The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-14
STILL ROLLING IN.
Many More Complaints About
Railroad Discrimination.
Miller Brothers of Smith Center
Want a Chance.
NOT ON AN EVEN BASIS.
Cars Furnished to Others But
Not to Them.
Poor & Knight Of Chapman Re-
fuse to Compromise.
NOT ON AN EVEN BASIS.

Complaints concerning the difficulty
of obtaining cars for grain shipments
are now coming in to the state board
of railroad commissioners. The board
has just received a complaint from
Miller Bros, shippers at Smith Cen
ter, alleging that the Rock Island is
discriminating against them and in
favor of two small grain elevator com
panies there. In their letter to the
board they say:
I'VE feel that we are being discrim-
mated against by the Rock Island.
and the people at large are worked
up to a high pitch. We want TO know
if the people have any rights in regard
to shipping their grain. There are
two small elevators at this place,
which 1 do not think will carry over
1000 bushels of grain, and the rail-
road stands in with them. The agent
tells US openly and above board that
we cannot have cars so long as the
elevators want any, and in this way
they can keep standing order in,
thus debarring any one from loading
except themselves.
I'VE came to this place about Nov.
~. The elevators were paying 81
cents for the same kind of corn that
we sold at 81 Il and IS Il cents f. o. b.
cars at Smith Center. We have been
trying to do business ever since under
the most trying conditions. On or
about February 20 we bought $4,000
bushels of corn to be put into the cars
by farmers, and empty cars stood here
on the Sidetrack for days and days, we
at the same time trying to coax and
persuade the agent to let US load them
and his answer was that the elevators
needed them If we received a car
at all, it was one that had been loaded
with coal and not fit to put grain into.
We have suffered loss and endured
it patiently, hoping they would be-
come tired, but our patience has been
exhausted and we now appeal to you
for relief"
Miller & Co. wish to know what
their legal rights in the matter are.
1t evidently does some good simply to
file a complaint with the railroad board.
Poor & Knight, grain dealers at Chap
man on the main line of the Union Pa
ci1c, who recently complained that
Aida, over in the Junction City branch
only few miles away, had a better
rate by one cent hundred on grain
shipments to Kansas City than Chap
man, write the board that the Union
Pacific officials have already offered to
lower the Chapman rate a half cent if
Poor & Knight will dismiss their COM
plant They say they refused this Of
fer because Aida would still have the
best rate.
l. D.
to the board that last fall he shipped
six cars of cattle over the M K & T.
from Emporia to Manhattan. Before
making the shipment he asked the
Katy agent at Emporia what the rate
would be and was told that the Kansas
City rate was eleven cents and as Man
haitian was a shorter haul than Kansas
City the rate would be no more. But
when the cattle were shipped Mr. Ed
wards says he had to pay 175h cents
before he could get them. He put in a
claim to the railroad company for over
charge. but has not yet received it, and
he asks the railroad commissioners to
take the matter up if they have power
to do 80.
Garrison Bros. of Fort Scott also have
q claim grievance, but theirs is against
the Frisco. They say they had a num-
Der of claims, some of them dating back
to 1902 but they are unable to get any
satisfaction from the railroad company
about them. 1T does not pay to hire
an attorney" they write. las the rail-
road companies fight and the cost will
eat a poor man up"
B. F. Surface of Narka some time ago
made a complaint that he could not get
good service from the Rock Island fer