| Show discriminative FREIGHT RATES it is a matter of public interest to know why local manufacturers do not compete in certain lines with imported articles in conversation several of these manufacturers have aseer asser teJ that it to in because they are injuriously affected by an excessive emilw railway ay tariff in support of this assertion they state that when the railways granted reduced rates for certain classes clams of mtr ohan chandise dise the tariff classification was so arranged that an increase of rates on raw material was the result because of this local had bad to restrict themselves in certain articles because these could be produced prod need only at a loss As an instance one of our most experienced perien ced foundry men was approached and asked the question can you yoa mako aake isom fencing as good and as ae cheaply here as in thelast the east 12 tea air sirl was waa hill hia reply we can make JA aug as aa good as it can be made anywhere the casting can be done at as low loir a price here as in st louth louis or chicago our workmen are just as good and wages no higher 11 then you can compete with the eastern made goode no we cannot came the response weve ave got to get iron from the east and the cost of shipping it over the railroads i 0 so BO much greater than the rate for manufactured fencing that competition is out of sight when we got get iron at st louis rates rate we can furnish the ilie made up article at the tit at bouts louts price or even a little under but when the railroads charge us so go much more for hauling iron than they do for the manufactured they class as merchandise and carry at a low rate that there Is IB not enough difference in the total cost coat of ten tons of each to pay for unloading from the cars why we simply cant cast the fencing for nothing all if we could get raw material shipped at a reasonable rate we would be all right but iron costs more today than it did five years yeam ago when merchandise rates went down it went up it to is not alone in the iron bu business that such euch a situation to is complained of several branches branched of industry are similarly affected and those directly interested should combine and agitate the question fuestion until the grievance is remedied sted in the matter of freight rates affairs have been in much worse condit condition tow than at present this was the case last year when the chamber of commerce proceeded against the railways for equitable rates for all both in raw material and manufactured goods the presentation of the case was so effective that the railways realized that revision of their tariff was necea sary and they accomplished this result through a compromise with leading shippers in the face of this arrangement it was deemed injudicious to press the chamber of commers suit to a finality its institution had been the means of securing a reduction in rates amounting to about per annum in favor of the territory A proper presentation and effective work would reduce the evil still further the local manufacturers manufacture ra injuriously affected now probably were not represented in the arrangement arrau gement referred to though every effort was made to give it as broad a scope as am possible be that chat as it may they should be afforded every consistent opu ty to successfully compete in price as well as quality wit imported articles and if they will prepare and give facts and figures so they can be handled and will put energy into the work there is no doubt the chamber of commerce will throw threw the whole weight of its influence against the discriminative tariff but without this decisive action mere general talk will not attain the desirable result |
