236 CARRIAGE OF WHEAT FROM CHICAGO. 

cereals and cereal products. The wheat traffic from Chicago 
is, however, a notable exception to this general rule, and the 
lake lines have not only been able to maintain their 
supremacy, but they have slowly and surely increased it. 
A comparison from year to year of the amount of wheat 
carried by the two systems shows marked fluctuations from 
which definite conclusions can be drawn only by taking 
average percentages for a number of years. It is thus found 
that during the period from 1870 to 1879, inclusive, the lakes 
controlled over 68 per cent. of this traffic. In the next ten 
years this was increased to 69 per cent., while from 1890 to 
1898 inclusive the average percentage of wheat exported 
from Chicago by the lake lines was 78. These figures cover 
a period of twenty-nine years and clearly indicate a sub- 
stantial gain made by the lake lines in their competition with 
the railroads. 
The “Crop Reporter’ states that freight rates between 
Chicago and New York have a great significance, owing to 
the fact that for many years it has been an established 
policy to use them as a basis for rates between many western 
cities and points on the Atlantic seaboard. Statistics are 
given in this connection which indicate a strong and steady 
downward tendency, the rail rates always being much higher 
than those used by the water lines, as the following figures 
show :— 
3 

Average rate in pence per bushel. 



Years. 
By lake and canal. _—_— By Jake and rail. By all rail. 
| d. d. d. 
1880 6°13 7°85 9°95 
1885 | 2°93 4°51 7°00 
1890 2°92 4°25 7-55 
1895 2°05 3°47 6°08 
1896 2°69 3°66 6°00 
1897 PAD ty 3°68 6°16 
1898 | 2F 2°48 wes 
Since 1890 extremely low rates have generally prevailed, 
especially on shipments by water, and this has resulted in 
Chicago receiving an increased percentage of the wheat crop 
