The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1920-05-19
FREIGHT LEAST
H. C. l, EXPENSE
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 Buye
Charges on Some Articles.

Data compiled from authoritative
sources shows that railroad freight
rates are the least factor In the ct.;t
of living. Although the proportion Of
the total cost Of goods that can be
charged to transportatiea 10 net kaown
with statistical accuracy, II 10 sstinat-
cd that tho average traAspeFtatisa cost
OF things produced In this cssatsy 10
very small percoAtaes Of thskz Asoal
cost to the esnsumer.
prsasN cesk "a Pss osa4 a. rsAal
In a letter 10 representative ysAa =.
Esch, chairman e TIE Meuss Commit
tee on lntSrstete ed Fsrskxa Con-
nnerce. JHMus KruttseAnstt, Chairman
Of the Southern Pacific OenapaAx.
points out that In the last five years
the value Of goods increased On an av-
erage Of $6S a ton, while freight
charges advanced only 90 cents a ton.
In five years, he explains, the aver
railroads increased from $50 to S119 a
ton. The cost Of carrying this increas-
ed from 81 to $3.50, paid to the rail-
roads. In 1914, he adds, SO per cent
OF the total cost Of the goods was
spent for transportation. In 1910 only
"a per cent was spent.
"In other words" Mr.. Kruttschnitt
writes, "only 80 cents out of $G3, ~1.3
cents out Of every dollar of incr
va,no ~ commodities in 1919 wa
ID nv Inn. 'ased freight cliaTpTs.
responsibility for the remaining $62 %,
or 98.7 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 at SO low
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 tho public
buys. 1t Is sold for less than the cost
OF production. considering all the sle-
ments of cost.
In statement ON this subject to the
New England Bankers Association
Walker D. Hines, Director General Of
Railroads, said:
Il think 1t Is fair statement
that at the present time, despite
the increases which have taken
place in freight rates, a ton of
steel or a ton OF coal, q bushea Of
wheat or tho unit Of any other
commodity has b pay for trans
pcrtation q less percentage ef the
price Of that commodity than exe~
before In tho history q the aoaia-
Try"
Charges On SeWss ArssusoA
Before tho war a sAk Of efOtlsia9
from one ef the CAicago faceur4ea, sell
ing for $50 In retail shop, WINS car
ried from Chicago to Los Anseaes for
1871 cents The suit Of clothes row
retails at $50 CT $50, but the freght
rate on that 2.285 milo haul has in
creased only SIX cents, white the price
Of the goods has gone up $40 or $50
The % cents does not cover all tire
transportation cost in a suit Of Clothes
the transportation charge for carrying
the wool from the ranges and the
cloth to the clothing manufactures and
other minor carrying costs enter into
the considera ton, bat the final trans
portation charge Is the principal one,
and the other charges add only a few
cents more.
New England shoes are shipped
from Boston 10 Florida At cost Of less
than 5 2-3 cents a pair. This Ia an in
crease Of only one cent over the pre-
war rate. The railroads also carry
beef from Chicago to New YorA for a
charge Of shout two-thirds OF a cent
a pound. FypewFtters are carriSa from
New YORK to 81 Louis fer oe cents. A
$3.50 phonograph Is carried hy freight
from New York to Atlanta Sor 92.&.
A grand piano 10 carried clear across
the continent fur $50 and IN caxhoad
lots for e20
These are typical freight patsa, and
they mako Il plain that Amew4can rail-
roads give tho lowest COST ssrxsea In
the world.
Hven with very ocnsa6sRaAss IN
crease in rates to make the reeds asaf-
supporting, transportation VIII stta be
the cheapest thing the psahlsc buyA
666 cures Malaria. Chins and Fever,
Bilious Fever, Colds and LeGrippe.
1t kills the parasite that cassss the
fever. 1t Is 4 splendid lazative and
general Tonac.-(adv.) dJe2s