The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-01-10

of those interested in competing lines
serving the country to the north or the
south Of the territory served by the
Great Northern and the Northern Pacific
would the people along the lines of these
railways be benefited? If the present
owners of a majority of the stock of the
two companies could be compelled to sell
it or dispose Of it on the markets, would
it fall into hands more interested in the
development and the prosperity Of the
northwest than Its present owners? How
is it that the lines have been extended
and improved. What brought about the
present condition of the property of the
two companies? What has enabled them
to serve the people along the lines as
they have been served? Plainly, the
willingness and ability of those controll-
ing large interests of the stock Of the
company who found it to their advantage
to build up the lines and promote the
settlement of the territory tributary to it
and who will continue it, j.
The great freight-producing area Of
the country is along the Atlantic sea-
board and in the territory south OF Lake
Erie. The freight, that is, the product OF
all the manufacturing enterprises which
find a market west of the Mississippi
river, to large extent must pass through
the lakes to Duluth and to st. Paul and
Minneapolis and into the territory be-
around Lake Michigan and at that point
going largely to southwestern lines. A
few years ago the transportation on Lake
Superior was mainly in the hands of what
was known as the Lake Superior Transit
company a pool line made up by steam
ers operated by eastern trunk lines who
also operated boats running from Chicago,
and whenever we reduced the rates from
the wheat fields to Lake Superior a cor
responding advance in the water rate was
made to offset our reduction on land and
euualize the rate by Lake Superior and
by Chicago. We built six steel steamers,
which at that time were the largest on
the lakes. The first cargo we landed at
Buffalo we were told that it would have
to pay the local rate from Buffalo to New
York, which was practically the same
as the through rate from Duluth to New
York. We found a way to get around this
and the result was to break up the Tran
sit company and break down the rates
| on the lagos to a reasonable figure. Later
| the elevator charges at the head Of Lake
| Superior were ~ cent per bushel and at
| Buffalo IA cent per bushel, with an adj
ditionaI charge for shoveling of n cent.
| We built large elevators at both places,
| the effect of which has been to reduce
| the rates to u cent each in Buffalo and at
| the head of Lake Superior; in other
words, where the grain paid 2% cents per
| bushel 1t is now paying cent. The diff
| ference to the northwest on the 100000
| 900 bushels of wheat is So, 500 900 per year
| The proportion of this we handle through
! our elevators is probably Is per cent. We
| did not build the elevators for the pur-
pose Of grinding the faces off the farmers
of the northwest, but in order that they
might have fair play and that their grain
/ might go forward without undue and un-
necessary taxation. I say this to show
you that we are at all times mindful Of
everything that will add to your ma
! terial prosperity.
| In 1880 the average rates on grain from
| the Red River valley to Duluth were from
25 to 35 cents per hundred to-day they
are form IA to 16 cents per hundred, or
about one-half the rates of twenty years
] ago. The rates on coal and lumber have
| been reduced in about the same proper
| tion."
Railroad Conditions and Figures.
''The conditions Of the general railroad
| situation in the United States at the pres.
] ent time are hardly understood For the
year ending June 80, 1890, the number o.
| tons carried one mile by all the rail
roads was 1920, 0O0, 900. In 1900 1t was
al GOO, 900, 900 as shown by the interstate
commerce commission reports. In 1901 Q
safe estimate will bring this to 166, 900,
100000 tons carried one mile, an increase
/ Of s120 per cent in eleven years. During
i this time the mileage of the railroads In
i the United States Increased 18 per cent
! While the tons moved shows an In.
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