Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-17
FARMERS WIN FIGHT
FOR LOWER RATES ON
MARKET SHIPMENTS
Threat to Use Private Convey
ance for Hauling of Prod
ucts to City Proves
Effective
TRANSIT COMPANY YIELDS

The farmers OF Horsham. Montgomery
County whose potatoes probably are not
as numerous as the dollars OF the PhIla-
delphla Rapid Transit Company. have won
their nght with the traction corporation
for reduced freight rates and better faciil-
ties for shipping farm and market products
to the city.
An extra car will be run from the Hal
lowell freight station 10 this city Friday
mornings. u was announced today by
George w. Ravert, chief freight agent for
the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company.
That was what the farmers wanted.
The farmers OF Horsham. which is near
Hatboro, use Hallowell as n shipping point
for their products, which they market in
Philadelphia. For conveying the freight
over the eishteen-niie electric route 10 the
city the traction company has variety
OF rates. Potatoes at fourth class. for
example. were taxed 50 cents per hundred
weight; chickens. butter and eggs were
sent at the market rate iss cents per
hundredweght
That was satisfactory. But this summer
when uniform rate OF 1873 cents was
clapped down on fourth-class goods when
shipped with goods that went at the mar
ket rate the farmers demurred. That meant
about twelve cents in carrying charges on
every bushel OF potatoes. Besides. most OF
the farmers had fixed days for hauling
their products 10 the station, and they
had no time TO make special trips so as TO
send produce. such as potatoes and poultry
or eggs, In different shipments They didn't
intend to wnste both Thursday and Friday
In hauling and separating their products.
REBELLED AGAINST BIG COST
They rebeiled. They saw the freight on
cials or the company and threatened 10
haul their wares to town by wagon and
motortruck at loss rather than pay
market rates on fourth-class goods.
II meant much TO them. for the volume OF
business the farmers brought 10 the freight
station mounted up into thousands OF dol.
lars In value. Jonathan Stackhouse. for
example. raised about 5000 bushels of pota-
toes this year. Joseph and William white
side had about 1000 bushels and Joseph and
Frank Parrell a like number
The traction company agreed to separate
fourth-oass freight and market freight and
TO handle the potatoes and other fourth-class
products at the fourth-clRss rate they put on
an extra car Fridays. The revised schedule
OF rates now is: Fourth class. s.4 cents:
second and third classes. 1915 cents; first
Glars. 1871 cents, and market class, 1873
cents.
Now she farmers are agitating through
service TO the markets instead OF TO the
Philadelphia terminus OF the electric line.
For this they would be willing to pay
higher rates according to Samuel Peterson,
gomery County.
FARMERS GAIN THEIR POINT
I'VE did not mind paying 1873 cents price
on our marketing goods such as eggs, but
ter and poultry. because such goods shipped
in bulk do not weigh very much on the
average. but we most strenuously objected
to paying the same price on potatoes, APP
pies, pears and such other produce" he said.
This would amount to about $40 a ton,
and this Is terrific rate for haul of about
eighteen miles.
The farmers hereabouts had about de-
cided TO ship their goods by motortruck. In
fact, several tried the experiment. and be.
leve they will continue TO do their shipping
by this means. We would have boycotted
the company altogether IL It had persisted
in Its demands.
Some time ago l conferred with several
officials of the transit company with n view
to having the company establish a through
service for our goods. BY this mean they
should haul our stun right into the markets
instead OF its freight stations. As II is.
we are compelled TO have the stun hauled
from It's stations TO the markets. and this
entails an added expense. told the ON
oials we would not object to a raise in the
tarlff provided they would bring our goods
directly 10 the market places.
'"ro this they objected, asserting that they
could not afford TO go TO the expense OF
laying new tracks for the little business we
gave them. ! argued IL they installed the
new tracks the farmers who had been haul
ing their own products would very readily
give them tho business. As a matter Of
fact. Il wouldn't pay the farmers 10 keep
their teams on the road under such condi-
tions. However. the company never took
any action and the matter was dropped"