The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-08-25
MORE ANENT FREIGHT DIScRIM.
NATIONS

IT seems almost unnecessary To
argue upon the advantage of harbor
improvements to a whole state. vet
following the remarkable statement
made bv Editor Harris of the Ocala
banner. the Lake City Index comes
along and says that "harbor improve.
ments is in many instances a positive
detriment to interior towns. giving
rheir seacoast neighbors unjust and
unfair advantages in freight rates and
retarding their growth That this
is remarkable is expressing it very
mildly. for a simple matter OF adding
a few figures would prove to the edi-
TOR of the Index that the water and
rail freight to the innermost section
of Florida is considerably less than
all-rail freight to the identical point.
That seapoart towns grow faster than
some of their inland neighbors must
he admitted, but is only because the
people like to go wehre there is life
and activity. The movement towards
the cities is to be regetted, but Ger
tainly cannot be stopped by cutting
off the river and harbor appropria-
-Times-Union.
Our seaport contemporaries seem
purposely to misunderstood and mis-
construe the contention of the news
papers of the interior. Their conten.
ton is not against high rates but dis.
elimination in rates. This paper
has tried to explain the difference be-
tween the two. But as its patience
is not exhausted it will repeat the
proposition. Here are two merchants
doing business side by side. AS long
as they buy goods at the same price
and pay the same freight rates they
are on an equality, and one has mo-
advantage over the other, but when
one is compelled to pay a much high
er freight rate than the other then he
is put at disadvantage and it will
not be long before he is driven out
of business. So We are not kicking
about high rates. Not at all, We can
stand il if the other fellow can. 1t
is the discrimination in rates that We
are kicking against.
This paper pointed out that whole
sale merchants in Jacksonville are
permitted to ship cargoes of stuff to
st. Petersburg for a cheaper rate
than Ocala merchants living one hun
dred miles nearer. That Boston
wholesale merchants are permitted to
ship cargoes of stuff to San Francisco
for a cheaper rate than interior
wholesale merchant living half the
distance
Is there any fairness or justice in
proposition of that sort? Because we
pay taxes to deepen harbors for the
entrance of larger ships so that these
seapoart cities may enjoy cheaper
and more expeditions steamship rates
is that any reason why they snOuI~
be given a much smaller freight rates
by rail than interior points. Why
should we put club in the hands OF
those cities to pound us to death and
submit thereto in silence?
One of our esteemed seaport con-
temporaries cries out: "The Ocala
Banners folly" and another says that
our statements are remarkable"
Well, the condition is remarkable
when such preposterous discrimina-
lions are permitted by those in auth
GRITTY to stand against interior cities
1t is all right to deepen our har-
bors and pull snags out of our rivers
We want this done. We want to see
our seaport cities grow in population
and splendor but we want to put
stop to those freight determinations
We want to see cities grow also in
the interior and they can only do SO
by being given square deal. In this
contention, the seaport cities, being
blessed with water transportation,
ought to hold up our hands and not
say that such a contention is a Iolly