The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-01
NORTHERN !: !; PACIFIC
BOOKS QUESTIONED D
ORIGINAL ENTRY WANTED BY
HASTINGS ATTORNEY.
Rate Hearing Before State Railway
j Commission Takes Unexpected Turn
CONTROLLERS Explanation Of Chang
ing improvements and Betterments
Doubted by Shippers Representative
---Lawyers in Clash.

), James Manahan, representing ship
tpers of Hastings, created a sensation in
the merchandise rate hearing before the
railroad and warehouse commission at
the capitol today by asking to havera
formal request entered in the official
record of the proceedings, that the com
mission grant permission for an investi-
cation Of the original books Of record
Of the Northern Pacific road to ascer-
tain ~, whether or not certain large ex,
right accounts. 4
The request was made by MI. Mana
han in challenging evidence that with
Northern Pacific s income had decreased
in 1905, compared with 1908. s ..
IT wish to make application" said
Mr.. Manahan, "that we be permitted
to examine the railroad books Of orig
inal entry to see If they have not been
packed with entries which ought not to
be there.'n Mr.. Manahan asserted that
he believed with entries properly made
the comparative statistics would show
that the Great Northern made at least
10 per cent last year, and the Northern
Pacific little less. a..
MIR. Severance Objects.
Wlou W OU.cCt, SdlQ ". "A. S0V.
erance, attorney for the railroad inter
| ests, as the attorney making this re-
guest does not represent parties rightly
| interested in the general question now
| being examined into before this com
mission.' J,
The, point was taken under advise
controller Of the Northern Pacific, was
the witness examined most Of the morn
ing, and it was the statistics he pre-
scented which Mr.. Manahan questioned.
Mr.. Gray presented. figures showing
general information of income and dis
bursements of railroads in Minnesota.
| Most Of these figures related to the
two::year period from 1903 to 1905.
ings had decreased II "A per cent, while
in Iowa and Illinois they had increased
40 per cent. The relation of operating
expenses to gross earnings in Mime
sofa in 1908 was 1928 per cent; in
1905 51.79 per cent. The freight earn
ingss in Minnesota for 1908 were given
as 1926 per cent of income. The gain
from interstate business from 1908 to
1905 was 3O.47 per cent. In 1908 the
railroad earnings in this state mile,
gross, were $4,000; in 1905, $2,542.
The interstate business Of 1908 in Min
nesota was $685. a mile; in 1905,
$5,8o2. -:,-
| Mr' 'Vfay was QuesC1oned consluer-
twin cities. He stated that for the
Northern Pacific at st. Paul they
amounted to $76.15 a car, most of this
being Minnesota Transfer expense. This,
he stated, was not an economical prop
osition, but a necessary one. .,
Question of Spending Money.
| Mr.. Manahan asked Mr.. Gray num-
| har ~ ouae+iona a1o+ino tn Norfh
Pacific expenditures for repairs and bet
: terments, attempting to make the point
that the company charged up a lot Of
permanent" improvement to- " mainte-
nance" Mr.. Gray insisted that in all
cases where repairs exceeded in value
the structure or roadway, as it was
originally found, such excess cost was
ments and betterments. - ' -: ~,
There, was consideIrable fitting. be
tween the attorneys. Mr.. Severance OBJ
{ iected to Mr.. Manahan's asking Mr.
Gray what he termed immateria1 ques
tions, relative to statistics in cyl
dence." Mr.. Manahan hotly. responded
had ' asked ad1e Mo- Farangton Of T th
Great Northern e. lot Of questions "witl
no more relation to the question il
court than has Hindoo mythology" ant
to which questions Mr.. Harrington ha(
: replied with "reading a number O.
pages Of carefully prepared magazin'
:: s. G. stiekney, general manager o.
), the Great Western and also Of the Min
nesota Transfer company, was called a
: noon and questioned about the Northern
J, Pacifc's transfer business. He re
:. sponded he could not answer with sta
J, tistical information until allowed t.
: look. at the books He would prepar
~ la~ / ~. a..
mission tomorrow.
harrington Closes Testimony.
, Yesterdays proceedings before tn
| examination Of R. J. harrington, sec
ond vicepresident Of the Great North
ern. James Manahan asked that l
;. Minnesota furnished the outlet for tn
q Great Northern's great traffic fro1
;. titled to it's share Of the profits of tn
l. road. eve paid for our road,'' wa
@ Mr.. Farrington's reply. He adnitte
& that the state had helped the road cor
d siderably by large land grants. T. Nj
6 Harrington maintained, however, tina
k 1 the Minnesota railroad commission
u mot concerned in what the Great Nortl
d ern makes on interstate business.
g Mr.. Manahan asked if the conductor
d 4 now paid IT per cent more wages tina
l. nine years ago., do not make up for tht
3, increase in salaries by taking chare
= Of much larger trains. Mr.. Farringto
II replied that the running Of larger trair
d did not mean more work for the col
t. ductors.' f. -f-~
e Mr.. Manahan asked about rebates an
20 legislative expenditures. Mr.. Farrin,
ton replied that never has a voucher fl
IT 81 been paid for legislative expense
It and that under the present system
such money was paid without voucher
He denied knowledge of any rebat,
having been paid by the Great Mort
ern since the passage Of the Elkins LAY
a. This concluded the hearing so far
the Great Northern is concerned