The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-06-29
MankatO Business Men Are to
Be Heard Later.
WINONA IS WELL SATISFIED
Comm ission Listens to Considerable
Testimo ny, Hastings Sends in
Large Delegation.

st. Paul, June 2l.-Duluth added its
weight in the scale against the propos
ed reduction of state merchandise rates
In fact about nine tenths of the evidence
given the commission has been protest
from various business interests that fear
Il disturbance of the existing conditions.
Duluth wholesalers object on the the
Dry that the commissions maximum
schedule would be used by the railroads
as a minimum. 1t would reduce rates
from the twin cities to many points in
central and southern Minnesota, and no
corresponding reduction would be made
in the rate from Duluth. The same COM
plant has been made by Winona.
\ delegation from Hastings appeared
to favor reductions. James Manahan of
st. Paul presented the case rs attorney
for the Hastings interests. Three Man
kato business men were present. L. NJ.
Currier, James Spencer and Eugene Pat
terson. They will bring Mankato dele
CATION up later, at some date agreed on
with the commission.
Roger S. Powell handled the Duluth
case as attorney for the Commercial
club and jobbing interests. The Com
mercial club committee consisted of c..
f. Rowe of the MARSHALL Wells Hard
ware company, w. &. Buchanan of the
Stone OrdeanW company, wholcsal
ers, and F. O. DAWSON of the Kelley
Howe Thompson company, wholesale
hardware. Other Duluth witnesses were
B. w. Howe of the last named concern,
A. Ii. Comstock of the Marshall-W
company and r. c. Bruen of f. a. Pat
rick & Co., Wholesale dry goods.
MIR. Rowe said the proposed schedule
would work great detriment to their
business and in some eases shut them
out 1t would increase the differential in
favor of the twin cities in territory
south of the twin cities. from | to &
cents hundred. As their profit on
nails is only about ) cents Il hundred,
it would be practically wiped out.
Mr.. Buchanan gave some figures on
shipments of groceries. Taking Il sam
pie shipment to Sebeka, where the rates
are now the same from Duluth as from
the twin cities. he showed that under
the proposed schedule the rate would be
$3.4S from Duluth and 1927 from the
twin cities. The difference would
amount to 2% per cent of the cost of
the goods and 20 per cent of their profit.
On the same shipment to Browerville
there is now differential against Du
luth of II cents, and it would be in
creased to IA cents. In answer to Com
missioner Staples, Mr.. Buchanan admit
tie that his figures were based on the as
sumption that the railroads would not
deviate from the commissions max
imum tariff.
Mr.. Howe said that with Duluth al
most out of Minnesota territory, Chi
, cago would profit rather than the twin
cities. Speaking of distance traits, he
said that because of Duluth's position
on the lakes, if rates all over the coun-
try were made on a mileage basis, all
iobbing houses in Minnesota would be
at Duluth.
t. L. Brown of Winona made another
talk OF the damage the new schedule
would do that city, and f. Mcginniss of
that city, prominent jobber, added to
his former testimony. He estimated
Winona shipments in the ten classes af-
fected at 1000 tons a month, of which
% per cent is jobbers' shipments. He
corrected statements that Winona en-
| joys an advantage over the twin cities
on rates from Chicago and the east.
This advantage he said, was only a
first class business. less than car lots.
Jobbers' goods come in car lots, on
which one half Winona's rate is The
same as the twin cities. He estimtsed
that the proposed reduction would cut
Winona jobbers out of hree-fociths of
the territory they now cover.