Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1907-02-02

moving in like direction with grain.
The commission believes that when
the coal shortage became marked, !;
both before and after the railroads be-
came blocked by the unusual storms,
the railway managers directed their
division uperintenden to closely
watch the coal shortage situation, and
to give fuel shipments preference over
other commodities and where found
necessary, to furnish engine coal to
relieve situation.
The commission therefore believes
that the transportation companies are
not the only ones to be blamed for.
the fuel shortage.
The commission has avoided, as
much as possible loss Of life to be-
occasioned thereby It does not at
this time, in the midst Of an aim st
unprecedented storm period, believe
that the danger OF casualties Is such
as might be Inferred from your Re 8o.55
tuition. Your body knows that we are
but a few years removed from the
straw burning period, and that during
that era we did not freeze nor were
we told that we were in imminent
danger Of freezing. However, we.
have outgrown that period and the
people Of our state demand, and are
entitled to the fuel that their money
will buy. The commission further be-
lieves that under ordinary winter con
isditions there would have been ve,-Y
little if any coal shortage 3335
AT present, some branch lines have
been blocked by the storms and not
lreopened for apparently an unreason-
able length Of time. The commission
knows that there is scarcity Of fuel
15on such lines but in all cases reported,
fuel is being delivered in limited guam
titles where trains can be gotten
| through !553
Regarding the movement Of grain,
the commission begs leave to say, that
| 1T does not believe that as many cars
LOT grain were moved to the terminals
as in a like period in 1905. This may
or may not have been caused by the
Increased movement Of other COM
modities in both directions, creating a
congestion Of traffic and thereby de-
fcreasing the normal car mileage. It
may or may not have been caused by
the congestion at terminals, but it is
not believed to have. been caused by
the inability Of the terminal elevators
to handle all the grain offered.
Before assuming the railway man.
lagements have purposaly delayed the
movement of cars, it is worth while
to look for their motive for so doing.
A railroad company's earning are de.
rived mainly from freight shipments,
cons equently anything which delays
the freight movement decreases the
earnings of the roads The motive
for delay would therefore not be a
monetary one. ~ III
Some suggest that the motive is
revenge, and that the car shortage
object lesson given the people is to-
Iintimidate them from enacting further
adverse legislation On this point we
will say. that our people can not be So
controlled, and the management 81
great corporations are not likely to
t5curtail their earnings III order to show
malice, also that the several trunk
Hines in this state are not all working
in harmony, and that the Milwaukee
railway. with only a few branch lines
in the state, has failed to take care
iof its grain shipments or to furnish
cars as requested, although in prev
ious years it has given good service
for the most part. 8Ss nj
The extreme congestion In the state
during the grain moving period is per
haps partly because Of the rapid de-
i7velopment Of North Dakota during the
past FIVE years, and the building 2of
numerous branch and cross lines of
road. Such growth and develop
ment has not been equaled ii the
history Of this or any other state iii
the union The building of the num-
erous branch lines has brought the
market nearer to the farmers, doors
and occasioned a more rapid delivery
Of grain to the local elevators The
center Of grain production has moved
at least one hundred miles westward
In the past Ave years, thereby increas-
Ing the haul to the terminal market.
T. II therefore no wonder that CON
gestion is and will be great, as, III
the first instance, q much greater
amount OF grain can be thrown on the
market In a given time than formerly.
and in the second instance, the III.
creased haul adds to the time III.
|quired to deliver cars to terminals and
secure their return To the initial point.
Railway managers contend that