The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-04-16
Commercial Club Has No Time
to Lose.
Should Be Concerted Action to
Keep o-Fedan Company.
MIR. BURNETT HEARD.
Santa Fe Freight Agent Gives
Some Figures.
Shows That Rates Here Are Not
UnfavOrable.

Unless something is done and that at
once by the Commercial club Topeka
will lose the Auto-Fedan Hay Press
company, one of it's valuable manufac-
turing industries. In the past when
there was talk of a local institution
leaving Topeka the matter was taken
up Immediately and seriously and the
success of the work of the Commercial
club along these lines may be judged
from the fact that the city has not
lost single industry since the flood
of 1908.
There was danger at one time of
losing the Wooden mill and at another
there was talk that the Kuehne Vine
gar and Pickle works was to be moved
to Denver. In each of these cases the
matter was Immediately taken up by
the members Of the Commercial club
as body and as a result Topeka yet
retains these two institutions.
Mr.. Ross says that he is anxious to
move to Kansas City which is a GEN.
trail distributing point for farming inn
Elements and this he gives as one of
the reasons for leaving Topeka, though
the freight crate proposition enters
largely into his decision according to
his own statement. If this Is the case
it is the duty of the Commercial club
to Investigate the matter and see what
means can be devised SO that Topeka
will retain the factories which are now
located within the CITY,
j. C.. Burnett, division freight agent
a letter to w. G. Dickie, chairman of
the committee on manufactures in
which he contends that freight rates
have no bearing whatever on the case.
This letter includes a schedule Of COM
parative rates between points in Kan
saS and Topeka and comparison of
the freight rates from the same points
from Kansas City.
This schedule shows that while the
rates to a few points in Kansas are
the same from Kansas City as they
are from Topeka that in a vast ma
jority of instances the rate is IL cents
per hundred less owing to the differen-
tial rate which has been in existence
for a number of years.
The freight rate per 100 pounds from
Kansas City to Ottawa is 10 cents and
from Topeka 1t is the same. From
Kansas City to Usage City the rate is
% cents, against 16 from Topeka; from
Kansas City to Garrett the rate is 20
cents, while it is "a cents from To-
peka; the rate from Kansas City to
! lola is 81 cents against 10 cents from
| Topeka; the rate to Chanute from
Kansas City is 80 cents against % cents
| from Topeka; the rate from Kansas
| City to Cherryvale is 40 cents against
| 28 cents from Topeka; the rate from
Kansas City to Coffeyville is AZ cents
! against 30 cents from Topeka; the rate
| from Kansas lily TO tmpOrld IS 81
cents against 10 cents from Topeka;
| the rate from Kansas City to Madison
| is SO cents against 26 cents from To-
peka; the rate from Kansas City to
Fredonia is AZ cents against 80 from
Topeka; the rate to Winfield from
Kansas City is 55 cents against 43
cents from Topeka; the rate to Dodge
City from Kansas City is II cents
against SO cents from Topeka; the rate
from Kansas City to Salina is AN
4 re or g ko
| In his communication to Mr.. Dickie
Mr.. Burnett further says:
| Recalling conversation of today in
connection with the above subject,
appearing in both the State Journal
and the Topeka Capital:
Realizing that neither yourself, any
! member of the Topeka Commercial
| club, or either of the above referred
| to papers desire to create wrong i'm
pressions with the people generally,
beg to invite your attention to the at
tached schedule Of rates from Topeka
and oklahoma, and will ask that you
correct the erroneous impressions
which were created by the appear
ance of the two articles in question
You will note this schedule en-
braces our entire Kansas territory
south and west of Topeka, the ex-
IRENE points being Coffeyville, on the
south: Englewood on the southwest;
SOOliuSS, OIl the west, ana WeODoT on
the northwest. At each of these four
points Topeka enjoys On hay presses,
which in less car load lots take third
class rates, differential of twelve
cents per hundred pounds under the
rate in force from Kansas City. This
same differential prevails in favor of
Topeka to other points shown, with
the exception of Ottawa, to which
point the rate from Kansas City and
Topeka is the same.
| AS most of the raw material which
the Auto-Fedan people use in the
manufacture of their presses is rated
. at fifth class, that company pays on
such material into Topeka, from
points east, 10 cents higher than
Kansas City, but with the above re-
! ferred differential on the third class
shipments out of Topeka enjoys an
, advantage of two cents per hundred
: pounds below the combination on
Kansas City. This same preference
obtains to several points on our line
in Oklahoma, as we'll as to the above
! Kansas territory; in fact. We observe
/ as maximum from Topeka to ex-
treme points on our line in the south
west and west the Missouri river rates
l Now with regard to the actua