The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-10-21
IRRIGATION And
The RAILROADS
Citizens Congress in North Dakota
Addressed by President
James ). Hill.
Increase in Traffic Has Cut Rates
Relation of the People and
Do. the Roads.

Bismarck, N. D., Oct 21.-The great
feature of the state irrigation meet
ing yesterday was the address in the
afternoon of President James ]. Hill
of the Great Northern road. At it's
close the entire party was entertained
at an -old-fashioned barbecue, where
hot roast beef sandwiches and cider
We're served by a bevy Of young ladies.
Mr.. Hill said ...
All the wealth in the world comes from
four sources-either the farm, the forest,
the mine or the sea. Now, you have got
your share Of good soil and your farms
are productive, and 1 will say to you, be-
fore am done, that you have made a
degree Of progress that Is not surpassed
by that of any state in the Union. l ques-
ton II any other state in the Union has
ever equaled it. (Applause)
You must look to your agricultural in
terests, take care of them, take care of
the young people, send them to school
and train them in the great work Of farm
Ing, the science of agriculture.
Great Northern Progress.
To be brief, and in order that might
" be correct, l have had a record prepared
of what has happened since 1882, and
these figul es are all from the railway and
commercial reports, so that they are Of
fetal In 1882 we had 1,oO7 miles of rail-
way. In 1892, SAT- miles; in 1908, 5,59S
miles. In 1882 we had 1877 locomotives; in
In 1892 we had 327, and in 19O3 637. OF
passenger cars in 1882 we had 119: in 1892,
26S. and in 1908, 5l4. Freight cars in 1882,
3.707; ten years later, in 1882, 1867; in
1908, 29,731. Now, here is the material
growth Of the northwest. In 1882 we
moved 1.00700 tons of freight; in 1903 we
hauled 16.14S,O0O tons, or 1000 per cent
gain In twenty-one years. Now, the tons
of freight hauled-in 1882 these records
were not kept and I cannot give the fig
ures--in 1892, that is, hauled one mile
997 ono 000 in 1QO, 000
tons, or 400 per cent gain in ten years;
and the important things to you, and to
us as well, in 1882 our rate for carrying a
ton Of freight. that Is, the average rate
over the whole line, per 100 miles, was
S2.51. In 1892 it was s1.21 and in 1908 it
was IS cents, which is third Of what
the rate was twenty-one years ago.
Had the company received the same
average rate a ton mile or for carrying
q ton Of freight 100 miles in 1903 as in
1882 it would have collected $90S20, 1O5 as
freight earnings during the past year,
while actual collections were 0,915. 900,
decrease thru reduction in freight rates
OF s59.904,S75. That means that if the
rate Of twenty-one years ago had been in
force you would not have lived here. You
could not have raised grain enough to pay
the cost Of cultivating the soil and pay
ing as for carrying it to market. 1t would
have been impossible. The reduction in
freight rates has been brought about by
increasing the volume of trafic-that is.
we have created new traffic by making it
possible for men to cultivate the soil and
raise crops which we carry to market
Some Figures by Stations. =
1t used to be rare occasion that any
station would exceed in revenue in any
year 100000. Now there are so many
In North Dakota that I cannot count them
without referring to a book. 1 can count
them off in Minnesota, however. You
stop at Anoka when you get out Of the
twin cities coming down the Fergus Falls
division; then Elk River, st. Cloud Alex
andria, Evansville, Stevens and st. Vim
cent. and only recently have the two last
reached 500, 600 year. But now here in
North Dakota you have done yourself
proud To give idea of the growth
Will try to be brief. At Aneta-it is only
a few years since the track was extended
there-our business last year was S141-
900: Hatton, $155, 900; Northwood, 1925
900; Fargo, $2710O0; Grand Forks, $685.
900. Now to compare Grand Forks with
the big cities, take Minneapolis, s., $50, 900
Grand Forks produced over quarter Of
the entire revenue Of Minneapolis proper
Grafton, 100000; Neche, s334,OOO.
Now 1 am going out into the new coun-
try, Larimore, and will GO north on the
branch line where there is nothing but
local business, no thru or transcontinental
traffic, only the local train running I'D and
back, two trains day most of the time
Iarimore, $4,000; Inkster, $4,000; Con-
way. $4,000; Park River, $4,000; Edin-
burg, $50, 900; Milton, s92, 000 Osnabrocls-
many of you do not know where it is
100000; Langdon, $4,000 Dresden
from $4,000 to $6s,OOO in four years
Wales, from $4,000 to $4,000 in four years;
Lalkota, from $91, 900 to $133 900; Bartlett
from $4,000 to s33, 900; Crazy, from s45, OoC
to $4,000; Devils Lake, from S132 900 tc
S32S.000, and $4,000 of this in passenger
traffic.
The heavy passenger traffic of the Great
Northern system is not on either of the
transcontinental lines, but on the local
passenger train between Grand Forks and
Minot, this train carrying more people
and earning more money than any passen-
ger train on the line, and I am not sorry
that it Is your good luck. Now, Churches
Ferry increased from $50, 900 to 500, 900.
Then, coming up the Cando branch,
where the business is purely local-Mazea,
$4,000; Cando, from $115, 900 to $235, 900,