The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-06
NOT USED RIGHT.
w. 7. Shute, Grain Dealer, Com
plains About Santa Fe.
He Charges That Road With
Discrimination.

W. T. Shute, a grain dealer of
Nacksville, Kan. does not think that
the Santa F'e has been treating him
right regarding an elevator site and
cars for grain shipments. and he has
written a letter to Carr W. Taylor, at
torney for the railroad board, COM
planning about the matter. In his let
ter he says:
Il write you in regard to my deal
ings with the A. T. & S. F. Ry. Co,
for the past two or three years to ind
out if the way they have done me
would come under the head of dis
criminatiOns and if so, to investigate
the matter. as I surely feel as though
they have been the hindering cause of
me making several thousand dollars
the last few years.
In the spring Of 1903 I made ap-
plicdtiOn for a lease on a site on the
companys right of way on which 20
build a grain elevator at Macksville.
They simply notified me that the ele-
vator and storage capacity at this
place was sufficient At that time I
lived at Pawnee Rock. I came here
and asked the Santa F'e agent at this
place if I could get cars should I
come here and have wheat ScoOped.
He told me I could have my turn on
buying Mr.. Agent told me could only
have one car to the other fellow 5
two. It soon got so / could hardly get
a car. I wrote them again in regard
to an elevator site They wrote me
and said that application had been
passed on once, and that there was
no use to take the matter up again.
So I went or buying and shipping
when they would have mercy enough
on me to let me have car, and be-
I got - cars out of over 400. There
were four buyers of US at first, but one
quit after a short time, and the one
that quit has built a good elevator,
having q bin on the track.
''Since 1 made my application the
company has at different places
granted leases. They have granted a
lease here for an ice house, and the
Kansas Grain company seems to get
leases where they want them
The people of Adams, Kingman coun-
ty, also have a grievance against the
Santa F'e. They want an agent kept at
their station. and the railroad company
does not see fit to keep one there. The
people have petitioned the railroad
board to order the Santa Fe to main
tain an agent there.
It is alleged that all freight business
now has to be done with the conductor
while the train is at the station, and
that no opportunity is given to investi-
gate freight before it is receipted for
One firm gives several instances of
where it has lost freight, had coal held
up because the freight was not paid
when people were suffering for it, and
other things have happened because
business. This firm says it shipped last
year twenty cars of wheat and fifteen
cars of coal in and out of Adams.
E. T. Butler. SUPERINTENDENT of the Ell
Dorado gaswOrks, has been affected the
wrong way by the maximum rate law
on oil. He writes the railroad board
that he has a contract with the Stan
dard Oil company to furnish him oil
at a certain price, but since the new
law went into effect independent oil
companies have offered it to him for
half his contract price He asks the
board if he is bound by his contract
when he can do better. The board will
probably advise him to consult an at
torney.
J. E. Frost, secretary of a new Farm
ers' club at Schroyer, Kan, ask for
some information from the railroad
board. He says the farmers there have
just completed arrangements to ship
their own grain, but that the county
papers say the new railroad law en-
ables the railroads to discriminate
against the small shipper by allowing
them to make the shipper pay a fourth
of the freight advance. Mr.. Frost says
he has heard the railroads viii make
the small shippers pay this in advance
but viii not require it Of the big ship
pers.
He also wants to know if the new law
allows the railroads to require that the
shipper have all of his grain in sight
before he orders his car. and if it allows
only a dollar a day demurrage, which
can be collected after litigation in the
courts.
All Of these things are just as they
have been, except that the collection Of
demurrage by the shipper is made cas-
ier than heretofore.
Mr.. Frost also wants to know if there
is any way to compel a railroad com
pany to furnish an elevator site or build
spur to an elevator with a capacity
of less than 10000 bushels. The new
law on this subject only applies to ele-
vators having a capacity of at least TO-
900 bushels.
RRlST0W At SBfINR