The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1920-05-14
Director General Hines Says Rail-
road Transportation Costs
Are Lowest in History.
NOT CAUSE OF HIGH PRICES.
Freight Advances Compared With Rise
In Value Of Goods-Transportatlon
Cheapest Thing Public Buys
Charges en- Some Articles.

rates are the least factor In the cost
of living. Although the proportion Of
the total cost Of goods that can be
charged to transportation Is not known
with statistical accuracy, It is estimat-
cd that the average transportation cost
Of things produced In this country is
very small percentage Of their total
cost to the consumer
Freight Cost "a Per Cent Of Total.
In a letter to Representative John ].
Esch, chairman Of the House Commit
tee on Interstate and Foreign Com
merce, julius Kruttschnltt, chairman
Of the Southern Pacific Company,
points out that in the last five years
the value OF goods increased on an av-
erage Of $63 a ton, while freight
charges advanced only GO cents ton.
In five years, he explains, the aver
age value OF freight carried by the
railroads increased from $56 to S119
ton. The cost of carrying this increas-
ed from 81 to $3.50, paid to tie rail-
roads. In 1914, he adds, SO per cent
Of the total cost OF the goods was
spent for transportation. In 1919 only
"a per cent was spent.
TN other words" Fir. Kruttschnitt
writes, only so cents ont Of $s3, or IS
cents out OF every dollar OF increase in
value of commodities in 1919 was caus-
cd by increased freight charges. The
responsibility for the remaining $62. 20,
or 987 cents out of every dollar, must
be sought elsewhere. 1t was not cauS-
ed by freight rates"
Rates Lowest In History.
Comparison with transportation
charges in other countries shows that
in no other country of the world is
Transportation furnished ct so low a
cost as in the United States Compar-
ed, too, with the cost of other goods
and services today, railroad transporta-
ton is the cheapest thing the public
buys. 1t is sold for less than the cost
of production, considering all the ele-
ments of cost.
In statement on this subject to the
New England Bankers Association
Walker D. Hines, Director General of
Railroads, said:
II think it is fair statement
that at the present time. despite
the increases which have taken
place in freight rates, ton Of
steel or a ton Of coal, bushel Of
wheat or the unit of any other
commodity has to pay for trans
portation q less percentage of the
price Of that commodity than ever
before in the history Of the cOun~
try"
Charges on Some Articles.
Before the war a suit of clothing
from one Of the Chicago factories, sell
ing for $50 in a retail shop, was car.
ried from Chicago to Los Angeles for
1914 cents. The suit of clothes now
retails at $50 or $50, but the freight
rate on that 2,265 mile haul has In
creased only 5h cents, while the price
Of the goods has gone up $40 or $50.
The % cents does not cover all the
transportation cost in a suit Of clothes,
the transportation charge for carrying
the wool from the ranges and the
cloth to the clothing manufacturer ana
| other minor carrying costs enter Int
the consideration, but the anal trans
| portatlon charge Is the principal one,
and the other charges add only a few
cents more.
New England shoes are shipped
| from Boston to Florida at cost Of less
than 2-3 cents pair. This is an in.
crease Of only one cent over the pre-.
war rate. The railroads also carry
beef from Chicago to New York for q
charge Of about two-thirds Of q cent
a pound. Typewriters are carried from
| New York to St. Louis for SO cents. A
| $3.50 monograph is carried by freight
! from New York to Atlanta for $2.S5.
A grand piano is carried clear across
the continent for $50 and In carload
lots for $2S.
These are typical freight rates, and
they make it plain that American rail.
roads give the lowest cost service in
| the world.
Even with very considerable in
crease in rates to make the roads self
supporting, transportation viii still be
| the cheapest thing the public buys.