The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1902-01-16


approval Of the states traversed By tire
lines of the Great Northern and Northern
Pacific? on the contrary. would not
such a course have been hailed with APP
prevail as a means of opening up markets
for Northwestern produce and of reach
ing markets in the South and Southwest
and of securing business, increasing the
volume of traffic OF the Great Northern
and Northern Pacific, thus making re-
duction Of rates and adding 90 the gem
cral prosperity Of the Northwest In
stead Of building the Burlington system
or a line of railway alongside OF II, the
Great Northern and Northern Pacific
purchased the capital stock of.a line al
ready constructed. instead of issuing
stock or bonds for the purpose of raising
money TO build line reaching the same
country bonds were issued 10 purchase
the stock of a constructed line.
Convincing Reasons.
The capital stock of railway companies.
as of other corporations. win be held by
somebody and somewhere. Railway com
panies as carriers are subject 10 super
vision and control by, The public for the
purpose of insuring the performance of
their obligations to the public, Railroads
make public through published rates the
price charged for transportation, the only
thing they have TO sell, and must report
the amount they receive for what they
sell and what has been done with IL,
Courts are open for the purpose Of de-
termining whether railway companies as
carriers observe their obligations To the
public. The question Of the reasonable
ness Of rates and service does not depend
upon whether one man owns the capital
stock OF a. railway or another-whcther
the capital stock is owned by ten men
or one thousand, by persons or by cor
poratioEs. The capital stock Of a rail-
way company Is personal property, to be
sold trausferrcd from one man 70 an
eth n, and any one may purchase. and
hold all that he has means to buy and
pay for. The capital stock OF the North
ern Pacific and the Great Northern Will
be held by somebody, persons or corpora
TONS if not by the present owners, by
other owners. Suppose by death of pres
cnt owners the stock should be scattered
and q majority of it find it's way into the
hands of those interested in competing
lines serving the country TO the north or
to the south OF the territory served by
the Great Northern and the Northern Pa
cihc, Would the people along the lines
Of those railways be benefited2 II the
present owners of a majority OF the stock
OF the two companies could be compelled
TO sell It or dispose of II on the market.
would il fall into hands more Interested
in the development. and prosperity of the
NOIlIWtSN Nllth ANS piSStHN S"HNA y 49,"
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 served2 Plainly the will
lngness and ability of those controlling
large interests in the stock of the compa-
MES, who found IL to their advantage to
build up the lines and promote the set
tlment Of the territory tributary to 1t and
who will continue 1t.
Br0ad-tiaug:e Competitions.
The great freight producing area or
the country is along the Atlantic sea-
board and i'm the territory south OF Lake
Erie. The freight that is the product
Of ALI the manufacturing enterprises
which find n market west of the Missis-
sippi river to large extent. must pass
through the lakes to Duluth and TO st.
Paul and Minneapolis and into the terri
tory between these cities and the Pacific,
or around lake Michigan and at that
point going largely to Southwestern lines.
The question of stock ownership, so far
as the public along the lines served by
the Great Northern and Northern Pacific
Is concerned, is to be considered in the
light Of a great competitive condition
between the territory served. by the
Northern lines and those of the South
and west-between lines whose interest
Northern lines. to populate and build up
the country in which the people along the
Northern lines have no special immediate
interest.
A few years ago the transportation on
Lake Superior was mainly in the hands
of what was known as the Lake Superior
Transit company. pool line made up
by steamers 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 corresponding advance IN the
water rate was made to offset our reduc-
ton on land and equalize 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 II 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 way to get around this. and
the result was to break up the Transit
company and break down the rates on
the lakes to a reasonable figure. Later
the elevator charges at the head of Lake
Superior were Ia cents per bushel, and
at Buffalo IA cents per bushd with an
additional charge for shoyeling OF u cent.
We built large elevators at both places,
the effect OF which has been to reduce
the rates to y cent each in Buffalo and
at the head OF Lake Superior; in other
words. where the grain paid ga cents
per bushel it is now paying l cent. The
difference to the Northwest on the 20O.-
100000 bushels of wheat is S3,50o00O per
year. The proportion of this we handle
through our elevators Is probably Is
per cent. We did not build the elevators
for the purpose 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 unnecessary taxation.
/ say this 10 show YOU that we are at all
times mindful of everything that will
add to your material prosperity.
O @~@%% o q . o q . q Q
o In 1880 the average rates on grain o
q from the Red river valley to Duluth o
q were from % cents to 80 cents per q
O hundred; to-day they are from IA Q
O cents to 16 cents per hundred, or q
o about one-half the rates Of twenty q
q years ago The rates on coal aud o
4 lumber have been reduced in the Q
q same proportion o
g q o o @ o o q o o o q q q . q o Q
Reductions in rates Of transportation