Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-02-15

of freight, and penalty is fixed
for unjust discrimination and extortion.
After the bill had been partially read SEN
ator Doran moved the further suspension
of the reading in order that Gen. Baker,
the railroad commissioner, might have
chance to address the meeting.
Carried.
GEN. BAKER.
Gen. Baker then addressed the commit
tee. He said that while he had assisted in
drafting the bill he had no idea of engraft-
ing into it any ideas of his own; he had no
ambition in this direction. Demands and
complaints had been made and the bill
was intended to cover certain DEFICIENCIES.
The speaker said he knew of no state
where the railroad commissioners were
clothed in as little power as
was conveyed in the proposed bill.
The powers intended to be conveyed by
the bill were only modified summary of
the laws which already existed in the stat
utes of the state.
He thought no one man should be clothed
with the power to regulate the railroads of
the state: personally, such an idea was
the remotest thing from his thought.
The bill simply named the mode and
method of commission; every principle
in the bill had been tried and proved by
Massachusetts, Iowa, Illinois and Michi-
gan. This bill more directly con-
cerned the subject of transportation !;
as such the principle, in the 26th section,
was the old English rule, and the one in
vogue in Massachusetts, There had been
only one important addition, that relating
to charges of passengers and freight.
Gen. Baker then alluded to sections from
% to %, bearing on extortion and dis
elimination. He also called attention in
this connection to the modes of
procedure and of punishment.
He then referred to the sections bearing
on elevators. In this connection he al
luded to the application of this principle
in other states, where they had been tried
with success. In abiding to the other
sections of the bill he said that there were
none of them new, and that they had all
been subjected to success.
Reference was then made to the
clause governing sleeping cars;
the bill provides that the sleeping cars
shall be taxed the same as other cars; the
clause relating to express companies was
also read. being of the same nature. Allu-
sion was also made to the telegraph COM
panies, which he thought should be gov
erned according to Ohio laws.
In conclusion he spoke of the 1000 miles
of railroads in the state, and
in this connection be said that he took a
great pride in anything that could enhance
the value OF the railroads or rebound to
the benefit of the state.
JAMES j. HILL.
President Hill, of the Manitoba road,
was called upon to address the meeting.
He said that this matter of railroad legis-
lation affected $2OO,OOO,OOO worth
of investments. However, the
legislature had a duty to perform,
but at the same time the railroad COM
panies we're also bound to discharge GER
tain obligations to the public. He
thought the railroads of Minnesota, in the
last five years had realized large
increase in their business,
and it could be demonstrated to the salts
faction of any one that there was no state
in the Union where the cost of transpor-
tation had been lowered faster than in
Minnesota. He then referred to the re-
port of the railroad commissioners of
Massachusetts of January, 1882. He read
the tariff freight clause.
The average of the twelve leading roads
in Massachusetts was 2 37-100 cents per
ton per mile, while that of the Manitoba
road, he highest of any road in the state,
was 2 SLIGO; the speaker then demon
strated by quoting the relative charges of
several roads in Massachusetts on local
and through freight charges, conclusiYely
showing that comparatively the charges in
Minnesota were less in proportion to the
ratio than in New England.
In Massachusetts the cost of fuel per
mile was twelve cents, and wages twenty
one cents. The Manitoba road paid twenty
seven cents per mile for fuel. Allusiop
was then made to the price paid for coal
by the Illinois railroad companiSe, and to
the price paid by the Manitoba road.
Figures were given on the item of fuel,
showing an immense discrepancy in the
prices. The price paid for fuel last year
was $S40,000, while the gross receipts Tor
transporting the wheat crop in the state
was only $746,854.70 showing an excess of
expenditures of 100000.
Mr.. Hill gave long list of figures show
ing the relative charges for freight OF the
Minnesota roads with copious comparisons
with the tariffs charged by Eastern and
Western roads, the whole showing that
altogether the charges OF the Minnesota
roads were below, the cost of fuel and
wages considered, those of Eastern roads,
The railroad companies, he said, had the
problem 10 solve of creating tonnage; all
had 20 live and it was the object to make