Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1905-05-18
What Government Rate Making
Knuld Coat Kansas.

for the regulation Of railway rates oy
governmental authority, none has
more at stake than the middle and
western grain producers.
Shippers have believed generally
that government rate making means
lower rates, but In the general dis
cussion, at least, this belief has
proven iallacious. Our present rail-
way rates are only from one'half to
one-third as high as those In any
other country.
The general tendency OF govern
mental rate making bodies in other
coun tries has been to place in effect
rates based ON q ton per mile charge.
Such system would be imperative
here. As q result the average rate
per ton per mile Of .7eS would be
greatly increased. ANY increase
would be serious blow to the agri'
culturists Of the middle west.
Lot US take the case Of Kansas and
observe what enormous increases In
expenditures for transportation OF
crops would take place II those crops
we're removed under the general aver
age rate per ton per mile, instead OF
under the actually existing rates. 10
the following statements the rate
used, as actually applying to Kansas
grain shipments during 1908, (the
latest year for which complete figures
are available) is obtained by taking
an average Of the various export rates
exciting during that period to the
tide water port to which the lowest
rates obtain, and for obvious reasons
the total amounts are figures as
though all shipments had come from
one point--Topeka.
In 1908 Kansas farmers shipped out
Of the state III, 1924, 1877 bushels OF
corn, wheat and oats, on which the
real freight charges were $l5, O29'OO7.
II these same shipments had been
made under the rate based ON the
average rate per ton per mile charge
Of .763 OF one cent, the total would
have been $2l,544,S9l, a total increase
Of S6,b1J,SS4, all Of which would
have come from the pockets Of the
raisers Of these crops.
The following total shows the true
relation Of these figures. The columns
numbered one, two and three respect
lively, show the number OF bushels ex-
ported, the freight actually paid and
what would have been paid II the
average OF 1853 Of one cent per ton
per mile had been applied, and,
finally, the column numbered four
indicates the resulting increase OF
freight which would have been paid by
the farmer had the average rate Ap'
piled to those shipments instead OF
the much less than average rate ex.
listing:
Kas. No. 1 bu. No2 No. No.A
Corn. A.sO4,sO3 SS,O76.4l1 s7,7S7,117 Ss7i1,s7e
Wheat. 65.437.1SS S.6ss,O4s lS,S5l,Ol2 S02SOoO
oats.... 4,Sss,1iO aSo,6sO 6OO,s@ l7eO4s
Totals-lii, s2l 1857 l5,O9O,ON 0l.6A,s0l o,5lS,Osl
These figures would be largely In
creased II we could take into account
the so per cent OF the years crop,
which still remained in the farmers
hands on March /, 1904.
To summarize the meaning Of these
simple tAbles, we ind the farmers OF
Kansas would have to pay in freight
on the 1ll,S24,l67 bushels Of grain
exported in 1908, not el6, O29, O07, as
they did pay, but S2l,644,Ssl, an In
crease Of s6, 5l5, 1884,, which would have
to be borne entirely by them.
Finally, with our present existing
average rate per ton per mile, far less
than in any other country, the farm
ers Of Kansas are paying 81 per cent
less than this average rate on their
grain shipments.
No other producers In the world re-
ceive such low rates, nor could the
American farmer secure them under
any other conditions. With these
facts in view it becomes apparent
that continuation Of existing condi-
tions should be the real desire Of our
western producing states as compared
with the world-average rate.
unvw "a ua uauOv Than0h NTarriAd