The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-29
WENT OFF WRONG AGAIN
THE FACTS IN THE CASE
For the Anaoonda Company to Pay De-
murrsee Would Simply Be Transfer
ring Money From One Pocket to
Another Miners Accusations

The representatives of the different
railroads in Butte held a meeting yes
terday In the ONCE of Archibald Gray.
assistant general freight agent of the
Great Northern. to discuss trafic mat
tiers. and during the meeting the de-
murrage question was brought up and
the Miners Misrepresentation were
roundly denounced. After the meeting
a reporter for the Standard interviewed
the representatives of four roads. al
we'll as the manager of the Weighing
and Inspection bureau and demurrage
association, and from them a statement
of the case wal obtained. and they all
~concurred In IL.
The Anaconda Copper Mining COM
pany IL exempt from the demurrage
charges for apparent and sufficient rea-
sons. The company owns the Butte.
Anaconda & Pacific. which furnishes
terminal facilities for the Anaconda
Copper Mining company. n any
charges made by the railroad company
against the mining company for demur-
rage would be a mere matter Of ac-
counting. The company asked to be
relieved Of the necessity Of charging
itself up with the demurrage to avoid
the necessity of keeping the accounts,
and as there was nc reason why the
request should not be granted, II max
ing no difference to the business of
the demurrage association. II was
granted. A railroad company. such as
the B., A. & p, using the cars of an
other company. pays mileage for such
use and while the cars are in the use
of the company the latter to all intents
and purposes owns the cars, and there
fore no demurrage can be charged or
collected on them. The intimation that
the mercantile companies off the Ana
conda Mining company are also ex-
empt is utterly false. This has been
charged by some of the irresponsible
campaign speakers. The Hennessy
company and all other mercantile con-
Germs connected with the Anaconda
company pay demurrage. and are la
BILE for IL. the same as any merchant OF
Butte. II is false. also. that there was
any controversy with the Butte. Ana
conda & Pacific in the organization OF
the Butte Terminal association. There
was no objection from that company
whatever. 1t made the request relative
to the avoidance of the unnecessary ac-
counting between the railroad and the
~ INV ~. ~.
other misstatement Is in regard to the
weighing and inspection system. The
Anaconda company Is subjected to as
thorough and rigid an inspection and
weighing as any other shipper. and Is
a subscriber to the Weighing and In
spection Bureau of Butte. The organ
ization of a demurrage association in
Butte was made necessary by the great
increase of business in this city. The
use of railway equipment became so
abused that II was found necessary to
assess a sdemurrage In order TO ex-
pedite the unloading of freight. The
demurrage is not assessed for the our
pose of obtaining a revenue, but to get
shippers to unload their cars n pre-
rent a misuse Of terminal facilities
and choking up the railroad yards.
This Is fully explained in a notice sent
to all shippers by the association, which
reads as follows:
"A serious loss n great ~inconven-
fence has been caused both to shippers
and to railroad companies by the un-
necessary delay to cars In loading and
unloading freight. Shippers are often
unable to procure cars, side tracks are
crowded and the speedy movement of
freight Is impossible under the prac-
ices that have prevailed. To correct
this evil the railroad companies have
issued the notice printed below. The
system thus established has proven to
be a success at a number OF impor-
tant points. Denver, Omaha, Chicago.
st. Paul. Minneapolis. etc. The small
amoun charged is not SUFFICIENT to
recompense the companies for the use
of their cars. tracks. etc. and is not
collected for revenue but for the pre-
vention of abuses"
No discrimination is made. and all
shippers are treated alike. The objects
Of the association have been attained
and the collection of demurrage Is very
small. Merchants have so far paid very
little In such fines, but they have un-
loaded their cars more expeditiously
than before the association was formed.
1t the meeting that organized the
Butte Terminal association. one of the
railroad men present stated that the
principal cause for the delaying of
cars in Butte was the fact that the
Colorado smelter and he Butte Re-
duction works were very inadequately
supplied with storage facilities: cars of
coal being held sometimes for six or
eight weeks. II these works would
spend a few hundred dollars in building
coal bins and other storage sheds, they
would save demurrage charges.
is where the shoe pinches.
Ninety-eight per cent OF the business
Of the B.. A. & p. is the business of the
Anaconda company. For the Anacon-
be like a man who owns a storehouse
paying himself for storing his Own
goods. 1t would be taking money out
of one pocket and putting II into an
other. That ought to be plain enough
for even the Butte Miner to see. Aside
from the Anaconda Copper Mining
company. all other customers OF the B..
A. & p, are subjected to the same rules
In the matter of demurrage that gov
ern the customers of all other roads
leading into Butte.