The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-26
Three Methods Of Favoring Shipper.
Revealed by Present Inquiry.
Absorption of Elevation and
Switching Charges Is
Viewed Askance.
The Allowance for Grain
Doors Is also Under
>. Close Scrutiny.

Three forms Of freight rebates are
said to have been unearthed by the
special federal grand jury, which has
been studying the discrimination sys-
tenn practiced by certain of the ten
twin city lines. -aa.t
One Of these is the absorption Of
elevation charges; another is the alb
sorption of switching charges; third
is the manipulation Of allowances for
grain doors in freight cars.
All Take the Hint.
All Of these rebates are said to have
been discontinued when it became
noised about the Chamber Of Com
merce that at least one firm was wax
ing fat on special concessions. Other
elevator lines which attempted to get
in on. the favors were turned down, it
is said, which, of course, at once Gre
ated discrimination. Direct evidence
was submitted to this effect.
The absorption Of elevation charges
is defended by one Of the lines as hav--
agga bafR Il re sa Of Man
apolis terminal elevators like other
roads, andsit had no wheat-growing
area on its system. It is suspected,
however, that lines which had terminal
elevators and also a wheat area, indul-
gently absorbed elevation charges as
part Of the freight rate, or at the rate
Of IL cents a hundred pounds.
Switching Charge Count.
Switching charge absorption is an
other ingenious form of harmless APP
pearing rebate which the jury is I'M
apolis-Duluth lines which have APP
peared before the jury are believed to
be under suspicion. The explanation
Of the second form Of discrimination is
| simple. r.. ..
| Should the Omaha road accept
shipment of grain from its southwest
ern wheat growing area for Duluth,
no switching charges would ensue in
transit thru Minneapolis, as the Omaha
has Minneapolis-Du Duluth line as well
and the shipments would not go off it's
rails. IF the shipper had decreed that
the shipment should go nOmaha road
| cifc road Minneapolis to Duluth the
Northern Pacific would be permitted by
the interstate commerce commission to
| absorb the charges at Minneapolis as
from competitive territory. If the st.
Louis road should receive a Duluth
shipment from it's South Dakota wheat
territory it must, turn the cars over
| TO a-DuluCl line aJ M1un6apOllS DIS 1t
has no head-of-the-lak line itself.
Should the shipment he ordered to go
to Duluth from Minneapolis over the
Great Northern it would be illegal for
that line to absorb the switching
charges, as it would be discrimin-
ative concession to a non competitive
territory. '.0. ~,
! Grain Door Charge.
The third concession amounts to
$1.60 a car, the charge for the grain
boards placed in front of the car doors
to restrain the grain. The rebate is
said to have arisen from the fact that
one Of the grain elevator companies
was permitted to remove the grain
! doors from empty cars and place them
in cars to be loaded, and still the ex
pense allowance was made.
Further interesting evidence in re
gard to elevation charge allowances
was the tracing Of cars on Duluth ship
ments which never reached elevator:
at that point and on which the eleva
ton expense was absorbed.
It is the general feeling among tn,
witnesses that have been subpenaet
that the Investigation Of the fedora
jury has just begun, SO far as tn,
grain shippers are concerned, and tina
many of the big elevator lines will
have to come up and toe the mark.