St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-15
MIR. TRUESDALE'S LETTER.

He Claims the Long and Short
Haul Clause Has Decreased
Business on the Minneapolis &
St. Louis.
The old Minneapolis Il st. Louis mat
ter which was the cause of so much dis
cuSSion last July has been revived by
letter from W. Ii. Truesdale,of the Min
neapolis IL st. Louis, to the railroad
commissioners, in which Mr.. Truesdale
alleges that the ruling of the majority
of the commissioners has paralyZed the
business of the road. Early last sum-
mer the Minneapolis & ST. Louis petit
toned the commissioners for release
from the operation of the famous -'long
and short haul' clause, under section 6
of the railroad law. The company asked
to be allowed to do business between
St.Paul and Minneapolis and Red Wing,
Cannon Falls, Faribault and other
points on that division of their line
at the same rates as the competing
lines, the Milwaukee and Minnesota Il
Northwestern, both Of which have much
shorter lines between these places.
This would, of course, have been
granted had it not been for the fact that
the old rates were to be retained be-
tween the Twin Cities and all non-com-
peting points, thus making great inc
qualities in the charges from cOmpet-
ing point and a nOn-cOmpeting one
much nearer the Twin Cities. The ma
iority of the commission held that no
such suspension could be made under
the law, and so refused the request.
Commissioners Gibbs and Becker
signed the majority report. from which
Commissioner Austin dissented. Both
al, So. 81,
at that time.
a few days ago President Truesdale
addressed a letter to the commissioners,
claiming that the ruling had debarred
his company from a proper share of the
freight along its new line, and that,
while during the past year. they had
operated large amount of new roads.
thus increasing the
OPERATING EXPENDITURES.
the receipts have actually been less
than for the year previous. The net
earnings from January to November,
1885, were S2I0,626.97; for the same
period of 1887, they were S190,92O. 10; a
falling off of $40, 706.7S. The operating
expenses for the same period in 1886,
were s17l ,263.45. This year these items.
reach the sum of sl97, $40. 80. The whole
showing net loss of ST. 4G963.
The letter closed with the fol-
lowing statement: Further comment
on this showing of figures, think, is I'M
necessary now. They prove to me two
things, viz: First, that the decision of
the commission by which the state law
Is construed as prohibiting this company
from doing business between st. Paul
and Minneapolis and certain of its Can
non Valley division points, has worked
an injustice and caused us to sacrifice
business and revenue much needed.
Second, the rates generally throughout
this state. and particularly in the newer
and more sparseiy settled portions of it.
have been reduced to basis where the
lines doing it have eitherto recOup their
losses from their transactions on lines in
other states or in older portions of our
own state upon which the traffic is heav-
Ter, or, in case they are so situated as to
render this impossible, to face bank
ruptcy. / respectfully submit whether
the time has not arrived when the best
interests OF our state demand that due
consideration be given the large railway
Interests of Minnesota by it's board of
railroad commissioners, when further
reductions are urged by citizens or or
CARNATIONS whose sole aim and interest
must always be to secure lower rates re-
CARELESS OF the effect on railway or other
property.