Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-05-17
SHIPPERS RISE FOR BATTLE
Western Concerns to Make Protest to
Railroads.
M'vANN REPRESENTS OMAHl
Commercial Clubs Traffic officer 10
Attend Mighty Meeting 90 he
Held in Chicago on
Tuesday.

The commercial west is rising to declare
war with the railroads A proposed gen
eral increase IN commodity rates is to be
considered at a mighty meeting at which
the shippers of all the western country are
to be represented The meeting is to be
held at Chicago on Tuesday. omaha will
be represented at that meeting by f. J.
McVann. traffic commissioner OF the Com
mercial club of Omaha. A general call to
arms has been received by all of the big
shippers OF Omaha and other cities Of the
west which will be affected by the in
creased rates which the railroads propose.
Nearly 500 concerns have wired to John
NJ Glenn, secretary Of the Illinois Manu-
faCturers' association at Chicago, signifying
their intent and attitude toward the move
ment
The general position OF the shippers is
broadly, that the rates should not be dis
turbed and that the proposed changes
would be followed by vital Increases in the
cost OF nearly every commodity entering
into the daily life Of the people. The rail-
roads on the other hand, maintain that an
increase in earnings is made necessary to
cover the increase in wages which have
been made within the past year.
Demands of shippers.
The demands that the shippers are likely
to make are fairly vel! classified under
seven divisions. They will insist:
l. That the eastern railroads abandon
their purpose of increasing class rates east
of Chicago and forth OF the ohio river to
the seaboard from per cent on sixth class
TO 70 per cent on first class.
:. That the railroads. submit their case
t the interstate Commerce COM
mission, first as to the necessity for
increases in any rates and then to the
amounts OF the increases, provided the
commission rules that increases are war
ranted.
g. That the railroads shall let the class
rates remain as they are and shall secure
greater revenue, II such movo is SHOWN
to be warranted By changes in the cIassl-
ficatiOns.
T. That the preponderance of evidence
seems to be In favor OF the proposition
that the railroads are making more money
than ever in their history, and that ii will
take a mass of convincing statistics to
prove any increase in treights to be JUS
tlfiable at tins time.
i. That the railroads more than a year
ago entered into a "gentlemCn's agree
ment" not TO increase freight rates gener-
ally without first having consulted the
shippers, and that in View of this agree
ment the shippers ceased their concerted
action toward added legislation of kind
the railroads feared.
Z. That Increasing freight rates horl-
zontally simply because the railroads think
they need more money is an unscientific
lete.
Rates directly under consideration affect
shipments between the seaboard and the
district lying north of the Ohio river and
east of the Mississippi. These rates, how
ever, Will affect the Omaha rate to sea-
board, as the Chicago rate becomes the
basis of rates from the other points. Thus
from Cleveland o.. the rate is quoted al
SO per cent of the Chicago rate. while from
on the other side in the zone, which in
cludes Omaha the rates vary from l22 per
cent at Dubuque Ia, to III at st. Louis
The shippers from points as remote even
as Little Rock, Ark. are taking an inter-
est in the meeting to be held at Chicago.
The increase proposed varies from 20 pei
cent on first-class shipments to per cent
on sixth class. The dry goods dealers Of
Omaha are particularly at the mercy of tn,
railroads in the proposed change of rate.