The Oskaloosa herald., 1905-06-01

been prominently advocated. lhe anty
~ maxine a INNaWfAl tariff ~ railroad
rates Ter VII " tAe United states. Ttu
commissioners. hiNttlna from their
mihda All Thought ~ existing rates, are
sincerely deslruns ~ removing all in
naualitIva and discrimination Az a
Asws step lney determine "a md a
principle Upon which the eyAtemAtlc
schedule uf permitted rates shalt be
ARRANGED,
Naturally the irst thought IN 10
make distance aud weight the basis
10 ascertain a grosa sum which would
sufhce TO pay n reasonable return on
the railroad Investment, and 70 divide
this by the total tons OF freight car.
fied n mile, The %uuotient would be
n certain tonsmlle rats which could
be uniformly applied, with everybody
paying exactly the same for an equal
amount OF transportation service.
Simple ~ this rule, yet IL Il were fatty
applied the country would rise up In
instruction. The fruit grower OF Cali.
fornia would point out that he could
not ship a single box X he were com.
PEELED TO pay on q long distance as
AAh1h HNA hlAA0 No q NhlAUGNANVi Vhth OA
a short distance. Likewise the lum.
herman In the corners OF the country
would be ruined. Existing jobblng cen
tiers would disappear and thousands of
manufacturers would be forced out OF
business. Moreover, tho producer of
raw material, who now pays only a
minute fraction per ton mile Of what
Is collected from finished products,
would be compelled to abandon his
fields and mines.
Percelving that absolute equality of
rates on a ton-mile basis would depop-
ulate one-half of the United States and
make the remainder suffer in sympa-
thy, supposing the commission con-
cluded to make the cost Of the SER
vice the test. This rule would work
no better than the other. Railroads,
even those which are directly competi-
tive, differ greatly In traffic cost. One
is built over the prairie and has small
interest charges. Another has ban
compelled to blast It's way through
monntaiLs. One has low gr2des and
another nigh; n gets coal a; a few
cents per ton and another pays much;
terminal charges, wages OF employees.
and, above all, the volume OF the trAfic
and the average distance carrlcd--al
these things intimately affect the cost
of the service. Every railroad pre-:
sents its particular variations, and
what may be a Just rate in n case
may be most unJustain another.
AS the commission examined the va
rious theories of rate-making IL would
discover that no one Of them, nor any
definite combination OF any or all OF
them, would give a basis for a primal,
impartial, mathematical schedW5. AS
sailed by the necessities OF competi'
tive trade areas, by the rivalry OF com
munitles and interests, by the prob
that attach to classification, and
the hundred and N other conflict
ing influences that make the straight
line of railroad rates az Jagged az
streak of lightning, the commission. II
remained candid, would throw up its
hands and acknowledge that II could
no more than guess. Moreover, II
would confess that presumably the al
iustments which had been made by
the railroads by fifty yoars OF diyeig.I
emf pulling were more suited TO actual
conditions than anything which could
be attained by a prior thinking.
For many years 1t mas beer a dream
Of railroad theorists to nave a UNIFORM
classification and uniform rates TOT
the country. Railroad conventions
have discussed how this ideal condl'
could be realized, and the COLI
has been mat the thing was
I~mpossIble. There wo'Ld be SO many
exceptions to the rules that the exccp.
lions would constitute the main pody
~ the tariff. In q small country,
has practically homogeneous
Industrfes. It may be possible TO aye
railroad rates, but IL IL Gun.
efwise when dealing with the tranc Oh
A continent. without blasphemy II
NAV be said that the task OF satisfy
everybody would be beyond me