The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-12-01


number OF roads the construction and equipment of
which cost from TWO TO THREE TIMES THAT OF THE Gr
NoRTHERNl
At this point Atty Grover again asked the Dr. if he
could not give some figures which applied to all roads
in the country? The Dr. gave the Sd Annual Rep of the
Interstate Commerce Commission, p. 81 authority:
Revenue per ton per mile, of freight ......1.O DOL
Average cost of carrying freight, per ton
per mile .631
Or, in other words, the average cost of carrying
ton OF freight (high grade well as low mile all
the roads of the United States 63 mls-and this
on the railways reports.
Then the witness went to New York and presented
the figures of the great fourtrack Central (Interst
Com, Rep. Select Senate CON-, App. I'd part D. 234)
And he took figures for 1S8Obeore any of the recent
depreciations in cost of labor We quote from the
Report
"The New York State engineers report for 1880
1.-THE last report this head states that the average
actual cost OF transporting freight the New York Cen
trial. the great four-track railroad 81 100 cent
ton per mile and the average charge of
one cent per ton per me During the past the
charge for transportating wheat from Buffalo to New
York via the Erie Canal and Hudson River but 22
loo OF one cent per ton per mile"
"This testimony is only part Of what shall pre-
sent regarding these great costly nes when to
show that they carry wheat from Chicago to New York.
thousand miles, different roads, all RAIL- year aft
year. for than the Minnesota get it the
first 800 miles!"
The figures given as follows
Average charge OF ALL freight, tonmile,
n. I. .C.,."................................S S.S
&C cost Of ALL freight ton-mile, N. Y.
Central, ........................ 81
Charge on wheat Buffalo to N. Y, 346 m.... IL
Thus we see the costly roads of the Vanderbilt sys
tenn carrying grain 346 miles
FOR ONE FIFTH THE CHARGE FOR 800 MILES
by the Great Northern And thereafter Dr. Fish issued
distinct challenge to take contract and back them with
mionsfrom New York capitalists to build roads like the
Great Northern for $40 900 mile. Compare this land
he might have put that 800 miles at S. 500 mile with
that wonderful N. Y. Central systeml The DR.. gave
AUTHORITY for every statement, having books in hand
and giving title and page to stenographer.
! And THEN the Dr. stated "upon my oath !" that in
one year. hiding thenormous profits made after reduc-
ing the rates. New York Central watered their
stock
| FORTY-sEvEN MILIIONsl
"And, lest the Great Northern plead amount of busi-
ness that the Great Northern Railway trans
ports grain every year than any of these east
ern nes At this point the witness diverged into the
gren traffic. and gave Melville Stone Secy of the Chica
go Board OF Trade for his authority, thaS out of q
transport OF forty millions of wheat from Chicago east
Ward only millions went by rail!
As to the amount of business the Great Northern
did Out of a total OF 768 537 900 tons moved one
mile in Minnesota in 1891 the Gt Northern moved $685.
900 OOOl-an average of 1920 900 tons from Crook
ston to Minneapolis, 600 miles)l
D There was little talk to whether the Dr.
was authority cost of moving cars etc. and he onlv
mentioned his authority for the statement that it cost
$13 80 69c per ton to in loaded train
of 25 @ 20 per car-allowing empty returns
For these figures he gave Interstate Conn., Senate Re-
port, app. VOL I'd part, o. 139.
: although we have but just entered upon the Drs
testimony will be compelled to postpone until next
. week. 'Thanksgiving" comes this week-and though
We don't thanksgiving for anything but e and it's
empton from the luxuries of decent reward for labor
still the legal holiday knocks the work Of two first
Q class compositors for whole day.
But we do have time to interrupt the testimony OF
Dr. Fish, and insert the following editorial from the
Crookston Times We tried to discover what the poll
tics of the Times was but couldn't It leaned both
ways On this freight-rate matter, however, it is solid
Bro. Holston will have to prim up get more saw
3 teeth on edge than is found in the following:
: GREAT NORTHERN FINANCES.
Il The annual report of the Great Northern railway
Just made public shows the net earnings to be 18
64 49, increase OF business over last of $918,
# 453 O6 The increased expenses $2O2 119 O6,
leaving net increase in profits the previous year
of SIZE 1884, This showing will be hailed with delight
by the wealthy stockholders of that company But at
what cost has this result been accomplished It
represents the food and clothing taken from the under
. paid employees of that road and the povert, inflicted
farmers Of the northwest The Times has before called
attention to the fact that Mr. Hill recently cut down the
salaries Of his employ Of them almost to the
starvation point-because Of the dull times. With
cold hard winter staring them IN the lace tho Orer