The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-12-21
RAILROAD MEN SAY THE PLAN
SHOULD BE ADOPTED IN
WASHINGTON.
Carriers and Shippers Tell the State
Railroad Commission Of Ultimate
Feasibility Of Discarding the Sack
System-Say 1t Means Economy.

OcdLClO, Lee. 1o.-AL d COu1SICuSO
of the state railroad commission, the
traffic men of the northern lines and
prominent millers and exporters of
Puget Sound, at Tacoma, to discuss
the feasibility of changing wheat ship
ments from sack to bulk, resolution
was adopted declaring that the time
had not come when the question should
be agitated.
The conference was called by the
railroad commission. The members of
the commission desired to get an ex-
preston of opinion from the railroads
and the grain dealers on question
that has been under consideration for
long time. The discussion was in
formal, and it was conceded by every
body present that to handle Washing
ton wheat in bulk instead of sacks
meant saving to the farmers of the
state of several million dollars every
year. Not only would there be saw
I ing in money paid out for sacks, but
the wheat could be handled more ex-
peditiously.
M. J. Costello, assistant traffic man.
ager, and Archibald Gray, assistant
general freight agent, of the Great
Northern, returned from the meeting
last night. They said that the rail-
roads favored handling wheat in bulk,
as it is done On the eastern districts
Of the northern lines
Says Change Will Come.
1T will take time to prepare for
handling wheat in bulk" said Mr.. Cos
tello, "but it will be done in Wash
ington some day. If the Great North
ern carried sacked wheat from Min
nesota and North Dakota, we could not
handle a crop in four years, simply be-
cause it could not be loaded and I'M
loaded in less time. The mill men and
the exporters admit that the cost of
sacking Washington wheat is paid by
the farmers. When the wheat that is
exported is sold, the price paid is for
wheat in bulk. The cost of the sack
is lost. This is anywhere from 3 to
5 cents bushel and means a loss of
at least 100000 a year.
"The railroads are particularly in
terested in keeping their freight cars
moving. 1t makes a big difference if
cars are unloaded promptly or if they
stand on the tracks while wheat in
sacks is tediously wheeled out. The
extra cost of labor is enormous, and it
is all paid by the grain grower. The
dealers buy the grain on the basis that
! it costs much more in Washington to
handle it, and the extra cost does not
come from the middlemen or the pur-
chasers abroad.
Facilities Are Needed.
ITO change from the present system
| to shipping grain in bulk means that
elevators must be built at shipping
points and that facilities must be
provided at the terminals. This means
a big outlay of money, but it must
be provided some day. At the meeting
| it was decided that the time was not
ripe to agitate the question further;
that the change of systems must come
slowly.
"Of the 100000 bushels of wheat
raised in Washington this year, the
larger part will be ground into flour
right at home. There is no good rea-
son why this grain used at home
should be sacked in the interior and
sent comparatively short distance to
the mills. That is time, labor and
money wasted. There have been
years when Is per cent of the wheat
| is used at home. More will be ex-
ported this year than usual.
1T will be safe to estimate that the
railroads could handle the Washington
grain crop with one-third the equip
ment now used il the grain were
handled in bulk. Except that we much
prefer to keep our cars moving instead
of standing at shipping points and
terminals, the railroads have no inter-
est In the question"
EDUCATE PRINTERS
TO DO BETTER WORK