Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-05-06
p0oouceR, MtppLEMAk, pisTRi.
auroR AND CONSUMER BE.
CONE INVOLVED.
IMPORTANT CONTROVERSY
sTARrEp ~ COMM lsSloNS
Railroads Propose to Abolish Huis OF
Mixed Carload Lots, and Ultimate
Consumer Will Be vitality Affected
Hearing to Be Held May 1a-other
News.
Special TO Times Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines. May 6.-The clash OF
interests affecting the living cost is to
be witnessed In new place, Win Tue
producer, the niddleman, the distrlou-
tor and the ultimate consumer all TAX
ing a hand in the fray. A new and de-
cidedly interesting controversy mas
been started incidental 10 the freight
rate investigation on the new western
classification and It promises antagon-
isms almost as fierce as those sur
rounding the parcels pos, discussion.
On May IS, at 2. m. in the office
of the Iowa railroad commission there
will be given a general hearing on the
question OF mixtures in carload lots
and the proposed application of Rule
10" of the eastern iassifca ton TO
western classified ton territory.
The average ultimate consumer
will not readily understand how this
affects him. but it does.
An Illustration.
Here is a diagram that will show
how. A car load Of canned vegetables.
cherries for instance. is shipped into
iowa 1t takes the ear load rate, o.
&C. L. But not often a whole car load
of one kind of canned stuff is wanted.
Under a special rule long in use IN
Iowa, mixed lots of beans and pump
kins and apples can be included 20
make UP the car load and this all takes
the rate OF the highest class of canned
stuff in the car. Now it is proposed
by western classification No. il. which
the interstate commerce commission
recently held up, TO abolish this right
of mixture" SO that il there should
be slipped into the car load OF canned
cherries one can Of canned PUN pkins.
for instance, the whole car load would
have to go as Il. c. l." or less than
car load rates. AS every shipper knows
this would nearly double the freight
rate.
Abolish Rule Of Mixtures.
In other words the railroads propose
to abolish the rule OF mixtures in
making up car load lots, not only as
to canned cherries and canned pump
kins and similar goods. but as it APP
plies to over 500 separate items on
as many different commodities.
On the other hand the National AS
ISOLATION Of Retail Grocers has asked
rot merely the retention OF the present
mixture" rule in western classification
territory. but adoption Of the general
rule which has many years prevailed
in official classification" territory,
providing for general mixtures Of SIM
liar products carrying similar rates and
all going at &C. L. rates
This is the topic that is to come up
next week here.
In western classification" territory
$Nr
mixtures like the rule 10 Of official
classification territory. but a series OF
special provisions. which the railroads
now desire to abandon. A hasty exf
animation in the office OF the Iowa
railroad commission of twenty-five Of
the articles among the 500 affected,
cial provisions would cause an aver
age increase of Sc per cent in freight
charges on ordinary shipments.
Roads Admit Injustice.
The injustice Of the proposed change
is admitted by the railroads because
they have already agreed to retain the
special rule on binding twine. 1t was
shown right off hand that 80 per cent
of the binding twine handled is in
mixed car lots. Usually binding twine
is loaded into cars with implements.
To require where this IS done that both
the Irvine and the implements should
take the Il. c. l." rates instead of
&C. L. rates would meF, as every
shipper can see, a vast increase in the
total Of freight paid for them
! The railroads have also agreed to
abandon their attempt TO change the
rule as to certain acids where it was
shown that the change would make
an increase OF $50 per cent in the rate.
The Real Import.
But the real importance Of the whole
controversy arises from the fact that
suddenly the constituents Of the
eighteen railroad commissions from
eighteen western states, who presented
to the interstate commission the pro-
test against classification No. 81, are
divided into apparently hostile groups.
The wholesalers or jobbers are arrayed
against the retailers and consumers.
The former are perfectly willing to
have the special rules abandoned in
western classification" territory and
are dead opposed to appropriation from
the Official classification" their Rule
10 which makes mixed car lots general
and applies to practically everything.
The jobbers in this territory say that
Rule 10 would mean opening the doors
to eastern jobbers in the west, and
would also help the mail order houses,
for the farmers and the small mer-
chants could c.der mixed lots Of stuff
from manufacturers and would not
have to 90 to the local jobbers. In
short, the rule would operate to
cheaper products to the retailer and
consumer. and cut out the middleman
Per contra the retailer is for the rule,
20 Tar as he knows anything about it,
and the ultimate consumer probably
VIII be when he finds out that there is
such q thing as a Rule 10 or a mixed
CIR lot.
Since this matter was first called to
the attention of the interstate COM
merce commission the railroads have
1nAuguf1ted a movement to have the
50bbexs protest against the application
sOf The national grocers' association for
drafting Rule 10 from eastern business
: SS: :::>S Z. vestern business. A gree.
mA1y j0bbera have become deeply in
4efeUted and they want to be heard be-
fore things 60 any further.
The attitude Of the eighteen railroad
commissions. speaking thru the COM
nnttteo which il headed by Clifford