404 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



rate of his competitor, the less than car load shipper since abont 

 60,000,000 pounds of butter is annually shipped from this state to 

 New York City and other cities in the east, and since this amount 

 of butter ready to ship will weigh gross about 70,000,000 pounds, it 

 will readily be understood that such an increase of rate would in- 

 than car loads by about $70,000 with a similar increase for other 

 western butter producing states. And this charge would fall wholly 

 upon the producer of this butter for the reason that no increase in 

 crease the freight charges upon butter annually shipped in loss 

 the price received for the butter could be hoped for while the car- 

 load shipper could put his butter on the market for less expense. 



By authority of the Executive Council of the state the dairy 

 commissioner has twice appeared before the Central Freight Asso- 

 ciation in New York City and made vigorous protest against the 

 increase of rate proposed. The Secretary of the National Creamery 

 Buttermakers' xVssociation and representatives of other states and 

 of the Chicago and Now York butter markets have been active in 

 like manner. Final consideration of the matter has been put over 

 from time to time by the Central Freight Association and it is 

 now deferred until April 1, 1910. Such action seems to indicate 

 that there is still probability that the rate will be increased unless 

 further action is taken by the western creameries and it is therefore 

 recommended that managers of each creamery of this state write a 

 letter of protest to both the Chicago and New York agents of the 

 line patronized by his creamery. 



The rate of 65 cents per hundred upon butter shipments from 

 Chicago to the east was established so long ago that no one now is 

 able to tell when it was first put in. At any rate it was established 

 when the cost of railroad service was much greateh than now, when 

 refrigerator cars were small and expensively iced. The rates which 

 our western creameries have paid for years have added to the profits 

 of the various transportation companies, have helped to improve 

 their road beds, and double track their roads and to enlarge their 

 equipment so that now their cost of service must necessarily be 

 less than it was twenty-five or thirty years ago. Yet we not only 

 still pay the same rate as thirty years ago but it is now proposed 

 to raise that rate more than fifteen per cent, or $70,000 in the 

 aggregate. It is impossible to believe that the rate of 65 cents is 

 not renumerative to the railroad companies, because they have 

 voluntarily put into effect a minimum of 10,000 pounds and upon 

 such a shipment their earnings per car would be but $65 between 



