The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-12-27
BETTER FREIGHT RATES
QUESTION THAT is OF VAST IN.
TEREsT TO NORFOLK.
LOCATION FOR JoeBlNe CENTER
Norfolk Occupies the Same Relative
Position as Lincoln as a Wholesale
Point, But Rats Must be Adjusted
TO Make II One.

Position as Lincoln as a wholesale
Point, But Rats Must be Adjusted
TO Make II One.
Editor News: The fine reception
given to the local officials of the
Northwestern railroad under the aus.
pieces of the Commercial club at the
opening of their new depot begins an
era OF adequate and convenient depot
facilities within our city: some one
had said, "Give us depot adequate
TO our present needs and commensu-
rate with our prospects," but II only
the first condition of this statement
is met, It will please us very much
II must be that now the Union Pa
cfic will "slt up and take notice." hav.
ing in mind particularly the great diff
ference in the proportion of their pres
ent traffic in and out of Norfolk COM
pared with the early sos, our older
settlers will remember that In the
early SOS we had the present Union
Pacific station and the station at the
IGnction with only mixed freight and
passenger trains on both roads In and
out of Norfolk, and at that time the
bulk of the freight and passenger busi-
ness in and out of Norfolk was trans
acted by the Union Pacific road. J.
G.. Pollock. now think of Omaha was
the Union Pacific agent for several
years during this period. AS matter
OF fact suppose that II now the I'm
ion Pacific road were to determine to
build a good passenger station here,
probably eclipsing the new station OF
the Northwestern, and put on train
or perhaps a bob-tailed motor like the
one running to Bonesteel leaving Nor
folk for Omaha, say 6 o'clock in the
morning so that we could have five
to six hours in that city, returning
either on the motor or on the regular
train reaching here at $50, they would
probably increase their passenger and
perhaps their freight traffic, as the
new depot would get them in the pub
lie eye, revive at least to some extent
their old popularity and the better
train service to Omaha would be I'M
doubtedly popular thing.
1t is probably as plain as anything
in the future can be that in addition
to the good, adequate, up-to-date, COM
mensurate depot facilities we need
more than anything else freight rate
that will establish wholesaling and
jobbing houses and factories in our
city without which, In sufficient num-
Der to employ several hundred operat-
ors, we have practically reached the
limit of our population, and as the sum
total of the railroad freight business
to Nebraska for the next twenty-five
years will be just so much without
regard to whether Norfolk has 10000
or $4,000 in 1888, it would seem that
with a railroad commission to adjust
rates, our problem involves us with
our competitive towns rather than the
railroads. For instance, Lincoln is
practically the same distance from the
Missouri river-which is the great di-
viding line in the field of freight rates
that Norfolk Is, and while Lincoln
adds only a differential of five cents
per hundred to Missouri river or the
Omaha rate, Norfolk is taxed three or
four times that much, which would
seem to be a plain discrimination
against Norfolk and against every
town in northeastern Nebraska which
would undoubtedly get the benefit of
the lower rate to Norfolk. We are
quite fond of stating that Norfolk oc-
cupies geographically the same posi-
tion in Northeastern Nebraska that
Lincoln does in southeastern Nebras-
t-o l., , Il, . ,e ole t.,,n hot
we have abundant shipping facilities
to cover the tributary territory prac-
tically as we'll as Lincoln does, so that
if Norfolk were allowed to handle her
freight traffic on as favorable terms
as Lincoln has been doing for the past
twenty years, the result would be of
great advantage to us all-that is, to
Norfolk and all northern Nebraska.
OF course, we have to bear in mind
that when Lincoln was given this con-
Cession, she had somewhat more popu-
lation than we have and was also the
capital of the state, at the same time
the freight rate in such cases is not
altogether or perhaps even largely a
matter of the particular town to which
the rate is given, as it affects more in
dividuals in the tributary territory
than in the towns.
Why not make a little campaign on
this basis, Mr.. News, and get the peo-
pie to talking about it. A good slo-
gan would be a five-cent differential
from the Missouri river for Norfolk.
Yours very truly,
A. j. Durland.