Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-11-28
CAMPAIGN FOR
BETTER RATES
What lewistown Shippers Have to
Say in Regard to Movement to
Secure an Adjustment.
GENERALLY FAVOR THE PLAN
Some illustrations Of Rates That Need
Adjustment-No Hostility to Rail.
roads Shown.

city appear to think that the freight
rates to Montana are not what they
should be. and that an effort should
be made to secure an adjustment of
them. The movement initiated in
Helena last week by the business
mems association of that city for a
to be held at Helena De.
cember IA to take the matter up is
pretty generally indorsed by the mer-
chants of Lewistown. Some business
men do not favor any special agita.
tion of the matter just at this time,
believing that an effort should rath-
er be made to secure more railroads
and fearing that any radical action
would tend to prevent new roads from
coming in, or hold back extensions
of existing lines. All the Iewistown
disavow any desire to set
on foot movement actually hostile
tc the railroads, and assert that the
proposed convention is a legitimate
and business like move, which can
not give offense to the railroads. It
Is not yet known whether or not Lew
istown will be represented by dele
gates at the Helena meeting, but &C
tion with reference to that may be
taken later by the Business Mems as.
sociation.
What the Shippers Say.
Following are expressions cleaned
from shippers and business men by
the Argus with reference to the pro-
posed movement:
Charles Lehman: The proposed &C.
tion by the business mems associa-
tions will amount to nothing, so far
as securing an adjustment of freight
rates is concerned. have been
through all these experiments before
and believe it is just a vast of time.
Bert d'Autremont: believe the
meeting called at Helena is a good
thing. 1t cannot be disputed that the
local long haul needs adjustment, and
see no reason why the business
mems associations of the various cit
les, acting through central body,
should not take the matter up. It is
one that properly comes within their
sphere, and when the attention of the
railways is called to it through such
medium, it is not likely to be ignor-
ed. provided. of course, that the Mon
tana shippers are in the right. There
may be no serious ground for com.
plant over the carload rate, | under.
stand, but every merchant knows that
the other rate have referred to is not
just.
Elmer F. Ross: The freight rates
to Montana. as they now stand, are
simply robbery. Any larger shipper
can cite instances to prove that,
will cite just one. On car load of
sugar from Ogden Utah. or the Ida
no factory. we pay exactly the same
rate as on car load of sugar from
the factories in California although
the haul from Ogden is some 800 miles
less than from California.
George J. Wiedeman: Do the freight
rates need adjusting? Well | should
say they do. There is no state in the
Union where more tariff is charged
per mile than in Montana and any
thing that will agitate the question is
good. That is why I am in favor OF
the Helena meeting or any other meet
ing that will take up this matter The
long haul on car loads needs fixing as
well as the local long haul Here is
the rate from Pittsburg to Montana
common points on certain class of
hardware. 1t is s1.17k per 100. The
rate on the same class to Portland,
Ore. is 72 cents. On less than car
leads it is even worse. To Montana
common points-that is Belgrade for
us-it is $1.73k per 100 pounds. To
Portland the rate on the same class
is $1.14. The only explanation the
railroads can give for this is that they
make those rates to Portland to COM
pete with a water haul But If they
are able to take the freight to Port
land for 72 cents. they ought to be
able to haul It half way there for
the same rate. Instances of this kini
can be multiplied indefinitely. My
best wishes are with the Helena meet.
ing.
Morris Sloan: am certainly in
favor of the attempt proposed to get
an adjustment of the Montana freight
rates through the action Of the bust
ness mems associations. There is no
hostility to the railroads in the move
ment-just legitimate effort to Sc
cure what is just and right. | believe
that when the matter is presented in
a business like way to the traffic Off
cials of the railroads something will
be accomplished in the way of adjust
ing the tariff
David Hilger: The best way to ad-
just freight rates is to induce another
road to come through. Do that. and
the rates will be adjusted in hurry
8. s. HObsOn: think it is very in.
oppOrtune to take the matter up Just
at this time. So far as this part Of the
state is concerned we want branch
lines as well as through lines to de.
velop the country. and we don't want
to follow any course that will nave a
tendency to keep the roads out. The
comparison OF rates on local transpor.
tatiOn In Montana and the thickly set.
tied portions of the middle states and
New England is no comparison at all.
The Northern Pacific railway has in
Montana. from east to west. about 800
miles Of track, and we have a popu.
lation Of only about 250.OOO people.
In the esatern states, a track Of the
same length would be serving 10000.
900 people. Anyone can see at a
glance the immense volume of bust.
ness done there, and that naturally
b I