The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1902-01-17


G OHIO. Have the rates advanced?
B Ba,e the people along the line of the
baltlmore & Ohio suffered? On the con-
lrary, the first step has been to furnish
money to cut down the grades, to double
track the line from the Ohio river to Chi
cage and to furnish cars and terminal
faculties to handle the business TO the
best advantage and at such rates as WI
enable the shippers along the line to
open up their mines and increase their
business in every branch of trade and to
Lei5 uoon the sou eiII c...i -"
.!aclllties necessary to transact their Ss:S-
mess 49,
Alleged Car Shortage Lack of Car Move
ment.
Hardly a day passes without a rail-
rod9 accident, many of which are at
tended with much loss of life: What is
business of the public trains are run in
such numbers and at a rate of speed
which is entirely beyond the capacity
Lutte blockade of traffic between Chicago
and the Mississippi river points in the
West and the Atlantic seaboard; Fur
naces within short distance of the coke
ovens are cold and thousands of men
are idle for want of transportation.
There is coal famine from Pittsburg to
of cars. Ten years ago, with, a ton mile
movement of 76,OO0,OOO,OO0, the average
freight car movement was about thirty
miles per day; at this time 1t is not more
more cars that is wanted, but more
movement of the cars now in use.
Freight trains move certainly an average
of sixteen miles an hour while on the
road. Twenty miles cars movement daily
means mat the cars move one hour and
a quarter out of the twenty-four hours
under conditions when it can use it's
facilities for earning money less than one
hour out of the twelve.
when many of the roads were built
large proportion of the original railway
enterprises failed. losing a large part
Of the investment-they had no idea of
the future growth, and from want of
money and want of forethought the
terminal facilities are today totally in
adequate. If the cars could be moved at
the principal terminals the main lines
would be able to do better than at pres
ent. However, with continuance for
three or five years Of the present volume
added to Industrial traffic in the great
manufacturing districts this country will
find itself confronted with the most seri-
Gus commercial question it has yet been
larger Eastern cities are both difficult
and expensive to acquire.
The Pennsylvania railway in order to
get into New York, on to Manhattan
island, Is building tunnel from Jersey
City to Brooklyn, at a cost of SAC, 600
or s50OO0,0OO. Will it bring new business
or must the expense of operation and
interest on cost be levied on present
traffic?
"a careful examination of the railway
problem from a national standpoint will,
| believe, show beyond question that the
business of the country has outgrown
the facilities on most of the trunk lines
and that new facilities not now apparent
Will be necessary to relieve the Situa ton.
American Rates Lowest in the World.
RATES in the United States are much
lower than in any other country. Wages
terial is higher than in Europe, still the
average rate charged in Europe is fully
twice as high as in America. The con-
ditions in this country. change very
rapidly. While rates have been cut in
two i'll twenty years, all kinds of labor
and material used by the railways have
advanced from 80 to so per cent. Moth
ing but the increased volume of traffic
has made it possible to reduce rates as
they have been reduced. Today we find
the volume of traffic SO great east of
Chicago that the railways are not able
to move it under the present conditions:
How will these conditions be changed
lines or increase old ones? These are the
questions which 1 will not undertake to
answer farther than to say that the
we Mes tn must have " t the facilities or
"The public must always bear in mind
that a bankrupt road cannot furnish
good service. The railroad must be able
to furnish the service demanded from 1t
at fair and reasonable rates. The prob
lem we have had to solve has been how
to reduce the cost of operation so that
we can furnish transportation at the
lowest prices. This can be done only by
increasing the volume of traffic. The
question is as simple as raising given
amount of money by taxation. The more
dollars worth of property taxed the
lower the rate of taxation will be and
the greater number of tons carried the
lower the rate of transportation will be.
This is one of the main reasons why we
are so anxious to develop the enormous
through business that is rapidly growing
up along our lines.
bring contributes it's proportion of net
revenue and enables US to reduce the
rate of transportation on our local buSl-
ness. The interstate business on our
lines in North Dakota today constitutes
95 per cent of the whole and still you
enjoy all the facilities furnished, both
passenger and freight with the increased
number of trains necessary to handle
this business, every one Of whom is an
additional accommodation to you.
North Dakota Marvellous State.
"It will be thirty-two years next March
since 1 first saw the Red River valley.
At that time there was not single house
on the west side of the Red river, from
the past twenty years all of my time
and effort has been given to building
up the northwest, and no part of the
northwest has given me more satisfac-
today than North Dakota. Its growth
in the past has been marvellous The
first years in all new countries are
marked by hardships and self-denial but
during the past few years you are get
ting the reward of your labor; people
are coming into the state by thousands,
the value of your land has advanced and
will advance beyond your reasonable ex-
pectations, and 1 hope that together your
property and our property will work side
by side and shoulder to shoulder to car
ry forward the best interests of North
Dakota
mo man, no hundred men in your state
represent the same interest in your well
fare that it is my good fortune to rep
resent, and 1 hope in the future that
with better methods of cultivation and
more knowledge of what is required,
your condition may be constantly i'm
proved and if your condition is i'm
proved, ours will certainly share it with
you. As the volume of traffic increases
our rates will be reduced.
Remember that whatever helps you
helps the railroad, and whatever hurts
you or restricts your growth, restricts
the growth of the railroad serving you.
We will always prosper together or be
poor together.
PICKED UP HERE AND THERE.
Finland loses e $500 worth of cattle
a year by wolves.
Spain is the greatest orange-export-
ing country in the world.
New Zealand had last wear CABS