Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-02-04
- prescrahinx what the rates

sassippi xhy(tsSass you recognized that
the Iowa cteite located upon the Mis-
sissippi rit6G were entitled to be on
an equality with st. Louis. At that
time on traffic from New York to the
Atlantic coast Iowa. cities on the Mis-
sissippi river were paying bridge toll
of s cents on every hundred pounds of
first class freight which crossed the
river and correspondingly for the lower
classes. st. Louis paid nothing. The
Iowa cities also paid a rate per cent
greater than at st. Louis. This pro-
duced an unjust discrimination Of 8
cents on first class and correspondingly
less on the lower classes in favor of St.
Louis. The commission at first re-
moved cents OF that cents. Later
the commission removed the remaining
cents, placing the Iowa crossings on
the Mississippi river on an equality
with st. Louis for the first time in their
history. This only applied to trunk line
territory. The Mississippi river cities
are here now striving to get you to rec
.ognize the same principle on traffic
from central freight association terri
tory.
I'm the interior Iowa cities case the
commission held that these cities were
unjustly Disseminated against by the
rate adjustment in favor of st. Louis.
Chicago and the cities on the Missis-
sippi river.
1.-THE rates to interior Iowa are adj
justed by combination of the pro-
portionals from the east UP to the Mis-
sissippi river, added to the proportion
ais west Of the Mississippi river to any
particular city. In the rates finally
adopted you made a reduction in those
proportionals west of the Mississippi
river which I understand the railroads
claim averaged from 10 to 25 per cent.
But our former rates were on such an
amazingly high plane that even that
has totally failed to relieve the situa-
ton.
This has been substantial recog-
milton of a basic principle adopted by
the commission and it has been a sub
stantial reduction in the advantage
which was formerly possessed by Chi
cago and st. Louis.
Chicago Has Advantage.
But we will show you that on ship
ments originating in the east. and
jobbed out of Des Moines and Chicago,
for example, that the Iowa city is on
an equality with, or has the advantage
over Chicago in less than one-half of
Iowa, while Chicago still has the ad-
vantage in all the rest of the United
States put together.
There was still further principle
laid down in the original decision rem
dered by the commission which has
been evidently overlooked completely.
The commission stated: There is also
an element Of undue discrimination in
the rates to many points in the inter-
Tor of the state when compared with
the rates to points on the two rivers
ITO relieve this situation you stated:
Taking the Missouri river as start
ing point that proportional rate be-
tween the rivers when graded back
across the state in a proper and logical
way, ought to produce a set of proper
tional rates which, used in connection
with the proportional rates east of the
river will yield reasonable thru charges
to and from the interior Iowa points.
I'VE will show you that, instead of
removing that discrimination in favor
of the river cities the rates which the
railroads have put in with the approval
of the interstate commerce commission
have actually increased the discrimina-
ton against the interior Iowa cities. In
other wards so far as interior Iowa is
concerned. it would be better had no
case, eyer, been brought before the in
terstate commerce commission.
We will also show that it is cheaper
to ship from New York to the Missis-
sippi river cities and, then reship to
interior Iowa rather than ship direct
thru from east to west to Des Moines
or Fort Dodge or any other of these
interior Iowa cities"