Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-09-09

To reiterate, in order to make 1T
clear, freight that is shipped from the
east bank of the Mississippi, say from
Rock Island for example, to Cedar
Rapids, pays one rate of freight. But
IL the shipment starts from farther
east, say from Cincinnati or Indian
apolis. a. higher rates,i is charged from
Rock, Island than If the shipment orig
mated at Rock Island.
This is the bone Of contention in the
ease that the Greater Des Moines
committee has made to the interstate
commerce commission in a suit that is
to be heard before that body soon.
been fled In the Des Moines case
the rate on first class freight from
the east bank of the Mississippi river
to Des Moines is 36 cents when the
shipment, originates on the east bank
of the river. If the shipment originates
farther east the rate from the east
bank of the Mississippi river is 4S. .
cents, trine more than 33 1-3 per
cent greater What is true of these
towns is true in exactly the same pro-
portion and to the same extent Of
Marshaltown, Waterloo, Mason City
and every other inland city or town
of whatever size.
SO far the railroads have put UP no
defense for such course. 1t is a clear
discrimination. A merchant can af-
ford to buy eastern goods, ship them
to Rock Island, and then reship to his
Iowa town and save money every time.
To Cedar Rapids on a carload of first
class merchandise Of the minimum
weight of 10000 pounds the difference
is $3.50. On carload of the fifth
class Of freight of the minimum weight
of 10000 pounds the difference is
1922.
Exactly this same condition of dis
elimination exists all over the coun-
try but not quite in the same way
where towns are located on the basic.
lines Of the Mississippi and Missouri
river. Commissioner E. G. Wylie of
the Greater Des Moines committee be-
fore the National Traffic League at
Chicago, in paper, called attention to
the fact that the rate on soda ash from
points east of Chicago, say Syracuse,
N Y, to Seattle, was rs cents per hun
dred pounds, while the rate to Chicago
was 13 cents, and the rate from Chi
cago to Seattle was SO cents, making a
total of 63 cents.
Heretofore the railroads have Of
fered the complaint when such dis.
elimination was called to their at
t.ntion that they could not readily
change It, They have fallen back on
the interstate commerce law which re-
quired that notice should be filed for a
certain number of days before a rate
could be changed The Interstate COM
merce commission has made an order
that in such cases where rate is to
be made lower, such as the rate from
the east bank of the Mississippi river
when the shipment originates east Of
that point, only one days notice is
necessary There is therefore no ex-
cuse whatever for the railroads contin-
uing their discrimination against Ce-
dar Rapids. Marshalltown and other
Iowa inland towns
Shippers are waking up to the fact
that there is no sanctity attached to a
rate simply because it is fled with
the interstate commerce commission.
Every interstate rate must be filed
with the commission but they are not
necessarily equitable and just simply
because they are so filed. The expert
ence Of the Greater Des MoEnes COM
mtttee is that it pays to look into all
freight rates. When a rate Is Tlled with
the interstate commerce commission II
simply obligates the railroad to treat
all customers alike and charge all
that same rate The commission
doesn't inquire into its reasol1ableness
unless there is complaint
incidentally in this same connection
public men are giving some attention