The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1886-02-04

was killed, and one in every 954 .233 was In.
jured, q better record than many othel
states show. Many deaths would be pre-
vented by more adequate penalties for tres
passing upon railroads or cars
ELEVATORS AND WAREHOUSES;
The grain production of Minnesota being
its chief industry, and the receipts for grain
transportation constituting one OF the CHIEF
factors in the earnings of railway com
panies, it is Of supreme Importance that tht
producer should be free to ship his product
promptly without discrimination and
reasonable rates The grain trade having
become controlled by few corporations
who arbitrarily dictated terms and failed tt
provide warehouses. competition wa,
crushed out, and the price was fixed by tht
self-interest of q few middlemen The leg
islature has undertaken to remedy the evil
by requiring every railway company to per
init any person, company or corporation
for an annual rental OF 81, to construct
maintain and operate an elevator OF
tions, for the storing and handling of grain
Provision is also made for reasonable tracl
facilities Railroads are required to furnish
cars for transportation of grain stored II
such elevators and warehouses or offered fol
shipment in bulk or otherwise from any es
tablished side track or station on its line
promptly and without discrimination
Companies are required to transport carr
when loaded, and transport them with rea.
sonable dispatch to the point Indicated by
the shipper. The law also gives any person
desiring to ship grain from any established
side track the right to do SO, and the com.
pany must furnish cars for that purpose
The law has generally been complied with
and the results have been found to be bene
fetal to all concerned.
TRANSIT RATES.
The question OF transit rates was brought
to the attention of the commission by com.
plants of citizens on the line of the Chicago
Milwaukee St Paul railway. The theory
OF the roads was that when they got bushe.
of grain within their control they must have
it to the last terminal point on their line il
order to get all out of it possible. A shipper
could unload grain at any point on the route
where there was mill, grind 1t and ship II
out as -four, or if not desiring to ship coulG
sell the remainder of his unexpired freight
in open market Under this rule it became
any local point on the roads en-.
forcing transit rates to Minneapolis,
or other milling points, without paving
through rates to Chicago. There would be
no especial objection to transit rate. were
it optional with the Shippers to use it or not
But the arbitrary system subjected shippers
to the necessity of selling unearned freight,
often al loss, and always at great incon.
venence The effect was also to reduce the
price OF grain at local points At the time
of the Inauguration of the transit rate it was
regarded as concession to the milling inter.
ests of Minneapolis Chicago was admitted
to be the point where the surplus wheat OF
the Northwest could be marketed to the best
advantage, and the railroads gave this as
reason for the principle involved in
the adoption of the transit rate.
Its effect was to cheaper freights from Min
neapolis and St Paul to Chicago at the ex-
pense of the shippers at interior points sub
ject to this rate. Owing TO the progress of
railway building in the Northwest the situa-
ton is now changed Many competing lines
have reduced east-bOund freights; Chicago
is no longer the best market for surplus
wheat, Minneapolis and Duluth taking hel
place, and ST. Paul and Minneapolis have be.
come great centers of commerce Com
plants also came in from persons on The line
of the Chicago & Northwestern, the Chicago,
ST. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha, and the Mil
waukee 4 ST Paul roads. These were con-
sidered along with the Others and as re.
suit the commissioners decided to request
the roads to discontinue the transit rate
system. except as optional, and to substitute
therefor a tariff of reasonable local rates fo1
the shipment of all kinds OF grains within
the state, and to publish the same. The
roads complied with the request. and the re-
suit has been satisfactory to the commission.
WOOD RATES.
The attention of the commissioners was
called to rates for transportation of wood by
CftiZeub on Tile lluc VI uuo mllucapOIIS q o.
Louis railway. AS the result OF a confer
ence, the vice president of the company
issued a tariff at greatly reduced rates.
Petitions from other parts OF the state led
the commission to investigate the subject
further, with the result that the other COM
panies over whose lines wood is shipped re-
duced their rates materially. On the Min
neapolis Il St Louis road the reduction av-
eraged about 3 cents per hundred pounds,
on the Milwaukee about cents. on
the St Paul & Duluth about cents,
on the Omaha about 1 cent, and
on the Manitoba about 3 cents. The
question of carload rates has been exten-
sively discussed The abolition of carload
rates and the substitution of rates on 100
pounds r as been advocated This would be
to the advantage of large dealers, but to the
disadvantage of the large mass OF consumers.
In q country so vast as the United States the
carload should be the unit of transportation.
The element of economy in the transpOr5a-
tion of long lines OF railway, will determine
the question without regard to its effect upon
individual cities and localities. Public inter.
est demands that service which will be the
best and cheapest, taking into consideration
safety, cost time, waste, breakage, and all
other incidents which control the freight
traffic A carload business is clean, easily
handled. and in every way desirable both to
the shipper and the railway companies
Moreover. there is less loss 90 both shipper
and carrier than under the 1OO-pound rate
where bulk is frequently broken. The 100.
pound rate system will result in the in.
evitable special rates. secret rebates in favor
of favorite shippers at the expense of the
great majority. A joint convention of tn,
railroad commissioners of all the states il
suggested to consider the subject and to taxi
joint action.