Gunnison news-champion., 1915-02-12
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CtusReroe Commission in GraueinG .
tncssaas W freight rates N the sasssao
elnssiarstioa q territory. shs aeO,ics
tiea of the roads 70 state and ,ases-
sfs1s commissions Tor ~ iacsease -
satss. and The s',eraaces 81 Pressaeat
WILSON % the subject bring the ssrmt
ers of this nation face TO face ~ish the
probsem u ~ increase N freieh2
esies u ss the policy Of the Farmers
vnioL to meet the issues affecting the
Welf..'e Of the farmers saaareay AM
Ue will Do No in this instance.
The transportation facilities Of The
United States are Inadequate to ee
fectively meet the demands II com
Rerce and particularly In the South
and West additional railway mileage
h needed 10 accommodate the move
Rent of farm products. n in the wio
dom Of our Railroad Commissions a.
increase In freight rates u necessary
10 brinS about an Improvement in OUT
transportation service. and an extern
sion of oui mileage. then an increase
should be granted and the farmer 10
willing to share such proportion u
the increase as justly belongs to him,
but we have some suggestions TO ma ks
~ to the manneI In which this II
crease shall be levied
astes eesssS Lt~ss = Asssa ossasA
sAee.
The freight rates of the nation have
been built up along lines Of least -
sistsnce. The merchant. the naRu-
sacturer. The miner. the miller, the
lumberman cad the cattlemaR hive
had their trahAc bureaus thoroughly
organised and In many Instances they
have pursued the railroad withou4
mercy and with the power 81 organ
ized tonnage they have hammered the
life out of the rates and with unrs-
strained greed they have eaten the
vitals out Of our trsnsportati0a system
end since we have had railroad con-
missions, these interests. with skin
and cunning. ere represented ut every
hearing n which tAeis business 70
involved
The farnes y seldom repreosoeo0
ct rate hearings. ss his srUaaisetssas
have never hsd the snances - 80
ploy counsel 10 develsp his ~ q
the case and. - . result, the products
Of the pillow bear an unequal burden
u the freight expense. A glance q
ne freight tariffs abunAantly psOves
this assertion Cotton, the beadtnG
agricultural product Of the South, al
seady hears the highest freight rate q
AAy necessary commodity In con-
nepce, and the rate o. agricultural
proAucts % . whole 10 ont Of pre-
portion with that Of the products q
the factory and the mine.
We offer no schedule Of rates, but
hope the commission will be able to
give the railroad such an increase in
rates as 10 necessary without levying
Q further toll upon the products q
eAe blow. The instance seems to pre-
Osat n opportunity to the Railroad
OU00DusiOas to equaliEe the rates 40
betWoea agricultural and other classes
q freight without disturbing the rateo
o. staple farm products.
uhs4 10 Q FEW 0aAe?
We do not know what constitutes .
basis for rate making and have never
heard OF anyone who did claim to
know much about it. but II the pros
perity of the farm is a factor to be
considered and the railroad commits
sion concludes that an increase in
rates is Necessary, we would prefer
that il 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 farm
er who viii not try to raise his own
meat ought to be penalized. 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 in rates should be -
arranged that the farmer who lives
at home will bear no part OF the bur.
den. but let the farmer who boardr
in ether states and countries and
who feeds his stock in foreign lands,
pay the price of his folly.