Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1891-03-27
The Railroad Commissioners,

Commissioner Harmon and Clerk Ed
gerley returned from a visit to Minneapo-
lis Wednesday morning. They were called
there to attend a meeting of the board OF
railroad commissioners and the owners
of the elevator lines doing business in the
state. There IS quite a large sized kick
being registered by the Minneapolis wheat
interests over the legislation passed here
this winter, and it is claimed that if the
commission persists in enforcing the law
as laid down by the statute it will result
in closing all the public warehouses in
the state and operating them as private
places. The elevator men claim that
under the law they would be compelled
to do business at a loss; that the rate of
storage allOWed-tWO cents per buShel-
IS not enough to pay running expenses.
MIR. Edgerley says that they Informed the
elevator men that they were not not making
the laws, simply trying to enforce them as
they found them and that the rules and
regulations that they would promulgate
would be in line with strict enforcement of
the present statue.
Another matter that called them to the
Sanity city was the petition of Grand
Forks business men to compel the Great
louu W COllSbIuCI u - So as TO
allow communication between the Great
Northern and the Northern Pacific road at
that city. The board of last year entered
an order compelling the company to put in
the connection, the Northern Pacific hav-
ing expressed themselves as being willing
to do their share of the work. Now Vice
President Clough of the Great Northern
says fatty that they will not make the de-
sired connection and the business men of
Grand Forks claim that they are being in
lured III consequence. The courts will
probably be called upon to adjust the diff
Guilty.
The nextmeeting of the board will be
held in this city on April LIST.
The following opinions, uttered by two
members of the board, anent the fight. will
be Of interest.
Commissioner Walsh: "The law has not
been printed yet, and as the general public
knows but little about it we can not say
how it will be taken. OF course we shall
enforce it without compromise-we cannot
10 otherwise, but in my opinion it will re.
suit in driving the elevator men from the
field as far as their being public ware.
house men is concerned. They proved to
us beyond the shadow of a doubt that
they could only do business at a loss under
the new law. and you may be sure nom of
them will do business that way. 1t will
"a ' cio tICSG VI HldhlIS tlltil WlClluTdW
entirely from business and operate simply
as private Notwithstanding what grain
they want Oh their own account and re-
fuse what they do not want"
Commissioner Harmon: 1.-THE results of
the bill were not clearly defined when it
passed, and now the North Dakota far
mers, particularly those of the Red river
valley, can make up their minds that they
will have lots Of fun before they get their
wheat out this fall. With no elevators to
handle it, and each farmer trying to get
out his grain first, there is going to be a
blockade, and a bad one, too. The rail
roads cannot get cars in at the various
stations fast enough to care for the grain,
and the scenes OF three or four years ago,
when wheat was piled in the public streets
for want of a better place, will be re-
Deated."