The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-10-19
Manl<atO Business Men APP
pear Before X. w. Ill. &.
PROTEST AGAINST THE RATES
They Seek to Gain a Substantial Re.
duc.ion on Coal, Lumber, Poles
ard other Commodities.
lrRoM rHE ST. PAUL DESPATCH


the state railroad and warehouse COM
mission today and they contended that
the railroads OF the state were discrimi-
mating as to freight charges between
NIankato and Duluth and the twin cities
and Duluth to the detriment of the Blue
Earth county town.
One of the witnesses on the stand
stated that 10000 people in Blue Earth
county would each he benefited to the
extent of SIS each. were the railroad
and warehouse commission disposed to
reduce the rates to Mankato to an equit-
able basis. He said such Il reduction
would amount to saving OF Sl3O,O0O to
the people.
c. y. Andrews testified that there was
theory that must be applied and this
was that the railroads had thought Il
reasonable rate on freight was | cent
for three miles But the roads had not
followed out this principle when they
charged !, rate of | cent for every nine
or ten miles from ST. Paul to AIankato.
Nix Andrews said that Mankato pays
Il rate OF three times as much for lum-
Der hauled from the northern part of
the state than do st. Paul and Mime
apolis dealers. The through rate on lum-
Der was 10 cents and he believed that
Mankato ougth to have Il rate of three
cents. He declared that rates on poles
Were 'sadly out of harmony with what
i reasonable
Thomas Eughes, rs a representative Of
the Mankato Board of Trade and Com
mercial club. testified that the rate on
both hard and soft coal was excessive.
The rate on hard coal from Duluth to
st. Paul was $l.25, whereas the rate be
tween those points on soft coal was 90
cents.
But Mankato has to pay rate of
$225.'' said the witness. This rate holds
good to 81 James and Elmore. They
add 81 within 20 miles of st. Paul, while
then the coal goes beyond Mankato 80
to 20 miles. only 80 cents extra is
charged. This is discriminating against
Aiankato. While we are nearer to the
Iowa mines than either st. Paul or
Minneapolis, we are paying more than
ID of what these cities pay. We think
that the. rate should be reduced in the
transportation of hard coal. TO raise
the charge of 81 i'll a short distance of
20 miles and to haul it for longer dis
lance with only IL slight increase, we
think it unfair
I'VE pay more than double rates in
the transportation of lumber From
bemidii to st. Paul. distance of 22S
miles, the rate is only GE, cents. while
from St Paul to Mankato alone. a dis
lance of So miles. the rate is AZ. cents
additional This rate is almost ,prohibi-
tory.
''On grain we pay IL rate OF ID cents
per hundred pounds from Duluth to Man
kato. while the rate from Duluth to st.
10 cents for Sc miles and only ) cents
for l1G miles, the distance between St.
Paul and Duluth
Attorney Manahan asked: ''Nou would
not assume that IL rate of $l.5D would
be Il fair rate on coal to Mankato. would
you:7
4 4 -
would be better than the present situa-
ton"
F. NJ Currier, a confectionery manu-
facturer of Mankato, stated that he
thought that Mankato was entitled to
benefit by reason of its geographical
situation. AIankato never had had the
benefit of Duluth, which port, he main
tanned. was Il natural outlet for Man
kato. But it is the policy of the st.
the traffic to Chicago so that they can
get the benefit of the long haul
This is clearly unjust said Mr. Cur
ricr. The rate on grain is four times
what it is from the twin cities, and
the rate on fuel two times what it is
there per ton per mile. This is Il SER
ious question and effects every man. wo-
man and child in Mankato. | say this
by way of recapitulation of what the
Others have said. We can't compete with
other points when we are Disseminated
against i'll this way"
The. witness read letter from r. T.