The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-03-21
From Sec'y CARRIER, Of Nebraska.

l00 IOuOWmk CONTAMINATION HIS
been delayed until we are afraid
many will forget the original matter.
some four weeks since:
LINCOLN, Nebraska, Feby 21st, 80.
Ed. GREAT West:
Permit me to thank you for the
courtesy in sending to the board the
several copies of recent issue of the
GREAT WEST, containing the ma
jority and minority reports OF the
board of secretaries, of the Nebraska
State board of Transportation, in
the matter of the petition OF the
Elmwood Farmers Alliance vs.. The
Missouri Pacific Railway Company.
1t will be remembered that this is a
case in which the plaintiff petitions
for an order compelling the defend
ant to grant the plaintiff an eleva-
tor site on it's depot grounds at Elm
wood, on like terms and conditions
as given to two elevators previously
located thereon. 1t was brought as
q test case.
have carefully noted the views of
your paper as expressed in notes and
comments on the minority report.
Permit me to briefly reply thereto.
The comments of the editor of the
GREAT WEST were based, perceive,
on q wrong Interpretation of the mo-
tives which prompted the minority
report. / do not attribute the error
to any cause other than, possibly, a
too rigid confinement of the argu-
ment to the specific case in question /;
or, more likely, my views on the
question of the needed regulation of
the mammoth elevator business of
the grain-producing Northwest were
not set out in the report with SUI
ficient clearness and precision to d.
rect attention to the end had in
view.
Nothing was farther from my in
tention than to uphold the railway
and sustain the exclusive or monop-
olistic handling of grain On the
contrary, my argument of the case
was made with a view to the re-
moval of a restriction on marketing
grain at the great competitive mark
cts. This I think will appear upon
explanation.
From a standpoint that elevators
are essential to the handling of grain
inits passage from the producer to the
consumer, is it not true that accom-
mediation and benefit to the great
est number would be assured by the
operation of a system of elevators
for the use of all producers and
grain buyers upon equal terms? An
association of farmers, banded to-
gether in an alliance, may be able
and willing to unite their capital
and build an elevator as means
for marketing their grain abroad,
and in order to escape the tyranny
of the local buyers. This combine
ton may be possible but at a number
of points it is impracticable. The
money necessary to build an eleva-
tor OF the capacity needed is often
considerable, and often sorely needed
for other purposes. Local non-com-
petitive prices are borne with rather
than be shackled with debt in the ef-
tort to escape the net of the local
buyers.
Now if it is true, and so declared by
competent authority, that common
carriers are without authority to &C.
quire and hold lands for other pur-
poses than necessary for the tran
saction OF it's business of transporta-
tion and are barred from granting
to individuals special privileges for
speculative profits tit is to that end
that'I argued in the minority re-
port then the two elevators already
located on the depot grounds at
Elmwood. would be unable to secure
a renewal OF their leases at the ex-
piration of the year. Had this prin-
ciple been laid down by the board, in
passing upon the petition OF the
Elmwood Alliance, it would undoubt-
eddy have been followed by the board
recommending to the legislature the
passage of a law declaring it the
duty OF railroads, to execute con-
tracts, when called upon to do so, for
the location and operation of eleva-
tors on depot grounds adjacent to
it's side tracks; such elevators to be
operated at all times for the receipt,
storage, and loading into cars OF
grain Establishing a fixed maximum
OF rates to be regulated and estab-
lished with relation to the volume Of
business, ETC., with view of limit
ting the earnings to a just return on
the amount invested 1t is entirely
practicable to provide for the collec-
tive handling OF grains belonging to
various persons, by a system OF
rules and regulations for the inspec-
tion and classification of the various
qualities.
Such a measure would meet, / am
convinced, with the hearty support
of not only the grain producers, but
the elevator men of this state would
favor it's massage. for this roason