Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-02-11
RATE INCPEASE:
NECESSARY
- Nxm ~ hmm M%@@H
FARMERS UNION OFFICIALS
THlNk RAILROADS ARE EN-
TITLED 70 MORE REVENUE.
Products Of pIow and Farmer Vine
Lives ut Home Should Be
Eaempt From increase.

BY peteF Radfora.
Lecturer National farmers Onion.
The recent action OF the Interstate
Commerce Commission In granting an
Increase In freight rates In the eastern
classification OF territory; the applica
ton Ut the roads to state and inter
state commissions for an increase In
rates, and the utterances OF President
Wilson on the subject bring the farm
ers on this nation face to face with the
problem Of an increase In freight
rates. II Ii the policy of the Farmers
Union to meet the issues affecting the
welfare Of the farmers squarely and
We win do 30 In this instance.
The transportation facilities of the
uaitad States are inadequate TO Of
fectIveiy meet the demands OF com
marca and particularly In the South
and West additional railway mileage
Ii needed 70 accommodate the move.
ment of farm products. II In tho wis
dom Of our Railroad Commissions an
increase In freight rates Ii necessary
10 bring about an Improvement IN our
transportation service, and an extern
sion of our mileage. then an increase
should DO granted and the farmer Ia
willing To share snch proportion oil
the increase as Justly belongs to him,
but wo have some suggestions TO make
aa To the manner In which this In.
crease shall be levied,
Rates Follow LInss OF least Resist
anoe,
The freight rates of the nation have
been built up along Inca of least re
sistanee. The merchant, the manu-.
facturer, the miner. the miller. the
lumherman and the eattleman have
had their traffic bureaus thoroughly
organized and IN many instances they
have pursued the railroad without
mercy and with the power of organ.
ized tonnage they have hammered the
life out Of the rates and with unre-
strained greed they have eaten the
vttala out OF our transportation system
and since We have had railroad com
missions, these interests, with skin
and cunning, are represented al every
hearing In which their business IL
invoked
The farmer is seldom represented
at rate hearings, as his organizations
have never had the tinanees 10 EN-
ploy counsel to develop his side Of
the case and, ns q result, the products
of the pillow bear an unequal burden
of the freight expense, A glance at
the freight tariffs ahundantly' proves
this assertion, Cotton, the leading
agricultural product of the South, al
ready bears the highest freight rate OF
any necessary commodity In com.
nlerce, and the rate on agricultural
products as whole Ii out of pro.
portion with that of the products of
the factory and the mine.
w offer no schedule or rates, but
hope the commission will be able 10
give the railroad such an increase In
rates as Ii necessary without tayying
further toll upon the products OF
the pillow The Instance seems to pre-.
sent an opportunity TO the Railroad
Commissions to equaliae the rates az
between agricultural and other classes
OF freight without disturbing the rates
on staple farm products.
What 10 a Fair Rate7
We do not know what constitutes o
basis for rate making and have never
heard OF anyone who did claim to
know much about 1t, but II the pros,
perity of the farm Is O factor 10 be
considered and the railroad commits.
sion concludes that an increase In
rates ts necessary, we would prefer
that II come to us through articles OF
consumption on their journey from
the factory to the farm. We would
for example, prefer that the rate on
nogs remain as at present and the
rate on meat bear the increase, for
any farmer can then avoid the burden
by raising his own meat. and a farm
er who win not try to raise his own
meat ought TO be penalixed, We
think the rate on coal and brick can
much better bear an increase than
the rate on cotton and -four. We
would prefer that the rate on plows
remain the same, and machinery.
pianos and such articles as the poor,
er farmer cannot hope to possess bear
the burden Of increase.
The increase Ia rates should be 30
arranged that the farmer who lives
st home will bear no part OF the bur.
den but LEI the farmer who boards
In other states and countries and
who feeds his stock In foreign lanas
pay the price OF hts folly,