, 1905. His coal was billed in
at the published rate of $1.25 per ton,
which he paid. Then the Frisco agent
at Ellsworth handed him back 20
cents on each ton. This concession
was worth over $50 per week to Mr..
Moore, as he was using a car load of
! slack a day.
when the legislature passed the
anti-discrimination bill," said Mr..
| Moore. 'the Frisco quit paying that re-
bate, and have had to pay the
straight $1.25 rate ever since"
There is no attorney or rate man
representing the Frisco at this hear
ing. Mr.. NIoore's charges went prac-
tically unchauenged, as the other rail-
road attorneys have trouble enough
looking after-their own rate affairs
Some time ago. ]. W. Gleed was the
Frisco attorney for Kansas, but of late
! years all the legal business has been
/ handled from st. Louis. It is about
time for the Frisco to wake up to the
/ ldCJ lnclL Kansas IS on the map.
Going back into the history of the
past ten years, Mr.. Moore related in
detail the history of the rebate deals
! which characterized the fight between
the various railroads to sustain and
! protect the salt factories at Hutchin-
son. Each railroad had its "pets,'' Mr.
| Moore said, and it was an open secret
! that each road granted rebates on coal
| shipments to its pets. The heaviest
| element of cost in salt production is
| the cost of slack coal, and there was
no way in which the roads could ex-
! tend more substantial assistance than
| by rebating coal tariffs.
OF course the only value of such
testimony in the present hearing.
! which is to bring about a reduction in
| coal tariffs is to show that for years
past the roads have been hauling coal
at a much less rate than published
| tariffs. and have made money. The
| contention is that these secret rates
should now be opened up for the bene-
fit of the whole public.
Big Crowd Here.
The coal rate case is commanding g
more attention than any rate case
| thus far tried. The crowd here is very
! large. A delegation from Abilene Com
mercial club, headed by z. c. Little a
dozen miners and business men from
| Usage county and representatives from
Wichita. Hutchinson and many other
points are here.
Congressman Victor Murdock, Mayor
F'indley Ross, Representative ]. W.
| Adams and A. E. Helm are here from
| Wichita.
W. Y. Morgan, W. E. Hutchinson, G.
Carey, r. NJ. Taylor, E. E. Barton and
| others are here from Hutchinson.
| From Usage county are Senator H
B. Miller, J. M. O'Neill Ben Hilborn,
| Thomas Chappen Gus Johnson, Sam
Carlson, G. A. Grenstrom, Chris Little
Henry Isaacs, M. Nettleblade, G. w.
| Knight and r. J. Cahill
/ The biIenP delPP3tiOn includes in
| addition to Colonel Little, Geo. Sterl,
| the richest man in town; Elmer FOrney,
| manager of the Bell Springs creamery;
H K. Humphrey, proprietor of the Sc
curity mills and J. T. Nicholay of the
Rice-J Johnson-N -Nicholay Lumber & Coal
| company.
The first witness put on the stand
| was Ed c. Sinner rate clerk for the
state board Of railroad commissioners,
| who introduced in evidence a table
| showing, from the sworn reports on
/ file with the board, the gross and net
earning on various representative hauls
| of twelve loaded coal cars. His tables
showed the total earning to be 80 @nil-
| lions for the state of Kansas; total mile
age, 81 millions; operating expenses
per train mile, $1.03; average number of
| loaded freight cars per train mile
| twelve.
Using these as a basis Mr.. Sinner
computed that the net profit to the
| railroad on a haul Of twelve cars of
j COdl LIDlH 11AlSDuIS " 4ODG6d Is $685.
from Pittsburg to Abilene. $459. Many
other points were cited in the same way
Moore Tells Some History.
1 E. S. Moore was then called, and first
related some history Of salt rates in
| Kansas.
From 1889 to 1890 the rate on slack was
! s1.75. In 1891 the railroad commissioners
| ordered the rate reduced to $3.50, which
| was in effect simply making what had
been secret rate an open rate In 1S93
the witness stated that the Kansas Salt
/ company commenced to get its coal
through the Mt. Carmel Coal company
at 81 per ton. At this time Mr.. Moore
| was working for the Kansas Salt COM
| pany. John r. Mulvane of Topeka was
one Of the owners. and the company
used about eight cars of slack a day
This secret rate of 81 per ton continued
until 1894. when Mr.. Moore severed his
/ connection with the Kansas Salt COM
pany and took a position as auditor Of
the Hutchinson Packing company,
small concern. which was at once in
creased to a capacity of 1,400 barrels of
salt a day. Using his knowledge Of con-
cessions secured By the Kansas Salt
| company, Mr.. Moore was able to force
/ similar concession II behalf of his own
company. When this contract expired,
| he made a new contract with the Mis-
souri, Pacific for one year Oh Kansas
slack at S11O. and Arkansas slack at
S1.35. At that time the published tariffs
were $3.50 on Kansas and SlSO on Ar
kansas. This contract with the Missouri
Pacific expired in November, 1899, and
at that time the entire plant of the
Hutchinson Package company was
leased to the National Salt company,
which had also acquired the Kansas
Salt company.
what did the National Salt eompanA =
do with the Hutchinson Package com
pany plant2"
ssClosed it up replied the witness.
How much did they pay for the
Laser