The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-01-27
RAILWAY LEGISLATION.

The leading Wisconsin railway COM
panies will again petition the Legislature
for relief from the burdensome opera
tons of the Potter Law. The argu-
ment in support of their plea is written
by Mr.. J. w. Midgley, of Chicago, at
the request of Hon Alexander Mitchell,
President of the Milwaukee & st. Paul
Railway Company, and Albert Keep,
ESQ.,, President of the Chicago &
North western Railway Company. 1t is
published in pamphlet form for general
distribution. The authorities for the
statements made are carefully given.
The following is an abstract of the ar
gument
Whoever renders q de-
sired service is entitled to Just COM
pe7asatiOn. It becomes, therefore,
necessary to consider what is a
reasonable rate. The Legislature may
declare that rates shall be reasonable,
but the Courts must determine whether
they are or not. Upon this point Eng
uSn anu am6flCall atlbl1OI1GlCS dlO tS51cCtt.
Their conclusion is, ''that common car
rier can afford to carry at much the same
rate OF hire as that which is eXacted uni
versally by carriers similarly slturated,
and which, if it has been found to re-
munerate them, may, upon the best
grounds, be called reasonable"
This construction conforms to the
Judgment of reasonable men. The peo-
0f II laf, inf
of denying the railway companies just
compensation and their representatives
have repeatedly said, ''Show us that the
rates fixed by law are not reasonable,
and we will make them just.
Taking the standard given, difficulty
arises in the varying circumstances of
roads. No two are alike. Still many
are sufficiently so to admit of tolerably
fair comparison. 1t is decided that
things are conveyed under ''hke circum-
stances where the labor and expense
are, in the opinions of the jury, the
same" In the matter of transportation,
its cost is a paramount consideration.
If compelled to do business below cost
bankruptcy is merely question OF time
A knowledge of the cost is, therefore,
ABSOLUTELY necessary in order to fix
reasonable rates. A tariff of rates that
would be extortionate if charged upon
the New York Central, might be no
more than reasonable on the Colorado
Central, where business is light and ex-
peuses are heavy. It is not presumed
that an accurate computation of the cost
of moving q ton of freight one mile can
be made nor that, if appropriated, it
would be reliable, for ssthe cost of NOV
ing freight varies, under given circum-
stances, at least as much as the cost OF
raising crops" Nor will the precise
cost of moving ton of freight one mile
be known until railroad is build and
operated exclusively for freight. Yet
there are certain elements of cost contln-
gent upon locality that are quite evident.
When, for instance, it is shown that the
Chicago & st. Paul Companies annually
expend nearly two million dollars for
fuel for locomotives, and that medium
coal average 81 in Wisconsin, while the
Pennsylvania Railroad pay only 81 for
the best quality, it is manifest that, in
one important respect. the cost of trans
portation must be 100 per cent. high
er in Wisconsin than III Pennsylvania.
This comparison extends to Illinois, In
diana and Ohio roads that traverse coal
districts, some of which average less
than 81. so per ton. This difference be-
comes more striking in view of the fact
that of the 60 odd per cent. which the
operating expenses of the Northwestern
and st. Paul railways bear to their
earnings, the item of fuel constitutes II
per cent.
Expenditures for track repairs and re-
newals are the leading items of expense.
Supplies being largely drawn from the
il,
of Eastern roads the cost of carriage to
the West.
Another element of cost is climatic.
Southern and Eastern roads are rarely
troubled on account snow or frost where
as, during s'severe SPELL" Wisconsin
railways are blocked for days, traffic is
suspended, and great losses are incur
red.
As it does not appear that in the re-
naming items of expense the Wisconsin
companies can effect any reduction COM
pared with other roads, clearly the cost
of railroad operations in that State is
greater than that of roads more for
tunately located. On what principle,
then, should they be reduced to lower
rates of fare and freight The average
rate on the several classes named IN the
present law is, for $50 miles, slight
fraction over two cents per ton per mile.
The rate for $50 miles is taken because
that is the average distance that each ton
of freight is hauled upon the leading
railways of Wisconsin. The rate named
would be realized were an equal quaint
t.. of each class of freight carried. But
the lower classes predominant. Lum
ber is the main article OF shipment.
For 80 miles it is taken at less the
cents per mile, and for $50 miles at less
than Il cents per ton per mile. Hence
the companies are compiled to do the
major portion of their local business at
less than Il cents per ton per mile
In Connecticut, the railroads average
g cents per ton per mile Maine, AZ
cents Massachusetts,, A cents; seven
Pennsylvania roads, 5 cents twenty
three Ohio roads, s. cents, and New
York roads, including the New York
Central, 81 cents per ton per mile.
In Europe, the average rates per mile
are-.n Belgium, 81 cents; Flance, 3