The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1907-02-19
UNFAIR FREIGHT RATES THE
KNIFE AT THROAT OF TRADE
The Mysteries of Tariffs, "Gateways" Water Points and
''Mr. Fitzgerald All of Which Under Interstate Laws
Have Combined to Enrich Virginia and Impov-
erish North Carolina

Below will be found certain tables
which wifi justify a careful study hy
any citizen ot the State II North
Carolina no matter wha. his occupa-
ton
They are the figures which show n
detail ana epitomc. the dlecrimina-
lions in freight rates unuer which
North Carolina cities suffer
Fr~iEhts ara the determining fac-
tors ~ trade. The condition II Il
community trade IS th. determining
factor u the commGuits's pfesperl-
". How the community pyospers is
he basis of individual success So
that freIghis ARE the foundation
stones upon which indiviaual an1bi-
ton. individual success. pteceed-
The railroad maenateS wete right
in saying that freight rates. good SER
vice far dealing between railroads
and communities in the business
which either makes q community a
part Of the world or segrcgajts tt into
a province. are more important than
the price charged passenger - ride
= mile.
II, as between high passenger rates
and low and fair freight rates il Werc
possible to make choice. patriotism
lis Mr.. Thom ana others c.oQuenllg
pointed out, would fix on The freight
rate end or the proposition as the
bargain epd.
Hut unfortunately. the question OF
fair treatment in freight rates docs
not depend on 50 easy i proposition
rs the maintenance of an unjust pas
senger fare. There is no >a-surancr
that if the people viii submit 10 thc
high fare. they will get the low rate
We are asked to forego what We nave
it in our power TO achieve FOR the
hope OF something which we can III
the most collateraliy affect
When legislation IS introduced look
ing TO the doing by the State of what
can be 6cfTc- To remedy outrageous
the railroads Waxes stronger still.
How does the freight rate situation
affect 1he average citizen, and the
average community?
The .CaiC-Way Points''-Tbeir Facet.
III Virginia, there are certain cities
which the railways have dcnominatyd
"gale-Wa points, The rates are
based on these points. In Richmond
there is q gentleman who represents
the '.2SsociateG railways" At the core
OF his web. lies this fact: the great
commodities of life. things like flour
like wheat, Ike coal, El%H be shipped
from tbs western centeiS 3nto NIrginit
at a hEn0Fcd per cent less than tIcy
can be shipped in,o North Caroiina-
II Is IN auGacious example OF railway
logic that 10 reach Virginia man" ot
these commodities pass through North
Carolina. For instance: flour from
Cincinnati is shipped to LynchbdTg,
Va. for twelve cents, while to
Greensboro the same shipment IS 81
cents This difference of - cents in
the rate in favor Of LynchbGgg han
pens notwithstanding the fact that
the haul from Cincinnati To Lynch
burg is some two hundred miles more
than III haul from Cincinnati to
Greensboro. Nevertheless, the great
trade commodities are sent past
Greensboro To its natural competitive
point Lynchhurg, at price which
enables the latter city 10 cover the
Greensboro territory Of trade with it,
goods at an advantage IN the price
in advance which the Greensboro mcr-
chant IS totally unable 10 meet eX-
cept q a practical loss of profit. And
" hat is true Of Cincinnati and
Greensboro, is true, also Of Atlanta
and New Orleans and Greensboro; II
IS true of Boston and the Northern
markets. Whether the trade commo-
dities which Wholesalers get for the
purposes of trade come from the
Northern, Western on Southern trade
centers. the Virginia cities, Lynch
burg Richmond. Roanoke. obtain
them at freight figures which make
il evident that either the Greensboro
rate is excessively high or their rates
are excessively low. Under such con-
GitiOns, it Is not surprising - hear
North Carolina Wholesaler say. as Nj.
Ireland told q committee the other
night, that a large part OF MS eN-
DenSe of doing business durin~ the
year consisted Of cash payments made
to merchants PRACTICAL at h5 doors
to enable them 70 buy MS goods
instead Of the goods Of other mer-
chants who while greatly more dis
tant. could still sell him Foods -
great reduction over Wha- would ren-
resent fair profit to the Greens
bOro man Nor Is il sur
prieing under such conditions that
men who desire to do \ large business
should have beer driven from North
Carolina and that factories organized
in this State by home capital and
mana ged by home brain. should have
been forced to 20 To q foreign Locality
in order to be able 10 do business. The
surprise on the other hand. IS That
with n large cities and no chance OF
large cities 50 long a these discrimi-
nations are permitted 10 remain.
there should be in the state as many
large Industrial and manufacturing
enterprises as there are.
Greensboro has been used as an eE-
ample. because Il is z central point
and because il has been made storm
center Of a general complaint. What
true of ii, is true Of every other North
Carolina city that essays 10 do bust
ness with the world. In the matter
Of the Interstate freight comparisons
they labor al o disadvantage which. at
first blush. seems irremediable. on
the occasions when the railroads have
been cited TO appear in the courts or
before the Interstate Commerce Com
mission. the discrimination finds elab
crate defense. II is explained with
mass Of expert testimony. with Teams
upon reams of figures. that what looks
on its face 20 be q discrimination Is in
reality a concession. The long and
the short haul. the .'water-point."
the gateway" theory are in the
hands Of u tariff expert convincing If
vague as cloud to an ordinary intelli-