The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1922-04-27
TARIFF TOO HIGH /.
JOINT BODY finds

A 80.
| Washington, April 22 Transports
| ton rates on products of agriculture
as on many other commodities nov
"bear disproportionate relation tt
the price of such commodities" a7t
should be Immediately reduced, ac
cording to findings Of the joint con
gressional commission Of agriculture
inquiry, announced today by Chair
man Anderson. Not only should
these freight charges come down, the
report declared, but in the future rate
making bodies and railroad traffic Of
ficers should give greater consider.
alton to the relative value of commod.
tiles in the making of rates." and lei
existing charges on high priced fin.
ished products stand, if necessary tc
remove cost burdens from basic ma.
terials. >%..
The object of rate making bodies
should be he said, in presenting the
commission his views, ito readjust
rates so far as practical to the re1a-
tionship existing prior to 1918."
Three Proposals Offered
Outside of it's general conclusions,
the commission advanced three spe-
cific proposals to transportation SER
vice to farmers, the first being the en-
largement of competitive avenues of
distribution through which the largest
number of consumers can reasonably
be reached;" the second was the ex-
tension of through rates on grain Ito
points Of consumption through two or
more competitive primary markets. ~
and the third the extension of the
principle that coarse grains, such as
corn, should take lower charges than
breadstuffs. Adequate car equipment
should also be maintained, it was add
ed.
The commission found that Give
stock shows marked fluctuations in
shipment volume," and that railroads,
stockyards and shippers should CO.
operate to even out the supply at mar
ket points, thus preventing price and
charge impositions while hay, as the
bulkiest farm commodity, required a
reduction in both freight ard sales
margin before there can be resump-
tion of normal shipments" Costs on
livestock distribution also must be
brought down, it was held.
On dairy products the commission
concluded that freight charges had not
had so serious an effect as upon some
other farm stuffs.
Rate High on Implements
Moving to the study of indirect
freight costs affecting farmers, as
they enhance prices Of things farm
ers buy, Chairman Anderson said that
fertilizer prices were found to be
close to pre-war basis except for
freight COSTS" Factory prices of farm
implements, it was concluded, "are
now rapidly receding to a lower price
level" but freight rates now accumu-
late to the point of being Is per cent
of the price farmers pay for maehin-
cry, while before the war the freight
charge constituted but II per cent.
Coal and steel, being of intimate
interest" to the farming consuming
population, the commission likewise
declared that freight charges on steel
represented Al per cent of its cost,
while bituminous coal should be sub
jected to reductions in mine prices,
freight rates and sales margins" !"
Wages in the last named industry, it
was added, Should be considered in
the light of prevailing economic con-
ditions," and marketing methods i'm
proved. -.
As to lumber it was suggested that
railroads could tfbetter afford an as
sessment of relatively higher rates on
short haul business to give. needed re-
lief to long haul traffic" while Pc
troleum products were found to be in
huenced little if at an,p by freight
exactions. asss.z7 y = ~ 81. \