Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-03-10
BLAME
FOR HIGH PRICES
Yoakum Lays It to the Merchant,
Railroad Rates Are Not
Responsible.

New Orleans, March s-R r Yoaku,r,
or New York. chairman OF the Frisco
system or railroads, appeared last night
before the View Orleans board If trsds
as spokesman and defender ~ tho rail
roads against the charge that they arc
increasing the cost ~ living He laid
the chiet responsibility on the proa,s Of
| merchants
The vital question Of the day" said
MI. Yoakum ''is one Of food AZ orices
on which the masses can live with com
fort and health. There are forty infui,os
or persons who come under the class o.
wage esrrers in the United states
THE channels through which food
products of tie farm ras> to reach the
consumer are the producer. the trans.
porter, The wholesaler and the retanea
Many persons suffering from hieh price.
have been SO prcjudiced b. tie dena-
gogic politicians against the ~aNroadq
mat they believe the raiIrosi4 are re
sponsibe for increased living .,r-uset.
| while as q matter or fa-' t.. a-e,sge
freight rates within the ne, 20 -oars
have hoen cut in half hut PIE ,e4 ..tions
have not resulted to tho aonar Of the
consumers
INCREASE NOT DIE ~O ROADS.
ITO illustrate. in 1896 tre price 81
nour was s3.25 per barrel g. q first -
this year the price WAS B. 40 an tn
crease Of ss per cent wen 80 retail
dealers profit added tre ,onsurner lis
paying 90 per cent. advance iu price OF
-four. while the railroads are hauling
both wheat and fonr 'of 30 per cent
less from the wheat 9elds Of the West
| and from the mills - IT, mar sot.
"rn 1896 butchers paid - snts per
pound for steers, in January Z this
year they paid "a. cents An .i case -
50 per cent The prod added by the
| retail butchers as shown tr re-ent In
vestieations BY the department of ag1'
culture is as follows: New York. o.
per cent Washington. AZ per cent
| Chicago 4s per cent: Mobile 81 pc
cent. Reports from hf'v principal
cities show an average of - pa- cent.
profit TO the retail butcher
Tho railroad rates have been Eener-
ally decreased from 10 70 IS per cent
on beef which has advanced i~ price
from 80 20 * per cent. when II reache-
the consumer.
while freight rate reductions have
been made on shoes cotton goods We
lens and other every day articles 70
Southern points they have greatly in
crea sed in price TO the people.
FAIL TO REACH PUBLIC
The railroad rate reductions. analysed
honestly. will show that the rate maxi
ing power conferred BY the federal and
State government is used as an instru-
ment of profit taking. An analysis Of
the list of articles used by the every
day consumer will show that the money
taken from the railroads has not bene-
fitted the class OF people that needed the
help.
THE reductions in rates have reached
a point where. with all economies in
mana cement. the railroads cannot he
main tanned to the high standard Of SER
vice that the puoiic demands unless
there Is halt IN the constantly de-
creasing revenues
During prosperous times from 500
to 5000 miles of new railroad annually
have been built for the last 20 Years.
Last year dropped to SO" miles. The
attitude AT Washington is against new
railroad construction. They arr iu-
cined to try new theories that Wi. -
tard railroad building and prevent ex'
pansion of business"