The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1907-02-08

on the part of the com mission
to either favor complainants or
defendant railways. :.
The commission takes excep-
ton to that part of your resolu-
ton declaring that the lives of
the citizens of the state have
been endangered on account of
the great scarcity of fuel be-
cause of the negligence of the
railroad companies. It believes
that investigation will disclose
the fact that the railways
operating in this state, notified
the coal dealers of impending
congestion in traffic, on ac-
count of the fall grain move
ment, and advised the rushing
of coal shipments prior to the
anticipated congestion. That
this advice was not fully heed
ed, possibly because of the
promised reduction in freight
rates, which was published to
take effect on Oct. 10, 1905, we
believe. The shortage of labor,
or other causes, have prevent
ed the usual stock of coal be-
ing accumulated on the docks
at the head of the lakes, or the
usual production at our own
mines. 1t is probable that
under ordinary conditions, the
carrier companies would favor
the long haul to the westward,
in preference to the short haul
Of native coal to the eastward
at the time of the year when it
was moving in like direction
with grain. The commission
believes that when the coal
shortage became marked, both
before and after the railroads
became blocked by the unusual
storms, the railway managers
directed their division super
intendents to closely watch the
coal shortage situation, and to
give fuel shipments preference
ever other commodities and
where found necessary, to
furnish engine coal to relieve
the 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, advertis-
ing the fuel shortage or the
loss of life or rather the posi-
BILE loss of life to be occasioned
thereby. 1t does not at this
time, in the midst of an almost
unprecedented storm period,
believe that the danger of
casualties is such as might be
inferred from your resolution.
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. Howev ver, we
have out grown that period and
the people of our state demand
and are entitled to the fuel that
their money will buy. The
commission further believes
that under ordinary winter
conditions they would have
been very little of any coal
shortage.
At present some branch lines
have been blocked by the
storms and not reopened for
apparently an unreasonable
length of time. The com
mission knows that there is a
scarcity of fuel on such lines,
but in all cases reported, fuel
is being delivered in limited
quantities where trains can be
cotton through.
Regarding the movement of
grain, the commission begs
leave to say, that it does not
believe that as many cars of
grain were moved to the
terminals as in like period in
1905. This may or may! not
have been caused by the in
creased movement of other
commodities in both directions,
creating a. congestion of traffic
and thereby decreasing 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 that. the
railway managements have
purposely delayed the move
ment Of grain, it is worth while
4 4 r 4 /. a e.