The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-09
HASTINGS CASES
BROUGHT TO END
COMMISSIONER 'PRoUTY AID
JoURNs RATE HEARING.
Railroad Officials Unable to Supply
Blanks in Contract Filed with State,
and Tell How Coal Rate Is Divided
Grain and Livestock Rates Are Con-
sidered. .- ID %'.

Grain and Livestock Rates Are Con-
sidered. ID "''
Testimony in the Hastings cases be-
fore the interstate commerce commits
sion was finished this afternoon in St.
Paul, and Commissioner, Prouty adj
journed the hearing. The compliments
have thirty.days in which to file brief.
and the Milwaukee attorneys ten days
for a reply. Then, if either side desires
oral argument, they will be heard by
the whole commission at Washington.
Hastings was unable to prove directly
how the joint rate on coal from Duluth
to Hastings is divided between the Mil
waukee and the, line from Duluth to
the twin cities. G.. F. Staples of the
state railroad commission produced the
contract between the Milwaukee and
the Northern Pacific, filed with the COM
mission. This is the traffic agreement
made with the two roads when the Nor
thern Pacific acquired the ST.. Paul &
Duluth. 1t provides for division of
the grain and coal rates on the basis
of the two locals, as stated in the con-
tract, but the copy filed with. the COM
! mission has blanks where the figures
ought to be. u
Vice President Hiland of the Mil
waukee had returned to Chicago, and
the two traffic officials present today
declared their Ignorance of the con
tract s terms. They could not fill in
the blanks. The books of the company
ght show, but the divisions made by
the accountants did not pass thru their
! hands. H. E. Pierpont of Chicago and
J. T. Conley Of Minneapolis, both as
sistant general freight agents of the
system, were put on the stand by the
complainants and worried hard, but the
/ information was not elected.
| George S. Lotus, who is assisting
the complainants, then took the stanC
and testified to the divisions made SIX
years ago, when he was rchief clerk il
! the freight department. Of the St. Pau
& Duluth. The Milwaukee attorneys
Messrs. Root and Jefferson, objected tc
LOTUS testimony because it did no
prove anything as to the Northern Pa
cifc, but Commissioner Prouty ruled i
was material. -'
Got Only go Gents.
Mr. LOTUS testified that the ST. Pau
& Duluth ordinarily got 80 cents o:
the thru rate on hard coal and IS cent
on soft coal, but by competition from
Lake Michigan reductions were mad
necessary, and there were contracts b.
which they only got: 60 cents on ship
ments delivered to the Milwaukee am
the Minneapolis & St. Louis. That ba
sis obtained for two years to his knowl
edge. This 60-cent proportion applie'
on shipments to Hastings, for whic]
$l.75 ton was charged.
The traffic men declared this wa
not material. The only question wa
whether the joint rate was reasonable
Mr.. Pierpont refused to give any esti
mate as to what rate would be reason
able, but thought 60, cents would no
be remunerative for 1872 miles.
Il Commissioner : PfoutY directed tn
witness to find out what division wa
made between the N orthern Pacific an
Milwaukee on coal shipped to Alton b.
way Of Saltwater, and to file it as par
Of his testimony. 1t was admitted tina
Saltwater gets the same rate as tn
twin cities.
/ e., Milwaukee-N. P. Contract.
The contract produced by Mr.: Sta
are two articles, and the Milwaukee
may elect which it will work under. b
the first article the Northern Pacific
to handle all shipments from Duluth t
: the twin cities; under the second, how
ever, the Milwaukee may elect to ru
. it's own trains over the old St. Paul (
J: Duluth line. : - ..,:..~- ~
i The grain rate was considered briefly
Louis Medere of Hastings testified tina
the rate to Michigan points used to b.
the same from Hastings as from Min
neapolis, 1919 cents. but that in Novem
Der, 1904. Hastings was raised to 20H
cents, the sum Of the Minneapolis rat
and the Hastings local to Minneapolis
H. E. Pierpont declared that it wa
an oversight ever to have given the in
termediate points the same rate as Min
neapolis. The 151b cent rate wa
based on the 711b cent proportional fror
Minneapolis. and was forced by compe
tition of the 500 and water routes t
: Michigan. The Milwaukee gets ~
!, cents as rule, but sometimes less.
G. s. LOTUS declared that the So
, made the same rate to it's Intermediate
E points, and that this was done purpose
= ly by the Milwaukee at the instance o
Minneapolis man having interests a
= Red Wing, and of G. E. Conn, then wit
t the Pere Marquette. but now genera
= freight agent of the 500. Mr. Root O
| the Milwaukee declared that the 500
! grain shipments from local points wer
= too small to be material, and this Nj
+ LOTUS disputed. .;.-s -. -.
Dispute Among Railroad Men.
: An amusing incident was the seaso
of trouble the Milwaukee officials ha
with one of their own men, E.. G. Mag
1 nor, joint agent at South st. Paul. H
. testified that they frequently shippe
: stock TO Chicago on the 25-cent loo;
y rate. To get the proportional rat
t shippers must show an expense bill il
e proving that the stock had originate