12 BULLETIN 74, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGKICULTTJKE. 
BLANKET RATES. 
An example of a " blanket" or "postage-stamp" rats — that is, the 
same charge for a given commodity between any two landings — is 
afforded by the traffic on the Apalachicola River and its tributaries. 
Also the tariff for river boats, issued under the authority of the 
Railroad Commission of Louisiana, No. 8467-S, applies to traffic 
between any two landings from New Orleans up to De vails Landing. 
A large number of commodities are separately rated. For those not 
included in the commodity rates the "Western Classification as used 
by railroads applies. The numbered classes, which apply to less- 
than-carload shipments, are charged from 15 cents for class 5 to 30 
cents per 100 pounds for class 1; and the lettered classes, which 
apply to carload shipments, are charged from 8 cents for class E to 
15 cents per 100 pounds for class A. 
UNIFORM BASIS OF COMPARISON. 
Detailed information as to freight rates and distances are shown in 
Table 2. The original quotations of freight rates when expressed in 
other units were reduced to cents per 100 pounds in order to facilitate 
comparison. The column in Table 2 giving the rates per ton per mile 
has been computed in order to compare short-distance with long- 
distance shipments on a uniform basis. While in practice distance 
frequently has but little to do with cost over a single route, neverthe- 
less it is logical to use length of haul as a factor in comparing the cost 
of various services of transportation. While it may not cost the 
shipper more to send his product 50 miles than to send it 10, the cost 
to the carrier is greater for the 50 miles and consequently, from the 
carrier's point of view, the service rendered is greater. Therefore, in 
comparing one cost with another, and taking into account service 
rendered, the ton-mile rate may be used to advantage. However, 
care should be taken in comparing the ton-mile rate between two 
points over one route with the corresponding rate between the same 
points over a longer or shorter route. Here the actual service 
rendered to the owner of the freight is not necessarily greater or less 
over the longer route than the short one. 
GROUPS OF WATERWAYS. 
Water routes are divided in Table 2 into three classes or groups: 
The Atlantic slope, the Mississippi Valley, including the Gulf slope, and 
the Pacific slope. Under each group the quotations and routes are 
arranged Li order of distance, beginning with the shortest. Since 
the data in Table 2 are not comprehensive enough for satisfactory 
averages to be made from them, no such averages are shown here. 
The data are, however, complete enough to illustrate costs of trans- 
portation over long, medium, and short steamboat routes. 
