The Saint Paul globe., 1899-02-10
NEWS OF RAILROADS
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA TO
BE LOWERED
YESTERDAYS CONFERENCE
Representatives of a Number of the
Lines Tell the Railroad Com
missiOners and u Number of
Senator's Why 1t is Impossible to
Lower Rates from the Territory
Asked--COst of Carrying Freight.

Asked--COst OF Carrying Freight.
1t is quite safe to say that the grain
rates from points in Southwestern Min
nesota and Iowa to Minneapolis and
Duluth will not be reduced. They will
remain as at present, or if any change
is made in them it will be an increase.
This was the practical declaration of
the railroad managers who met Sena-
tors Miller, Shellbach and Shell before
the railway commissioners yesterday
to confer with them regarding the
rates which the senator's constituents
claim are too high.
President Hill, of the Great North
ern, spoke for his own road. with spe-
cial reference to the rates on wheat
valley, and declared that his road
would be perfectly justified in raising
the rates and that the road could sue
cessfully defend such action in the
courts. He told the senators very
plainly that if the legislature went too
far in trying to increase railroad taxa
ton the legislators would discover
they had made mistake, and he warn
ed them against being too radical in
their reforms. So convincing were the
arguments of the railroad men in sus-
tanning present rates that the three
senators were unable to answer them,
and pleaded that they knew nothing
about railroad business and only voiced
the sentiments of the people they rep
resent in the legislature.
The railroad men present were Presi-
dent James J. Hill, General Traffic
Manager Francis B. Clarke and Gen
eral Counsel M. D. Grover, of the Great
Northern A. J. Earling, vice president,
and A. c. Bird, general traffic manager
0f tLo o. I.
James 7. Clarke, general traffic man
ager. and Judge Thomas Wilson, gen
eral attorney Of the Omaha; w. M.
Hopkins, general freight agent Of the
Minneapolis & st. Louis; H. R. Nc
Cullough, vice president. and L. w.
Bowers, general solicitor Of the Chi
cago & Northwestern.
Chairman Mills announced that the
conference was called by Senator Mil
ler Of Luverne. who had complained
that the southwestern grain rates We're
higher than rates from other territory,
and that it was considered best to con-
fer with the railroad men on the sub
ject
Senator Miller said that the people in
his section felt that they were victims
of injustice. and it was hoped that an
amicable adjustment of the rates would
be more satisfactory than forcible
procedure. Rates to Minneapolis
from the southwest were much higher
than rates on grain for shorter dis
tances from the south and northwest
Senator Shellback rose and said that
he lived at Granite Falls where there
are cross roads, and the rate from
Granite Falls to Minneapolis was 13
cents, while rates from neighboring
points where there Is no railroad COM
petition were higher. Rates from other
territory We're not consistently made.
He could not see why the rate on flax
should be greater than on wheat.
though. the difference was four cents.
I The discrimination in favor Of elevator
companies was also a matter that
should be considered in the conference
There was much complaint that the
reads favored the large elevator own
ers against the smaller ones. There
was no apparent, reason why rates
from the southwestern section should
be higher than from other sections,
especially as the southern part of the
state was. better settled than the north
ern.
Senator Shell said the people of
Worthington wanted to know why
l. rates Were. higher from that region.
MILWAUKEE, REPRESENTATIVE
! Mr.. Bird, of the Milwaukee, said that
| it was the object of the railroads to
| make all tariff rates so reasonable
that there should be just relation be-
tween every article carried The peo-
| pie Of Southwestern Minnesota, he
said, are not paying as much as those
| in Northwestern Minnesota. They are
| not taxed as highly, nor are they pay
| ing as much rents. With the single
exception of wheat the tariffs on grain
| In Southwestern Minnesota are not as
! high as In Northern Minnesota Rates
on merchandise were As per cent less
| than on Northern roads. Nobody can
! tell what is a fair tariff. It ought to
! be arranged so as to bear as light as
| possible on all the people
| IF rates on wheat are low, rates on
merchandise must be high said Mr..
| Bird, Ito maintain a paying average
The service performed by the railroads
| in Southern Minnesota is performed
| for less money than by the other
roads,"
| Vice President Earring, Of the Mil
waukee. said that freight trains on
| that line are broken up into small
| trains and sent on the various divisions
to Chicago, Milwaukee and Mime
apolis so that it rarely happens that
a full train went through to any ter
mlnal point. 1t costs as much, he said,
to run a train of ten cars as to run
one of thirty cars.
Another matter for consideration. he
| said, was the grades. The northern
lines have low grades, while the south
ern roads, as a rule, have sleeper and
harder grades, making train operation
| more difficult.
There is no combination between the
Milwaukee road and grain elevator
men," said Mr.. Earling Our road
encourages the building Of elevators by
all who have money to erect them and
grain to fill them"
ON WILLMlAR LINE-
Mr.. D. Jones. general assistant man
ager of the Great Northern, was next
called upon and said that rates on the
Willmar line were better than the rates
be borne in mind. he said, that the
new line reduces the distance to Du-
luth by 100 miles over the road to Min
neapolis. In the Steenerson case aus
order was made that our grain rates
| were too high. We prevailed in our
contention in the district court, the
supreme court sent it back for a re-
nearing, and when the Fosston line was
| completed and the company thought
best to reduce the rates. You
cannot change local rates with
| out changing the interstate rates.
The reason reductions were
nade was to escape expense of Iitiga-
ton. The rate to Minneapolis was re-
duced to the same as to Duluth, in or
| der not to deprive Minneapolis of the
wheat, which would otherwise go to
Duluth. The rates on the Northern
| lines Is too low and the order reduc-
ing them should never have been made
Railroads are built through the south
west crossing at many points. There
is a relation between roads of right
md hn