Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-06-18

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6 has Increased ES esz in The past three
manufactured articles are sold through
out the country are always able to base
f You s and price on the cost Of prcduc;
lanor increases the cost, your prices are
advanced. but notwiths landing the
enormous advance in wages, in material
IN the United States have gone steadily
Gown from year. to year until they are
| oy COMPARISON so much lower than those
comparison between them.
IL theSe results have been accomplished
unaer al the changing conditions of fl
nanclal prosperity and adversely in the
past thirty years, have we not. as a ma
tlon reason to rejoice in what has been
accomplished rather than to seek to de-
nave brought about these results?
When We consider what has ben ac-
complished by the railway companies in
tn the > past "a thirty years, the singularly low
rate OF transportation which prevails, the
average cost being not to exceed one
third Of what it was thirty. years ago, the
nfty or more to three, the increase by
thousands of through routes and rates,
me Improvement of facilities for trans
mlnals, has not the country abundant
reason to congratulate itself on what has
been accomplished? And Il will say fur
by the railway companies in their efforts
to to ser serve the public and help themselves
ee oX he Wgayk d{ tS or other
merce law It is said that tt'e earrier so@ do
not observe the law: that rates un
claimed, out of the viola ton of the law.
g oma nnd ownership is suggested by
the interstate commerce commission by
others. ~
Government ownership means the con-
troll and operation of railways by govern
ment officials. mere statement of the
proposition arouses in the mind of al
most every thoughtful man. the fear
struction Of the government ITSELF
Price Of Transportation.
II the earnings which the railways are
e n,a'1 Ito to receive We're to be, derived
on their respective lines. the rates OF
price of transportation would necessarily
be much 1na ; hiIgher than it is; The interest
largely in the increase of the volume Of
Interstate and international traffic over
the lines Take for instance, the lines Of
the Great Northern and Northern Pacific
from Lake Superior and the Mississippi
river to Puget Sound. All the Interstate
t traifflc they can obtain from the great
1relght producing area south of Lake Su-
perior and east of Chicago must come to
them across the lakes. which are closed
fhH so,fh nal @ Of each
by way of Chicago. To increase the vol
ume OF traffic: and thus be able to reduce
rates, these two companies must secure
snare OF the interstate traffic from the
territory named and must also be able to
reach territory furnishing market for the
freight produced along their lines and re-
turn frelght to be transported over their
lines and by steamship connection with
the racine coast terminal.
the stock Of + the railway is held
territory served by the lines. in increas-
ing the volume of traffic and in reducing
rates the tie territory will be built up and
If the question Of the ownership of
stock was left to the public served by
the lines IS of the railways Of the country
public ITO have such ownership placed in
the hands of those who had acquired it
as an investment and whose interest is
of the lines and building up the territory
served by them?
Railway Competition.
There has been during the past wear a
great deal Of public discussion about rail-
way competition and a large amount of
volunteer n,ts literature has been written on
the subject. 1t is always a safe basis to
assume that no business will continue for
any length of time if the result Of it's
transactions is a loss. and this is equally
railways No individual, community or
nation can afford to build up it's com
W ses 9n the 5e that
benefit: This has been done in some
cases in the past: and the roads which
have followed this course have gone
the hands of rival owners, and, in some
cases. into the hands of owners whose
greater interest Is in other directions
and whose object in obtaining them has
been more to restrict the, growth of the
country than to increase it.
Competition in railway rates is either
the sub ect Of conference between the
lines interested. followed by an agree
ment as to rates, and the conditions of
this course must always be followed. All
rates are by law made public. and what
ever rate is adopted by one road must be
their share of the traffic In this there
is no active competition. When competi-
ton is active, tariffs are disregarded and
published. to enormous Sums in the
yearly To Prsyent this active
and the several states have enacted laws
which have been a dead letter on the
statute books until public opinion has de-
manded that the various commissions
take some action under the law. The re-
cent activity of the interstate commerce
commission has resulted. believe, to a
if they follow it up with the power con-
ferred upon them by the act Of congress-
tn endrg system Of private rates VIII
trade Of the whole country, and Of the
railroads as we'll
There. is however a competition be-
to exist as long as the railraws are rum
and that is the competition Of markets:
the necessity t of Of budng up the
respective, railway lines.
In this the competition lies between the
producer and the railway, in one locality
the railway, in. another locality, com
IS to increase it's traffic. it can only BE-
customers This same principle applies
to the occupation and cultivation Of the
land along the lines. of railway through
the ees Tey a on Reao s spp lies
farmer. can make money by the cultiva-
ton Of his land. either. through selling
sock ~th pre to ms eeto4 the or m h
! must come when he will cease to culti-
yate the land, and the railway is left, as
1t were ina desert.
Low Rates on Necessities.
For the past twenty years or more 1
have had some experience in opening up
ways adopted as fixed policy the max
| ing of rates on the products Of the coun-
| of life. such as coal. lumber and building
material at the lowest rates the COM
panY could afford looking more to our
profit from the lighter articles of mer-
chandise and shelf goods consumed in the
country. At times We have been criti-
cized for this, this criticism mainly COM
lower rate.
The following will Illustrate our an
swer and the reason for the course we
have pursued: Take a farmer in Iowa
with a hundred acres of wheat yielding,
say. twenty bushels to the acre, two
thousand bushels, or sixty tons. A re-
ton. would amount to him to $50 per an
mum. II he visits the country store once