Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-01-21
FREIGHT RATES ON WHEAT.
Santa Fe General Freight Agent Gives
Company's Side.

statement regarding Governor Stubs
San Antonio speech about the adjust
ment of freight rates ON wheat from
Kansas City and Wichita to Calves
ton, a subject which has attracted
considerable attention in the West
Mr. Koontz's statement follows:
The Governor says that this ad-
justment is costing the farmers of
Kansas many millions of dollars. The
comparison which the Governor
makes is as against a rate of 1917
cents from Kansas City to Galveston
when for export. The rate from
Wichita, as fixed by Judge Prouty, of
the Interstate Commerce commission,
was 25 cents per hundred pounds. At
the time Judge Prouty fixed the %
cent rate from Wichita, he had full
and complete information before him
as to the existence of the proportion
al rate of 1917 cents from Kansas City
to the Gulf.
There is no wheat raised in Kan
sas City. Every bushel of wheat that
moves out of Kansas City, in the di-
rection of the Gulf, or in any other
direction. pays a freight rate into
Kansas City. The comparison which
might be proper to make is a rate
from Wichita through Kansas City to
the Gulf for export as against the
rate direct from Wichita to the Gulf
for export.
eff a carload shipment of wheat
moved from Wichita to Kansas City
and thence from Kansas City to the
Gulf, the rate would be the combi-
nation of the local rate of 121a cents
from Wichita to Kansas City, plus the
proportional rate, as referred to bv
the Governor, of 1874 cents from
Kansas City to Galveston, or a total
through rate of 81 cents, as against
the direct rate from Wichita to Gal
weston of % cents, or cents per 100
pounds less than through Kansas
City.
This adjustment was gone into
very thoroughly by Judge Prouty in
the case entitled The Farmers and
Merchants Shippers club versus the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa F'e railway
and number of other defendant
railways. In this case the Governor
appeared as a voluntary witness and
offered his testimony in support of a
reduction in the grain rates from
Kansas to the Gulf. Judge Prouty
unquestionably considered the Gov
ernors testimony when he decided
| Galveston was reasonable.
Regarding the statement of the
Governor about the great loss which
| the farmer has sustained as a result
of the rate from Wichita and other
| Kansas points to the Gulf, government
| statistics show that the wheat yield
in the United States for 1909 was 1877
100000 bushels: in 1910. $4,000 900.
For the II months ending June 80.
| 1909 the total number of bushels ex-
! ported via all ports, Atlanta and Gulf.
was 66,923,244 bushels. For the II
months ending June 80, 1910, the total
| expectation reached the figures of 49,
| 679.S76 bushels. There was exported
for the same periods via the Cult
ports the following: 1909 ending June
| 30th, 100000: 1910 ending June
| Both, 100000. Statistics further show
that for the period June 30th to Octo-
| Der 31st, 1910 there was exported via
! New Orleans S2,439 bushels; via Gal
weston, $4,000 bushels.
The rate situation is as follows
From Wichita to Galveston the freight
rate is % cents per hundred, or Ii
cents per bushel of 60 pounds. The
ocean charge for bushel of so pounds
from Galveston to Liverpool, is IA
cents; adding thereto the wharfage
and other terminal expense per bushel
at Galveston of II cent, we have q
total charge per bushel of so pounds
from Wichita to Liverpool, the market
of the world, of 22az cents.
The freight rate from Wichita tc
the Atlantic ports of Baltimore an6
Newport News is Sc cents per hun
dred pounds, or 81 Clio cents pei
bushel as against Is cents per bush
ell from Wichita to Galveston; the
ocean charge per bushel from the At
lantic ports to Liverpool is 6 1910,
cents per bushel. The terminal and
other warfagel charge at the Atlantic
ports would be approximately L /;
cents per bushel or a combined
charge per bushel on wheat from
Wichita exported via the Atlantic por
of 80 6-100 cents per bushel.
Can it be said that if the charg'
per bushel on Kansas wheat, usin,
Wichita as a base, via the Galveston
port to Liverpool, the market of tn
world, is 6 31-100 cents per bushe
less than it would be via the AT
lantic port to Liverpool, the freigh
rates to the railroads leading to tn
Gulf are menace to the movement
OF the Kansas farmers grain to tn
markets of the world?
The truth is that the domestic re
quirements of the United States ar
taking practically the entire yield o
the grain fields of this country
There will be, as the figures shov