The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1903-05-08
a PECULIAR SITUATION.
VIM tho Great North4rnn's Trainnen Pre-
VENT q Reduction In Freight Rates 80

VENT Reduction In Freight Rates ?S
The st. Cloud Journal-Press Of
April 27th contains an interview with:
R. Stands, a GreatNorthern con-
>ductor who is polling the conductors.
of the Fergus division of that road,
to e 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
sof Railway Conductors to order a
strike, if the Great Northern persists
limits refusal to e~ithersabolish 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 Mi. Lands says:
-"On other lines the employees nave 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.
Zone of the things urged by the West
ern Association Of general chairmen last
June at Kansas City was a uniform agree
ment on all roads west Of Chicago; Gov
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
YlnIlred To live nm, tn "a cinni1ar a pron.~
ment. 1t is to perfect a system of nni-
fornl1ty 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 on 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
of hat city. If double-headers are
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 a freight
train. Neither do we see why double
headers are Objectionable on freight
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 a 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 haze
accomplished it by the. decision re-
EaAsently& givensin the~Northern Securi-
ties case. IL the 'trainmen accom-
pfish 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.
= DIT is tor the interest of, the people
Of the Northwest that each road in
the state should conduct it's business
at the lowest possible cost, due re-
gard being had, of course, to the pay
ment of a reasonable and proper scale
of wages to all employees. Il In this
case, there is ITO question as to wages.
The schedule offered by the Great
Northern is, in excess of the demand
ST its employees and. is admittedly as
high al is paid on any other road in
the country. Beyond that scale, the
Great Northern, in the interest of tie
people of this state, Should; not go; be-:
cause every cent it pays out over d
reasonable wage, comes out of the
pockets of it's patrons and prevents a
reduction of freight rates~It,r ..,,j
The courts have held that a, railway
company is entitled to earn~a reason
able rate Of interest on the cost of it's
property: When it's earnings, are il,
excess of that, and the necessary
amount for keeping up, and improv4
ing the facilities; the earnings from
.trasic mnst he reduced. The Great
Northern has heretofore recognized
that, for in January, 1902, it, reduced
its rates Oh 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 its eastern terminals an
average of about ten per cent.
The report. of the Railroad and
Warehouse Commission of this state
4 recently issued shows that the Great
! Northern, during it's fiscal veal: ended
June 30fh,' 1902: hauled about 70, o00,-
600 bushels of wheat. IF the rates on
wheat were reduced a half a cent per
hundred pounds: it would amount to
$21S,ooo.M, and every farmer: who
shipped 5000 bushels of wheat world