The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-10-04
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 4, 1905.
RAILROAD RATE CONCNDRCMS.


garding railroad rates is being OBJ.
tanned from witnesses in a hearing
before the interstate com.
mission, which is Investigating freight
charges on livestock and livestock
products from Missouri river points
to Chicago. The informa alton is given
by railroad officials, and will be ac-
cepted as a true statement of the facts.
A. B. Stickney, president of the
Chicago Great Western railway, who
was one of the witnesses before the
commission the past week, made the
rem arkable announcement that the
big packers fix the freight charges
upon their W products. According
to MIR. Stickney, the published tariff
on dressed meat shipments from Omaha
to Chicago is % cents per cwt., but
the packers have demanded and have
received a rate of III cents. If the
railroads hauled dressed meat at
this Decent rate, it is presumed there
was profit in the business, and il the
absence of proof to the contrary it
would appear that the published tariff
OF - cents was unreasonably high.
Another railway official who testified
before the commission was President
Ripley, Of the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe. He told the commission
that freight rates upon dressed meat
shipments should be at least $50 per
cent. higher than the rates upon live.
stock, whereas the latter has been
paying more than is charged for
packers products. Mr.. Ripley
claimed that his company lost money
on every a of dressed beef hauled
between Kansas City and Chicago,
but he did not attempt to explain why
1t accepted businessiwhich he alleged
was Improbable.
The people of Montana, however, |
do not have to go east to find railroad !
rate %conundrums; they have plenty Of
them right at home. \ sheep buyer
who had made heavy purchases in the
Milk river country and wished to
transfer them to the alfalfa feeding
grounds in the Yellowstone, recently
applied to the Great Northern for
rates to Helena. He was informed
that the regular charge from Milk |
river points to Helena was $45 per car.
The shipper declared the rate was ex.
cessive, and announced that, rather
than pay such a charge, he would
drive the sheep overland to Billings. |
He commenced preparations for the
drive, and in a few days received no.
tice that the railroad would ship the !
sheep to Helena at II cents per cwt.
which is equivalent to s24.6 o per car.
II the latter is q profitable rate, why
should the regular charge b. s45 per
car?
Some of the mining properties at
Neihart produce low.grade ores which
are shipped to the East Helena smelter
for treatment. The freight charge
upon ore shipments from Neihart to
East Helena, about 10 miles, was
$3.50 a ton. The miners found the re.
turns from their low.grade ores would
not pay the cost of mining, freight and
treatment, and appealed to the rail
road for better rates. A new tariff
was made to this effect: On ore val.
ued at less than SIS a ton the freight
is 81 80: ore valued at $l5 to $25 a ton
Is charged 800 freight: on ore valued
at over S25 per ton the rate is $3.50.
These are the freight charges paid by
Neihart miners for a haul of about
10 miles.
The Boston and Montana company,
operating mines at Butte, ships pres
to its Great Falls smelter for treat.
ment. The distance is about the same
as that between Neihart and East Hell. !
ena-about ITO miles. The b. X NJ.
ore, according to the company's an
nual statement, has an average value
OF about $l4 per ton, and it Is hauled
40 miles at the rate Of 10 cents per
ton. If the latter rate is reasonable
pay for the service rendered, why
should the Neihart miner pay freight
charges Of $l.50 to $3.50 per ton for u
similar distance?
The Fort Benton citizen who pays a
freight charge of 81. Is per ton on coal
hauled sixty miles from Stockett to
this city-coal that costs 81 80 per ton
at the mine-is also interested in the
fact that ore valued at Oh per ton is
hauled 10 miles for 30 cents. Why
there should be such u discrepancy in
rates 10 q conundrum to which he can.
not find a satisfactory answer.