The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1902-01-24

Otnar, ana 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
ent owners the stock should be scattered
and majority of 1t find its 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
cifc. Would the people along the lines
OF those railways be benefited? II the
present owners OF a majority of the stock
Of the two companies could be compelled
to sell it or dispose Of 1t on the market,
would it fall into hands more interested
In the Development and prosperity Of the
Northwest than its present owners? How
Is 1t 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 will
large interests in the stock Of the compa-
MES. who found it to their advantage to
build up the lines and promote the set
tlment of the territory tributary to it and
who will continue 1t.
Broad-Gau9e Competition.
The great freight producing area of
the country is along the Atlantic sea-
Erie. The freight that is the product
of all the manufacturing enterprises
which find q market west of the Mssis-
s!ppi river to O 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 great competitive condition
between the territory served by the
Northern lines and those of the South
and West-between lines whose interest
1t is to secure traffic as against the
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 reuuc-
ton on land and equalize the rate by
Lake Superior and by Chicago. We
built six steel steamers, which at that
time We're the largest on the lakes.
The first cargo we landed at Buffalo
we We're 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 way to get around this, and
the result was co break up the Transit
l.
the lakes to reasonable figure. Later
the elevator charges at the head of Lake
Superior were Ia cents per bushel and
at Buffalo Ia cents per bushGl with an
additional charge for shoveling of "A cent.
We built large elevators at both places,
the effect of which has been to reduce
the rates to " cent each in Buffalo and
at the head of Lake Superior; in other
words where the grain paid 2A cents
per bushel 1t is now paying 1 cent The
difference to the Northwest on the 2OO,-
OOO,OOO bushels of wheat is S3,5OOO0N 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 to show you that we are at all
add to your material prosperity.
o~~%%><% >AA
o In 1880 the average rates on grain A
q from the Red river valley to Duluth 4
9 were from 25 cents to 81 cents per q
o hundred; to-day they are from ii 4
O cents to 16 cents per hundred, or q
9 about one-half the rates of twenty q
9 years ago. The rates on coal and 4
= lumber have been reduced in the q
. same proportion. o
q . . . q = = = q q q q . q q . q d
Reductions in rates Of TRANSPORTATION
must be made with the greatest care in
order to avoid unfair discrimination
against persons or localities. A reduction
in the rates Of the whole country of 10
cents for moving ton of freight 100 miles
would make reduction of over $50, OOO,-
600 on the traffic handled during the past
year, and would wipe out a large part of
the income of the railroads.
General Railroad Conditions.
The conditions of the general railroad
situation in the United States at the pres
emit time are hardly understood: For the
year ending June 3d. 1900, the number of
tons carried one mile by all the railroads
was I6207. 100000 ton miles; in 1900 it was
141, COO, 100000 as shown by the interstat>.
commerce commission reports. In 1901
safe estimate will bring this to 1G5,OOO,-
ooo.ooO tons carried one mile, an increase
or lZO per cent in eleven years. During
this time the mileage of the railroads in
the United States increased IS per cent
Whlle the tons moved shows an increase
or l2o per cent. the earnings show an IN
crease OF less than 40 per cent. During
this time the rates have been reduced to
the extent of that difference. During thar
perlod OF eleven years, Notwithstanding
the enormous increase in traffic, four of
the so-called trunk lines have through
destructive competition failed, and been
reorganized, and all but one of them have
been absorbed by the stronger surviving
mes. Destructive competition has forced
the weakest lines into bankruptcy, and to-
Jay they are owned by the lines that WEI e
able to maintain their position and credit.
giving the ability to acquire these bank
rupt roads. The Baltimore & Ohio and
the Pennsylvania for half century have
been rival roads Both states and cities
nave actively aided in building them up.
destructive competition between them has
hnally resulted in the Pennsylvania road
owning the Baltimore & Ohio. Have the
rates advanced? Have the people along
The line of the Baltimore & Ohio suffered?
On the contrary, the first step has been
20 furnish money to cut down the grades |
to double track the line from the Ohio |
river to Chicago and to furnish cars ana
terminal Facilities to handle the business |
70 the best advantage, and at such rates