The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-05
WILL CONFER EVERF Day
RAILROAD COMMISSION IS HEAR
ING THE PLEA OF THE
RAILROADS
ABANDoNs FORMER ROUTE
Great Northern Files Right of Way
for New Branch to the Re-
public Mining Dis
trict,

The meeting held yesterday In the
rooms of the state railroad and ware
house commission between that body and
the officials of the several railroads of
Minnesota, for the purpose of discussing
the features of the newly proposed rate
schedule which has been submitted by
the commission and protested against by
the roads, was not final, nor even eff
fective of any definite outcome. The
roads all had their representatives at the
meeting and they submitted all the evil
denee according to their claims, which
it is possible now for them to give. The
meeting adjourned until this morning.
when it was stated another session would
be held.
The railroad men questioned. all stated
that the existing rates are as low as they
can afford and expect to net profitable
returns from their business. They held
that to accept the schedule submitted by
the commission would merely be accept
ing rates which they already are aware
will not be sufficient to warrant reasons
able returns. In fact the objections
which the several roads stated in their
protests, submitted last week, furnished
the grounds for their case and they adj
hered closely to these statements.
Attorney H. w. Childs, representing
the commission, insisted that the rail-
roads should furnish the commission
exact figures in support of these con-
tentions as proof that they were acting
in the best of faith The railroad men
asserted that the only reason Why they
had not supplied the commission with all
the information for which they called
was merely from the fact that it was
actually impossible within this length Of
time to obtain such information They
held that it would require four or six
months to procure this data and that
every way bill would have to be re-
handled within that time. AS to the go I'd
faith of the commission, MIR. ChilGs
stated that that body was acting in the
best interests of the people of the state
whom they represented. The individual
shippers for some reason cannot proceed
with the matter and the commission is
merely acting for them.
Every road in the state affected by the
schedule was represented at the confer
ence and the following officials were
present.
NJ D. Grover, Great Northern; Third
Vice President Bird, of Chicago, end w
H Morris, Milwaukee; Frank Wilsep.
Duluth Red Wing & Southern; f. 3.
Kellogg, Great Western; E. D. Sewall,
Milwaukee; Thomas Wilson, Omaha
Lloyd w. Bowers, Northwestern; c. w.
Bum, Northern Pacific, and General
Manager Day, Minneapolis & st. Louis.
ROADS STAND TOGETHER.
The arguments of all the roads were
uniform and they all were persistent
that the time for making out the desired
figures was entirely inadequate Every
representative had a few words to say
and nearly every one was questioned by
Attorney Childs. Their answers proved
clearly that they are determined to make
vigorous fight. The commission was
there in a complete body also, and their
attitude gave evidence also Of very de-
termined mind.
Eric Olson, farmer living in Sher-
burn. was at the meeting and stated that
he represented many farmers and bust
ness men, who, with himself are anxious
to have the rates put into effect at once.
The conference was adjourned until 10
o'clock this morning. The ostensible pur-
pose of the contestants at the meeting
was to have a daily conference from day
to day until some result is reached but
one of the commissioners stated yester-
day that it is doubtful if there will be
much of a meeting today. The commits
the railroad men, What the outcome of
the controversy will be cannot be told
yet,and the matter is probably no nearer
a solution than before the conference. If
the commission orders the schedule into
effect it is expected that the roads will
carry the case into the courts.