River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1903-05-07
A PECULIAR SITUATION.
VIII the Great Northern's Trainmen Pre-
vent Reduction in Freight Rates?


The sts Cloud Journal-Press of
April 27th contains an interview with
r. S. lands, Great Northern con-
ductor who is polling the conductors
of the Fergus division of that road,
to see whether they will accept the
new scale of wages offered by the
Great Northern, and which is some
what is excess of the rates demanded
by the employees, or whether they de-
sire the grand officers of the Order
of -Railway Conductors to order a
strike, if the Great Northern persists
in it's refusal to either abolish double
header trains or TO allow train crews
double pay while riding on trains
hauled by two engines.
This interview puts the question in
a new light Mr.. lands says:
ION other lines the employees have been
| given a double-header schedule where it
means very much to the companies own
| ing them. On the Santa Fe. which is
probably the greatest double header sys-
| tenn in the country a basis of settlement
| has been affected, and on the Northern
| Pacific, which uses by far more double
! header trains than the Great Northern.
the company and the employees have
| agreed.
"one of the things urged by the West
ern Association of general chairmen last
June at Kansas City was uniform agree
ment on all roads west of Chicago. COW
| ering this matter, for it had been urged
| by the management of some roads that
they could not afford to make the con-
CesSionS when competing roads were not
required to live up to a similar agree
ment. 1t is to perfect a system of uni
formity that we are trying to bring about
a general agreement of the roads cover
ing the points at issue. 1t is not a live
issue on the Great Northern. it is true,
but in fairness to members of our Broth
erhoOd other lines where it is very
much a live issue we are endeavoring to
bring about an agreement with the COM
panies."
1t would seem from the above that
the Great Northern's employees really
have no grievance, but are trying to
force the Great Northern to yield a
principle that will not benefit the men
on the Great Northern, but will
bolster up the interested orders ON
other roads.
1t is not exactly clear why the line
was drawn at Chicago and the de-
mand was confined to the roads west
Ii
an Objectionable feature west of Chi
cago, it would seem that they would
be equally Objectionable east, and, as
far as we know, no road east of Chi
cago has yielded the principle of how
many engines should haul freight
train. Neither do we see why double
headers are Objectionable on freight
f1oI bn fire.
There is another feature about this
that is worth consideration. If all
roads are put on the same basis as
to expense, there will be to a certain
extent restraint of competition. The
state of Minnesota and the United
States government have both gone to
considerable expense to insure COM
petition between the Great Northern
and the Northern Pacific companies
by knocking out the merger, and have
accomplished it by the decision re-
Gently given in the Northern Securi-
ties case. If the trainmen accom-
plish their avowed object, they are to
a certain extent going to nullify the
effect of that decision by making it
impossible for one road to haul
freight at lower cost than another.
1t is for the interest of the people
of the Northwest that each road in
the state should conduct its business
at the lowest possible cost, due re-
gard being had, of course, to the pay
ment of reasonable and proper scale
of wages to all employees. In this
case, there is no question as to wages.
The schedule offered by the Great
Northern is in excess of the demand
of it's employees and is admittedly as
high as is paid on any other road in
the country. Beyond that scale, the
Great Northern, in the interest of the
people of this state, should not go, be-
cause every cent it pays out over a
reasonable wage comes out of the
pockets of its patrons and prevents
reduction of freight rates.
The courts have held that railway
company is entitled to earn a reason
able rate of interest on the cost of its
property. When its earnings are in
excess of that, and the necessary
amount for keeping up and improv-
ing the facilities, the earnings from
traffic must be reduced. The Great
Northern has heretofore recognized
that, for in January, 1902, it reduced
it's rates on all classes of merchandise
between stations in Minnesota and
the Dakotas an average of fifteen per
cent, and, in August, 1902, reduced
the rates on grain and grain products
from stations in Minnesota and the
Dakotas to it's eastern terminals an
average of about ten per cent.
The report of the Railroad and
Warehouse Commission of this state
recently issued shows that the Great
Northern, during its fiscal year ended
June 30th, 1902, hauled about 10000
600 bushels of wheat. If the rates on
wheat were reduced a half cent per
hundred pounds, it would amount to
$21S, 100000, and every farmer who
shipped 5000 bushels of wheat would
save $500. The farmers are more in
tereSted in getting that $500. or a
reduction in the rate on wheat that
will save them that amount than they
are in bolstering up the settlements
trainmen may have made with the
Santa Fe and other roads in the west.
GLEANINGS OF FACT.
Less than half the area of ST. Louis