The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-02
SALT MEN WANT 1T.
Think They Were Ignored in ADJUST
ment Of salt Rates.


Carr w. Taylor attorney for the
state board of railroad commissioners,
VIII ale before the board an application
Tor reheariug Of that portion Of the
coal rate case affecting the slack rates
60 the Kansas salt belt.
il VIII be the first time that such an
application has been made, ana there
IS some doubt about the validity of the
move under the order Of procedure
adopted by the board.
Carr Taylor said today 'Independ-
ent salt producers feel that the board
failed to take into consideration all
the elements entering into their con-
tentiOn, and insist that unless some re-
lief Is granted them at once, they Will
be driven to the wall by the salt trust,
which Is said to be getting inside rates
] don't have any means of knowing
the elements which entered into the
consideration OF tine board, bat y
seems that they must have overlooked
the fact that every twenty-five car
loads of coal taken there means
siXty-fVe. carloads OF aud i've car
loads Of cOoDera E7s1ls aG9t4 All at
high freight rates..
There is nothing % prevent the
filing of a petition fof a reaeaf1ngz 10
IS form of procedure which preNai1s
in the Supreme court, and / believe
that the board is willing TO adopt
similar form IN this case
MT. EaylOr's application Tor a re-
hearing viii be made at the board
meeting today or Wednesday.
The board today received a letter
from Emerson Carey of the Carey salt
company, an Independent concern at
Hutchinson, which declares that the
Independents are the victims OF secret
rebates given by the railroads TO the
salt trust, and that unless the present
rate per ton on slack is reduced, the
trust viii make good its threat TO drive
the independent concerns to- the wall,
Already" says Mr. Carey the trust
has made cut of $50 per car on salt"
Mr.. Careys letter is strong appeal.
1t follows
II was so Erieved and shocked at
not getting a reduction in slack coal
rates that / have been unable TO eX-
press myself. We tried to, and feel
that we did show the board that the
trust plants had not paid over 70
cents per ton freight on slack coal for
1b years. We showed that they We're
not in court asking for reduced rates,
but on the contrary they claimed
they did not want the freight rates re-
duced, We showed, or should have
shown, that they We're burning OIL I'M
der some of their boilers, which is
brought to Hutchinson in tank cars
owned by the trust We went before
your honorable body after the trust
had cut the price of salt $50 per car
and given us verbal notice that they
proposed to get back the. business that
they had lost which If carried out
would mean that every Independent
plant in the field would have to close
down. This fight is now on. and the
officials of the trust have repeatedly
stated that they do not propose to pay
any attention to us or recognize us in
the business in any way
''Thts decision certainly discourages
us very much as it will be impossible
for us to make stronger case than
we made. I suppose the independ7
ents have no relief. It is up to them
to sit calmly by and see the bIuebirds
build nests in their plants as was
shown before your honorable board
to have been the history of more than
% Independent plants within the past
Us years. 5f7~7
CEN ERSONFa ca REV