Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1905-05-27
"LET RAILROADS RUN ~zss- :
THEIR OWN BUSINESS"

Rates and Throws in Some Good
advice to Farmers.
Minneapolis, Mimi, May 27.-Henry
L. Little, manager Of the Pillsbury-
Washburn Four mills company, today
declared the farmers of the northwest
who possessed wisdom would have no
part IN the agitation for governmental
freight rates.
IF the government does attempt to
fix the rates, the farmers will lose
markets that now make their grain
valuable and millions of dollars will
be lost to Them" said Mr.. Little.
He also disposed Of the fallacy that
railroads accord better treatment to
large then to small shippers.
81 have been BOTH" said he. "And
cam say there is no difference in the
treatment by the railroads. received
fair rates when shipped ten cars.
receive fair rates now and ship two
hundred cars per day."
The statements of Mr.. Little are
interesting in that they come from a
man who knows whereof he speaks
Mr.. Little is we'll known in the north
west. He has been shipping flour for
twenty-siX years. He is one of the
pioneers in placing the -four of the
northwest in the countries of Europe,
South America and even South Africa
'My advice to men who produce
wheat is to let the railroads alone"
continued Mr.. Little. "And I believe
simple question will illustrate my
point. What would the northwest
have been, hsd it not been for the
railroads? Let every man answer
that as he will. My answer is that
the northwest of today would have
been an impossibility had it not been
for the railroads. And am just as
certain there would have been no such
development and no such prosperity
in this great land had the government
attempted to tell the railroads what
they should charge for freight.
"Men are inclined to forget, how.
ever, and it is always we'll to point to
present conditions. Twenty-six years
ago the output of our mills was ten
carloads a day. That would have fur
nished a very limited market for the
producers of wheat. AS the time
passed we constantly increased the
output. Then came the time when we
manufactured -four for export. Now
the railroads were largely responsible
for this. They made rates that en-
abled us to compete with the other
countries of the world in their home
markets. Take Australia for instance,
That is wheat producing country.
Yet we sell Minneapolis flour in Aus
tralia. And every time a market was
opened to us, it meant another market
for the wheat of the northwest.
"Well, in time those foreign markets
became of great Importance. Let me
Illustrate. Last year we shipped
abroad 100000 barrels of flour. We
shipped onethird of the MINNEAPOLIS
-four that found a market abroad
Multiply that by three and you have
an export trade of $500, 900 barrels OF
-four. And remember this from Min.
neapoais alone.
"That is the miller's side of the
story. Now the wheat producers OF
the northwest furnished the wheat
that made this -four. We figure that
it requires five bushels of wheat to
make barrel of -four At this rate
22,500,000 bushels of wheat were con.
sumed. That means that 22,5OO OOC
bushels of northwestern wheat found
a market in the countries of Europe
South America and South Africa.
II want to emphasize the fact thai
the railroads made this possible
Their rates are low. Now if the gov
eminent is to assume charge of rates
they will be made on the basis of the
rate per mile. That will make it i'm
possible for US to compete in the
markets of the world.
I'VE will have no opportunity OF
selling our 100000 barrels of -four
in the foreign ports. The market fol
the 25,500,O00 bushels of wheat will be
lost to the wheat producers of the
northwest. And the result? Fewer
markets with those markets congest
ed. A cougested -four market means
a cheap -four market. A cheap fiou1
market means cheaper wheat. There
You have it. If we are shut out OF
foreign ports by government-made
freight rate, the farmers of the north
west can assure themselves there viii
be a less demand for their wheat and
smaller price for the grain that Is
consumed"
Mr.. Little was asked to name the
countries in which the -four of the
-