The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-04-03
Editor Billings Gazette:

the caption, The Helena Hog" AMI.
while ! am not called upon to reply
deem 1t my duty. to call the attention
of the merchants Of the state, particu
larly the large shippers. that The
time Is opportunel for complete state.
organization. this organization to ssJ
sist the state railroad commission in
every way possible @ Nm
After Organization the first thing 10
secure would be the services Of a com
petent attorney, to be on hand 4.
every hearing or public meeting Of
the commission, amply qualified n
armed with facts and figures, who
could make q counter showing to the
able and high salaried attorneys OF
the different roads running through
the state.
We ell well know that the railroads
are thoroughly organized for this
fight, and have facts and figures at
their command that tend to throw a
very bright and favorable light upon
their side Of the question, while the
interested merchants manufacturers,
jobbers and large shippers are handi-
capped without a state organization
and are at present all at sea, acting
Independently and at purposes.
The shippers, merchants, manufac-
turers and jobbers Of Helena have an
Organization composed Of most Of the
leading interests Of this city, called
the Merchants and Manufacturers As
ISOLATION Of Helena, organized for the
purpose Of looking into freight rates.
This association is separate and dis
tinct from the commercial club, which
lis more Of a local institution COM
posed OF all branches and professions
who are most Of them not directly In
terested IN the one matter Of freight.
I draw from your editorial that
your informant, who says that the
wholesalers Of Helena threw cold
water upon the proposition of.a state
traffic or freight association, did not
talk with any member or members
Of the Merchants and Manufacturers
association that were fully advised of
any concerted action.
II. is most important in effecting the
organization Of q state association
that all considerations other than the
welfare Of each individual member or
firm be eliminated, and that all should
work together for the common good.
I distinctly remember attending a
business mems meeting at Billings,
at which meeting a state organiza-
tion was talked Of but never onsum
mated. It appeared to some Of us
that the project Of the then contem-
plated beet sugar factory at Billings
had something to do with the failure
Of the proposed Organization.
We should certainly not blame the
railroads, and particularly those who
are employed by the roads to bolster
up their cause by thorough organize
ton, and in this way maintain what
appears to us unjustly high freight
rates through thoroughly organized
and ef1cient work before both the
state and the interstate commissions.
An instance of apparently unjust
rates is cited for n example. The
rate on oats shipped from the Gallatin
valley to Duluth or Minneapolis Is. 35
cents per 100 pounds. while the rate
on the same from st. Paul or Mime
sofa to Chicago, not quite one-half the
distance is only ~ cents per hun
dred. Cascade and Chouteau coun-
ties pay more for a like distance than
Gallatin. From this example and
hundreds of others tnat might be
cited 1t is high time that a thoroughly
live state trafic or freight association
should be formed and the stock inter.
ests Of the state should join with the
merchants, manufacturers and large
shippers Of the state to perfect such
an organization.
In consulting with the secretary of
the Merchants and Manufacturers as
ISOLATION Of Helena I find that the
Billings interests r mistaken In
the intention Of the state commission
in calling this last conference. The In