Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-04-04
A Staggering BIow Against
Georgia IS Food Industries.


state freight rates the railroads strike stag
gering blow at Georgia's food industries, the
field of production that is most essential to our
economic progress and that is now most in need of
encouragement and protection.
Imagine the railroads charging nine dollars
more to haul car of ,packng-house meat from
Moultrie to Atlanta distance of two hundred
and sixty miles-than they charge to haul car
of western meat from Chicago to Atlanta dis
tance of one thousand miles. That sounds prepos-
ferrous but it is what the carriers propose to do
and it is typical of the entire scheme of rate adj
vances which they have submitted to the State
Railroad Commission. They propose increase
of thirty-eight per cent shipments of swine,
sheep and cattle from farms TO packing plants, and
an additional increase of upwards of one hundred
per. cent shipments of finished products from
packing houses to markets throughout the State.
Thus they would levy a double extortion
infant industry, the growth of which is equally
important to farmers and manufacturers and
merchants and millions of consumers
For years business and agricultural leaders
have sought to encourage the raising of food ami
mails and food crops in Georgia, realizing that the
State could never be strong and prosperous as
it should be until it produced at home those staples
for which it spending enormous of
money abroad. Under the stimulus of educational
campaigns conducted by State institutions, and by
chambers of commerce and boards of trade, thou
sands of farmers who once bought every pound of
their meat from distant regions at high prices be-
gan raising hogs and chickens and cattle. They
found that they could raise not only enough
for their needs, but also a substantial surplus
Thus the way opened for Georgia packing
houses. Two up-to-date plants were established,
at Moultrie and Atlanta, and six others
der definite consideration. These enterprises
marked new era in the States economic affairs
BY affording a steady and profitable market for
Georgia-raised hogs and beef cattle they strength
ened nothing else could the tendency to diversi-
fed farming At the same time they made it posi-
bic for Georgia merchants to sell, and for Georgia
consumers to buy, products that came from their
soil They proved in living examples the truth
of the proverb-"The dollar that goes farthest is
the dollar that stays at home"
But just when, these industries are beginning to
thrive and expand, just when their competition
with the packing house monopoly of the far West
is beginning to be felt to the advantage of Georgia
consumers, come the railroads with proposal to
increase their rates thrty-eght per cent on ship
ments of raw products to the packing houses and
upwards of one hundred per cent on shipments of
finished products from the packing houses to local
markets. They propose to make interstate freight
rates in Georgia so high that western packer can
ship car of meat all the way from Chicago to At
lanta for nine dollars less than a Georgia packer
can ship car of home produced meat from Moul-
trie to Atlanta. If those exorbant charges are al
lowed, our native industries cannot survive our
earnest efforts to encourage cattle raising and food
production will be shattered, our splendid dream
of making Georgia an. agricultural and industrial
empire will fade in the darkness of despair
These unjust and intoerable rate increases
would damage every field of Georgia industry and
commerce; but on none, perhaps, would the blight
fall hea vii on
which involve the farmers well-beng If these
rates become effective, Georgia farmers will pay
more for what they buy and get less for what they
SELL 1t is to their vital interest therefore to make
themselves heard before the State Railroad Com
mission when the petition for the new rates is
argued In this their welfare and that of the
merchant and manufacturer are intertwined In
deed, the interests of all our industries all our
towns and all lines of material endeavor are at
stake. As matter of common self-defense and,
self-preservaton. they should unite and resist to
The limit of their power this highhanded scheme OF
he railroads to tax Georgia enterprise out of ex-
stence