The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1905-10-06
HASTINGS As WHOLESALER
NINE JoBBlNG HOUSES DO A So,
100000 BUSINESS.
QUESTION is ANSWERED

The Distributing Tariff Is Making
Hastings One of the Leading Whole.
sale Towns of the State-How the
out-Rate Works.
Some time ago there appeared in a
Norfolk paper sneering inquiry as
to whether Hastings which enjoys the
kind of a rate that the Commercial
club of Norfolk is attempting to Sc
cure, actually has wholesale house.
Appearing in a purely local paper, it
was expected that the inquiry would
never reach anyone that knew any
thing about it and hence would remain
unanswered. Being unanswered, it
was figured that it would be unanswer-
able, and hence would count with peo-
pie here as an argument why the rate
the Commercial club is working for
is not good thing. Some one sent
copy of the inquiry to the Hastings
Republican, and that paper sets forth
in pretty forceful manner that the
distributing rate is a blessing to the
city of Hastings. Following is the
question and answer:
The Press would like little infor-
nation from the people who know, and
that is whether there really is whole
sale house of any description in Has
tings. If there is such thing, then
The Press would like to know what
kind of an out-ratc Hastings is given
to place jobbers in that city on an
equal footing with Omaha? These
questions are pul2lcrs in the light of
the fact that the first class rate from
Chicago to Hastings is only $1.31,
while the rate from Chicago to Omaha
plus the rate from Omaha to Hastings
is only $1.31. From this it will be
seen that the Omaha jobber can, and
the railroad company would be com
PEELED to give the Hastings man a
bunch of money every time he shipped
a bill of goods to an adjoining town in
order to equalize with Omaha-Nor-
folk Press.
If the editor of the Press will CON
suit a commercial agency he will get
some valuable information in the job
hing interests of Hastings and if he
will come to Hastings and look over
the situation he will go home with an
earnest desire to work for the inter
ests of his town. Hastings has three
wholesale grocery houses. two whole
sale fruit houses, one wholesale har-
ness and saddlery, two wholesale hide
houses, two wholesale cigar houses
and in addition there are four brick
plants-all heavy shippers and grow
ing larger each year
The jobbing trade of Hastings Is
now over 100000 annually, all built
up by reason of reasonably satisfac-
tory freight rates. Not all that can be
desired but such as enables business
to be done at a profit by reason of the
less expense of carrying on business
in city the size of Hastings.
The rate named by The Press is cor
rect but it places Hastings on an
equality as far as that rate is con-
cerned and equality is all a business
man asks for. What he overlooks is
the fact that goods in a jobbing way
are handled by the car and the sum
of the car rate to Omaha from Chi
cago plus the local rate from Omaha
to Hastings is greater in every case
than the car rate from Chicago to Has.
tings.
Hastings has had distributing tar
IF for years and based on a fifth class
Gear load) rate in and fourth class
rate out, to all points west, Missouri
river jobbers.
One illustration will suffice:
Fifth class rate, Chicago to Has.
tings .................... SO
Fourth class rate, Hastings to &C.
Cook ................... .2S
$.S1
Fifth class rate, Chicago to Oma-
ha OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. q
Fourth class rate, Omaha to Nc
COOK NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 80
ESQ
If there is any further information
the editor of The Press. would like on
the Hastings situation we will be GLAD
to give it.-Hastings Republican.
In the same issue of the Republican