The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-10-14
5 Railroad News
N. D. ROADS DID
not RAISE RATES
AT ABERDEEN RATE HEARING
STATEMENT MADE THAT
THEY REFUSED TO JOIN


grain rate hearing here before G. IA
Hlllyer, representing the Interstate
Commerce commission, the state rail-
| road commissioners, representing the
| state OF South Dakota, put on but
rev witnesses. Their first witness
was Doane Robinson, state historian
and statsstician, who showed that
| within the past Ave years, the num-
! Der OF acres of land under cultiva-
ton had increased from 1850. 600 to
100000 acres, and he argued that the
increased acreage, and corresponding
ly increased yields. had SO vastly in
| creased the business given the roads
that the present rates are excessive
to say nothing of the proposed in
crease. +. G. Robinson, a member of
the South Dakota railroad commits
! sion, was another witness for the
state, and he sought to show that the
claim of the roads that a high class
of equipment was required to handle
the grain trade was misleading. He
also submitted figures tending to
prove that the South Dakota rates
We're discriminatory by producing fig-
ures on rates from many points equi-
distant from the Duluth and Mime
apolis grain markets.
NJ. D. Roads Refused.
w. P. Trickett, representing the
Minneapolis Traffic association, took
the stand and testified that an at
temp had been made to induce the
North Dakota roads to join the South
Dakota roads in the proposed increase
put the North Dakota roads had re-
fused to increase their rates.
Henry Neill, representing the South
Dakota Millers association, brought a 4
new feature into the hearing by testi-
tying the millers were not asking for
a reduction of grain rates to points
outside the state, unless rates inside
the state were reduced. He said if
local rates could not be reduced, the
millers preferred to see the advance
rates go into effect. In the past de-
cade, according to the figures sub
mitted by Mr.. Neill, the flour mills
in the state had decreased in number
from ninty-one to sixty-six the in
vestment in such property had de-
creased from $4,500,0O0 to $4,000. 900, !
and the daily capacity had been cut
from $500 to 1900 barrels of -four. |
time there had been a decrease on in
terstate rates from Al to A per cent, |
but there had been absolutely no de- !
crease in the rate for short hauls !
within the state.
At this point, G.. NJ Bowers, presi- |
dent of the Farmers Grain Dealers
association of South Dakota, who was
present at the hearing, arose and l
asked permission of the examiner to
be heard. Mr.. Bowers called in uues-
ton some of Mr.. Neills statements
and insisted that IL the miIlers Of
South Dakota were going out of bust
ness it was not because of the freight
rates, but because they sold their
flour in their own neighborhood no
cheaper than the Minneapolis millers
sold theirs, in the same neighborhood,
after freight was paid from the twin
cities to South Dakota points. He
argued it was not high freight rates,
out the attempt of South Dakota mill
ers to make South Dakotans pay
freight charges on flour that had
never had been shipped that was ]
the trouble to the milling in
iustry. Turning to the railroad at
orneys, Mr.. Bowers made strong
protest against the manner in which
stating that the farmers, the ones
most directly interested, had not been :
Notified of the meeting and had been
10 opportunity to present their side
# the case.
Later in the day, at a meeting of
he officers and directors of the
farmers Grain Dealers association
eld at the Sherman hotel in Aber-
een, it was decided that the asso-
iation should take up the fight the
rain rates of the state. A complaint
1ill at once be formulated and pre-
ented to the state railroad commits
ion for it's action. The directors and
Ulcers expressed themselves as being
ully aware of the difficulties of the
Undertaking, but determined to secure
reduction in rates if possible to do
o.
The primary object of the meeting
the Grain Dealers association Of
GERS, was to choose a time and place
,r the annual meeting Aberdeen
lay be chosen, although the recent
of the auditorium here
lakes it difficult to entertain large
roWds, and the association brings
elegatlons aggregating from 5000 to
500 members.
Minhaal WaInh naad