OCR Text |
Show FREIGHT RATES While the freight question Is now-being now-being so thoroughly discussed in connection con-nection with the organization of the Southern Utah Marketing Assn., a letter written by Mr. T. M. Sloan, general freight agent to the transportation trans-portation committee is frequently referred re-ferred to. The letter was printed in our issue o May 2G, and upon request of several sev-eral parties is again published: UNION PACIFIC SYSTEM May 15, 1922 Committee on Transportation, Chamber of Commerce, Beaver City, Utah. Dear Sir: I have your letter of April 28th, with reference to freight rates on commodities produced! in your district. dis-trict. The procedure to follow to secure rates other than those now in effect is to write me fully on each commodity, commod-ity, stating quantity grown and the points to which you propose shipping, and we will see to it that no discrimination discrim-ination or prejudice will be practiced against your community. You mention that a number of shipments of farm produce have been made to Los Angeles which were discouraging dis-couraging to shippers, and refer particularly par-ticularly to five cases of eggs. I want to say frankly that it will be impracticable for you to attempt to market your produce in this city in less than carload lots. Southern California is an immense egg-profluc-ing district and eggs are generally as cheap here as they are almost anywhere. any-where. Furthermore, we are getting eggs from Petaluma continuously in carload lots at the rate of 73c per 100 lbs, or 1 1-3 cents per dozen. We also receive many carload shipments ship-ments of eggs from San Diego, from which point the rate is 35 1-2 c or about 3 1-4 cents per dozen. Some eggs are received from Kansas in carload lots under rate of $3.00 per 100 lbs. or about 5 1-2 per dozen. The distance from Milford to Los Angeles is 577 miles, or about the same as it is from Petaluman; and while your rate is $1.37 1-2 carloads, or 2 1-2 per dozen, and $2.05 less carloads or about 4 1-2 per dozen, I am willing to reduce the carload rate to 73c, which is that applying from Petaluma, if there is any prospect whatever of carload movements. In the first place, I would ask you to remember that this is a city of 750.000, or 80.000 people and eggs can only be handled1 profitably in carload car-load lots. This is true of other commodities com-modities such as celery. It will be interesting to you to know that some 10 or 15 carloads of celery have recently come in here from Florida under a rate of about $2.50 per 100 lbs. plus icing charge of approximately $100 per car, while your rate is but $1.35 per 100 lbs. Much Better Quality Your rate on potatoes to Los Angeles An-geles is 45 cents per 100 pounds, while from Stockton, California, which produces a large quantity of potatoes for this market, the rate is 35 1-2 c. The distance from Milford is 577 miles and from Stockton 398 miles or nearly 200 miles less than from Milford. Your potatoes are of much better quality and should demand de-mand at least 20c per 100 lbs. higher than the Stockton potato. I am certain you would find a ready market for both celery and potatoes in this city, but they will have to be produced in quantities and of good quality and be handled economically. You mention rates from Pocatello as compared with the rates from Milford. Mil-ford. From the above you will under stand why the rate from Pocatello is as low as it is in other words, we have to make rates which will put the Idaho potatoes in this market in competition with the Stockton potatoes. pota-toes. You are much better situated than the Idaho people and should he able to take care of yourselves under the present rate. In your letter you state that it is possible to ship a carload of produce from Pocatello to Chicago for approximately appro-ximately one-half less than your farmers far-mers have to pay on the same class of goods. I do not know to just what produce you refer, but the rate on potatoes from Pocatello to Chicago is 83 cents, distance 1547 miles, while the rate from Mjlford is $1.10, 1717 miles. The rate on honey from Pocatello to Chicago is $1.35 carload lots; rate from Milford is the same. In the first paragraph of your letter let-ter you want to know whether or not Milford could be made a common shipping point. I do not know just what you mean by this, and would ask you to further explain. If you mean we should make the same rates from Milford' eastbound that apply from Salt Lake City, I will say that thi9 would1 not be consistent but it would be consistent to give you the same rates from Milford to Chicago that apply from points on the Short Line a like distance from Chicago-. Very truly yours, T. M. SLOAN, G. F. A. Ed. The freight rate on potatoes in 30,000 pound carlots is 63 1-2 c from Pocatello to Losangeles and the rate Is 56 1-2 c per hundred In 40,000 carlots, between the same points. The rate between Milford and Los Angeles is only 45c in 30,000 carlots, but no reduction in rate is given for 40,000 pound cars. Some reduction could undoubtedly be had if an effort should be made along that line. |