Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1888-03-17
GREAT FALLS TRIBUNE.
SATURDAY, MARCH II, 1888.
Senlii-V eek|y
FREIGHT RATES AGAIN.
The Helena Herald, in referring to tn

liz llelSHu 11CluI LII iSiSAhAAAD w We
recent freight rate changes, says:
As Helena shippers are liberal in pa
tronizing the new road they expect liberal
treatment in return, and would not feel
satisfied if q preference was shown Great
Falls shippers The trade Of the two
places cannot be compared and much as
the Manitoba people are interested in
Great Falls, they cannot afford to lose in
Helena traffic by discriminating in favor
of Great Falls. Of course the expense of
hauling goods is greater to Helena than
to Great Falls, and the ratio as they now
stand might be, termed proportionately
lust on the basis of distance and cost of
haul, but the difference is not very great
after all, considering the long distance
east of the Falls and the tritling addi-
tional expense Of forwarding trains to
Helena. As an abstract proposition it
may be stated that the Manitoba can
afford to put freight into Helena just as
cheap as into Great Falls, and sooner or
later they will do it. The attitude of the
Northern Pacific and the magnitude of
the Manitoba's Helena trade are two sig
nifcant factors that must bring about
such result. 1t is only question OF
time, and the next move on the part of
the Manitoba will probably be to place
Helena and Great Falls on the same foot
ing as to freight traffic.
There may be some Helena shippers
who would have the Manitoba charge as
much for LOO mile haul as for 1900
one, but we are convinced that on con-
sideration they will see the injustice of
that demand. As we have shown already,
high rates here can be of no service to
Helena, for her shippers cannot receive
goods from the east and send them back
over the Montana Central to Great Falls
with the expectation of competing with
our merchants who buy in carload lots
as closely as any traders in Montana.
Houses here which have close relations
with Helena bring their goods direct from
the east over the Manitoba, because if
they did otherwise they could not com.
pete with their neighbors. We would
like the Herald, which discusses subjects
in clear, judicial manner, to point out
what Helena has to gain by seeking to
have higher rate placed on the freight
to Great Falls.
Helena should see that the method
which some of her merchants advocate
would react against herself. Towns along
the Northern Pacific as far as Portland
would also call for preferential rates and
with the same justice The evils which
the interstate commerce bill was intend
ed to remove would be revived and an
other period OF "rebates" and special
rate' would set in. For her part Great
Falls sees this and does not ask that high
er rates be placed on Williston Or any other
places with shorter haul.
The Herald makes startling state.
ment when it says "the Manitoba can af-
ford to put freight into Helena as cheap as
into Great Falls, and sooner or later they
will do it," We supposed that distance was
an important element in railroad trans
portation. Tariffs throughout the country
and in Europe are based on that assump-
ton. If the Herald can show how goods
may be hauled 1900 as cheaply as l 100
miles the railroad world will be grateful
The notion at the bottom Of all this i,
that Helena receives more freight thar
Great Falls and therefore ought to have
lower rates. For the moment the rail
road traffic may be greater at Helena, bu
before next fall there will be a grea
change here. The branch roads to Sane
Coulee and Neihart will be completed
and will be hauling daily at least 1,50(
tons of coal and 600 tons of ore. The
local branch to the reduction works viii
be hauling ore and fuel there and bring
ing back bullion for shipment to the east
Trains will arrive daily from the east will
groceries, dry goods and other merchan
disc for the people of this city and TO
the 5000 who will directly or indirectl,
be employed by the reduction works
Stage coaches and wagons will leave dali,
for the Sun River and Teton valleys as wei
as the Judith basin, and othe1
points in northern Montana. Ranch
men will come in with cattle, wheat ant
wool. Factories will follow in the trai1
of the reduction works and give employ
ment to thousands of people. All thi