Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-12-26
ALL IMPORTANT
RAILROAD POINT
GREAT QUESTION BEFORE THE
RATE COMMISSION.
INVOLVES. SIDE TRACKS
Question Raised by Harvey Clark of
GAINESVILLE as TO Right to Compel
One Road to Place Its Terminal
Facilities at Disposal of Other
Lines.

The biggest matter that has come
before the wisconsin railroad rate
commission developed in a hearing
Friday on the complaint of Harvey
Clark, superintendent of the state
school for the blind at GAINESVILLE,
against the Chicago, Milwaukee &
st. Paul Railroad company 1t is the
question whether the Wisconsin law
lays upon one railroad the duty of
placing its terminal facilities at the
disposal of raffic shipped on other
or competing lines.
TIE state board of control gets ice
from the northern asylum at Winnie
bago and ships it to the state school
for the blind at GAINESVILLE. The
Northwestern company runs from
Winnebago to Evansville. and the
Milwaukee road has d side track at
the school for the blind two miles
from the city. 1t was desired to have
the Milwaukee road take the North
western cars and switch them to the
school, but the road demanded a dis
lance tariff for the service, which
was so high as TO be prohibitive, and
thus the complaint came before the
commission.
The Wisconsin railroad rate COM
mission law, as originally enacted at
the regular session of 1905, provided,
in section II as follows:
Interchange of Traf'c. Section II.
All railroads shall afford al reason
able and PROPER facilities for the in
terch ange of traffic between their re-
spectve lines for forwarding and de-
liyeriug passengers and property,
and shall transfer and deliver with
out unreasonable delay or discrimina-
ton any freight or cars, loaded or
empty, or any passengers destined to
any point on its own or connecting
lines, provided that precedence over
other freight shall be given to live
stock and perishable freight" The
commission Is also given control over
private tracks.
Law Made More Specific.
At the special session a year ago
this month, an amendment was en-.
acted to the law, providing also that
all reads should switch for a rea-
sonable compensation and deliver
without unreasonable delay or dis
elimination. any freight or cars, load
ed or empty. destined to any point on
its tracks or any connecting lines
It is said that there is an interest
ing history to this amendment, that
it was pressed to adoption by a for
mer member of the faction which OPP
posed the regulation of railroads by
the state, and that his purpose was
to place at the disposal of a small
road in which he is interested. sthe
large and complete terminal. facili-
ties of another.
Means Much for Small Companies.
The Importance of this point is
more readily appreciated by people
who realize what it would mean for
a smaller company to have at it's dis
posal all the terminal faci, ties of a
larger company; for example. if the
Milwaukee Southern, simply by rum
ming into Milwaukee, without any ter,
minal switching facilities to speak
of, could compel the Northwestern
and the Milwaukee roads to switch
any cars the Southern brought into
Milwaukee. and deliver them to any
of the great or small industrial
plants served by the terminal sys-
TENS of the larger companies,-and,
moreover. to do it at rate of com
pensation not determined by the
larger company on any computation
which considers business competi-
ton, but upon a rate which the state
commission shall determine to be
| reasonable and not discriminatory
based upon the cost of the service.
1t is believed that as the complaint
of Mr.. Clark opens up this great
question, it presents the most import
ant matter that has yet been before
the commission, not excepting the
two-cent passenger fare matter or the
general reduction of the rates on
grain. The Importance Of this point
viii also be appreciated by manufac-
turers, wholesalers and others in
business who have had to grumble
and pay what they have believed to
he unreasonable charges for securing
the transfer and switching of car
from one railroad company's tracks
10 those of another