The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1891-12-17
A FINE HOW DYE DO
A Curious Charge Brought Against
the Railroad Commissioners
of North Dakota.
Said to Have Caused Freight Rates
on Coal to Be Raised and Are
Blamed for Coal Shortage.

DICKINSON, N. D.. Special, Dec A.-The
people of this state who have been suffering
from shortage of coal during the present
winter will be astonished to learn that they
have the railroad commissioners of North
Dakota to thank for it. 1t is little re-
markable in the minds of most people,
that the railroad commissioners of this or
any state should urge to obeying point the
railroad companies 10 put up freight rates
on any commodity. There is now in cir
culation in this county petition which
reads as follows:
ITO the Honorahie' gsDard of Railroad
Commissioners of the Ftate OF North Dako-
ta-Gentlemen: The undersigned, citizens
of Morton county. desiring to see the de-
Velopment of the coal industry of the west
ern part of the state, and taking the broad
view that county lines should not be con-
sidered when the greater question of making
our coal known is under discussion. we
hereby petition your honorable body to
use your influence with the traffic depart
ment of the Northern Pacific railroad to
reduce the differehtial which now stands
against Dickinson and in favor of Sims. to
the figures at which it stood prior to May
Is, 1891. We do this because we are in
formed that the railroad company stands
ready to make this reduction at
any time they are requested 10 do
so by you. A te' N signed by J.
NJ Hannaford, the general traffic manager
O the Northern Pacific dated May /. 1891,
addressed to A. G. McGlllivray OF Dickin-
son, states that the raise in the rates ior
Dickinson coal Was made at the request of
the railroad commissioners of North Da-
kota.' A dispatch dated May Z. 1891. to
Mr.. McGillivray from Mr.. Hannaford states
that if the railroad commissioners want
the tariff changed from basis named $50
cents ditferential to 25 cents, as prior to May
15 we shall be glad to do So
''Realizing from the above dispatches that
the matter rests entirely with your board,
and falling to see why you should be inter-
ested in keeping up the cost of coal to the
consumer, and realizing further that the
miners at Sims are unable to keep up with
the demand, We petition you as stated
above"
This petition is being very numerously
signed. The people of Morton county,
while they naturally would rather see Sims,
their own coal town, get the business, are
broad enough to desire to see the coal inter-
ests Of the state developed, regardless of
any one particular county or town. There
is much indignation all along the Northern
Pacific on the part of the people who have
been unable to get coal because of the
shutting down of the Dickinson mines.
Sims is unable to supply the demand; not
because there is not enough coal there, for
there is enough to supply the entire North
west for large number of years, but the
men who are managing the mines are not
abe to take care OF the business. They are
not mining coal on large enough basis.
1t is expected that when the railroad COM
missioners see how the people of Morton
county, even, are worked up over the mat
ter they will strive to get the old rate estab-
lished.