Albuquerque morning journal., 1910-11-10
HARMONY SPECIAL
HAS CROWD At
GARDEN CITY
General Freight Agent, koontz
Of Santa Fe JuStifies Rates.
Treasurer Copeland Makes
Talk,

Especial Correspondence TO Morning Journal,

Especial Correspondence TO Morning Journaii
Garden City, kan, Nov, 5.--The
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Gfe Railway
company's Harmony Special has
reached Garden City. The CONNER
eiel club held public meeting for
the visiting officials attended ny a
large crowd Of farmers stoekmen and
sugar beet growers of this section. as
well as by the business and profess
sional men of Garden city.
Col. f. A. Gillespie presided and
Judge Hutchinson made an address Of
welcome.
j. r. Koontz. General Freight Agent
appearing in the role Of an economist,
gave the result of a demonstration he
lately made. He took fifty Kansas
towns for his demonstration. He
traced the freight rates from the
fields and factories through the whole-
sale houses to the retail dealers and
applied them to the things used by an
average family With an income OF
$4,000 yearly excepting the single
item Of coal The total charge OF
freight for the entire expenditure
amounted to, on an average of seven
dollars and seVentytWo cents per fam
lily year, Mr.. Koont2's argument
was .hat while freight rates should
be considered d factor in carload ship
ments, 1t was so small a factor in the
expenditure Of the average family
that 1t could be scarcely be noticed.
Rates on Kansas Products.
Mr.. Koortz called attention to the
act of the Kansas legislature of 1909
reducing the freight on coal. cement,
brick, salt and several other COM
mcdities from = TO Is per cent. He
said that an investigation made with
is week showed that in thirty-seven
of forty-fiye towns, the prices of the
commodities named are from ten to
twenty-five per cent higher than they
were before the legislature cut the
freight rates. In eight of the towns
the prices practically are unchanged.
Mr.. Koontz submitted this showing
to support his contention that small
or reduction in freight made
little difference to the consumer. but
he insisted that when such advance
or reduction is applied to a large vol
ume of business, like that handled by
the Santa Fe, il becomes a question
Of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Mr.. Koontz gave it as his opinion that
the coal mine operators, cement and
brick manufacturers and others ad
vanced the prices OF their commodities
because of the increased cost of labor
and materials, a condition which he
said confronts every business institu-
tton in the country including the rail-
roads, Mr.. Koontz said that as tho
price of everything the railroads use
in their business has been advanced
from fifteen TO sixty per cent, includ-
ing labor the railroads somply would
have to get a little more for the only
a sal 4 y 14s staf nj
tion--or adopt a policy Of strenuous
Il. l.. Copeland, secretary and treas
urer, followed with a talk about what
would happen II the railroads were
forced to retrench First, the pro-
perty would deteriorate. That would
impair the credit of the railroads, The
Santa Fe, Mr.. Copeland said, wanted
10 grow and develop and capital would
DC needed He decvlared that capita-
lists would not invest their money in
unless they could be shown
that such an investment would pay
hem fair return Mr. Copeland said
he people Of the southwest wanted
more railroads but capital could not be
induced to aid such enterprises when
railroad companies are forced to re-
trench in order to make their income
meet their expenditures
What Rctrenclment Would Mean.
Mr.. Copeland undertook to show a
policy would mean the
discharge of thousands OF employees
and the curtailment of purchases of
amounting to millions of dol
ars, all of which would work hard
ship on every line of business. His
for existing difficulties is for
The public to allow the railroads to
adjust their freight rates to The in
creased cost of materials and labor.
thereby enabling them to improve
heir present properties and aid in
he development of new territory by
he construction of new lines
Mr.. Fl. a. Tice. superintendent of
he Western division concluded the |
ipeechmaking with a talk about the |
'ost OF construction. Referring to
Governor Stubbs' testimony before the /
interstate Commerce commission, Mr. |
Wee gave II as his opinion that the /
'overnor based his testimony on the |
,rices paid for materials and labor /
lttcen or twenty years ago when the /
was in the railroad contract
ng business.
The Governors figures indicate the /
Ise of 1900 ties per mile, whereas our |
tandard is $500 ties per mile" said |
1r. Tice. The governor gave figures |
n the cost of these ties at forty to
iXty cents per tie. whereas, accord
ng to Mr.. Tice. the ties the Santa Fe
J using cost the company from sew
cents 10 one dollar each.
ot including the cost of transporta-
ION. The governor made the state
lent that $500 cubic Yards of ballast /
er mile is the amount used in bal
lsting track. Instead of that Mr.. |
ice said. where ten inches of ballast |
re inserted under the ties IL requires
.16S cubic yards and where twelve
lches are inserted which is the COM
any's standard. 1900, cubic Yards are
equired This ballast costs us for
laterial. the actual cost of its trans.
the unloading and placing
nder the track and finishing. S135
, Si.40 per cubic yard. Consequent
T the governors prices are much be-
Nv the actual figures as to quantity
f ballast and cost
Mr.. Tice said that the santa BE
ropcrty could not be reproduced for
Go. 400 a mile aud he called attention
The assessment of the property in
ie several states. In Kansas. where
be governor said the Santa Fe's main
ne could be reproduced for twenty
We thousand dollars "a mile. The prop I
-ty is assessed al fifty-two Thousand
)llars mile according 10 figures
ven oy w Tic.. The meeting con-
uded with Commercial club
nokcr.
New happenings and new dollars
.erl thirty minutes at the Gem to- !