The Topeka state journal., 1905-07-27

in Kentucky, We are allowed to do our
own icing; that is, we get the ice at
cost. Where In the same region we
have to use an Armour car we have to
pay $50. No wonder the fruit men are
going to the wall, regularly.
Allowances on Grain Shipments.
F. P. Lint, secretary of the Kinds &
Lint Grain company, stated that most
elevators here pay an allowance of Il
cents per 100 pounds on grain going
through them. but SO far as he knew
refund was only on outgoing grain
and nothing ever paid back on inward
bound grain. E. O. Moffatt. who fol-
lowed Mr.. Lint. said he received Il
cents allowance from the Union Pa
clflcs ROCK Island, Santa Fe, Bur1ng-
ton, Alton and Missouri Pacific eleva-
tors, but added that he did not get it
from the Milwaukee elevator.
"A traffic official told me today that
any man who did not get the cent
allowance IN Kansas City must be a
freak, said Counsel Barry.
Then am freak" quickly re-
piled the witness.
"Do you know if the Milwaukee, al
counsel inquired. After some hesita-
ton the witness said he thought the
Simonds-Shiel Commission company
got it, and that no one else did.
'"That is discrimination. if that is
so,' was the conclusion of the counsel.
Mr. Moffatt was asked if he thought
the allowance ought to be made. He
said he thought it should. think
that it ouht to be made to the big
shippers" he answered. ''I think the
man who ships 100000 bushels a
month ought to get little better deal
than the man who ships only 1000
bushels year.
Practice Condemned by Cocl<ren.
This brought Commissioner Cockren
on the line instantly. There is wnere
7iT9Ix
said with asperity. mo government
could live under such a condition. The
rich would soon absorb everything ana
the small man would be wiped out OF
existence. The whole business we are
on now started from railroad giving
one man a rebate. The other shippers
heard about it and they all demanded
the same rebate. The minute rail-
road does a thing like that 1T opens
the way to swindling, petty graft and
bigger grating and crooked work 1t
is wrong, all wrong. 1t is so wrong
that nobody knows what to call 1t.
Down in Louisville they call it 'sWlg,
and an equalizer which 1t is not.
Here you call it an allowance. 1t is
all wrong"
Moffatt asked the commissioner if he
thought it would be possible to abolish
the favorite shipper.
1--WE will see the time when there
will be no allowances or rebates or
whatever you have o mind to call
them. I believe the time is coming
soon.'
Moffatt said that unless the Kansas
City railways made the allowance in
vogue here now, much grain would
go on through without stopping here.
fsThen you think because this is a
magnificent center that the laws of
the country should be SO changed as
to enable you to force every grain
shipper to stop his wheat here SO that
the local elevators could make him
pay something to ,them?" the commits
sioner asked, by way of retort. The
witness made no reply.
NJ. H. McNeill, representing the
Chicago Great Western Railway COM
pany's elevators, declared that while
his company made the usual allow
ance, it never paid more than u
cents per 100 pounds, and that every
shipper got the benefit of the practice.
without discrimination. He admitted
he thought the custom a senseless and
Ia wrong one, but said it had been
started in Omaha and had to be
adopted and maintained here. He pro-
tested that it was not a discrimination
against the st. Louis shipper, because
the St Louis shipper does not pay the
sum of the two locals. but has a
through rate which contains the ad-
vantages of this differential of IN
cents per 100 pounds.