The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-05-09
IN. D. EXPRESS RATE PROBE
BRINGSOUT INTERESTING FACTS
Stusman Declares That Problem is Deep One-Nort pa
kota Charges for Service Higher Than IN
the Older Settled States

Deferring any radical action that
might be deemed advisable in the mat
ter OF securing a reduction of the ex-
press rates effective in North Dakota
until such time as the Minnesota
railroad and warehouse commission
shall have concluded its fight for such
reduction, the North Dakota board
| of railroad commissioners is engaged
in making a thorough investigation of
the situation in this state. Already
the commission has secured an inn
mense amount of evidence on the
question, public hearings held at sew
eral points bringing forth allegations
of over charges involving many diff
ferent phazes.
Members of the state commission
w. n. Stutsman of Mandan, D. F. NJ
Anderson Of StarEweather, and w. H.
Mann Of New Salem, are the men
backing the investigation into alleged
exorbitant express rate charges
In discussing the work that has
been done up to the present time, and
the plans for future action, President
Stutsman of the hoard in an interview
5lNSu out HeF6s SAID.
Eliminate Discrimination.
In prosecuting this investigation
into express rates, we have not based
our work upon any scientific COM
plant, but rather we are making a
careful and more or less exhaustive
investigation of the situation with ref,
erence to express rates in this state
upon our own initiative with a view
or ascertaining whether, in our opinion,
there is any discrimination against
the shippers of North Dakota, so far
as local rates are concerned, and If so,
to discover methods by which such
discrimination can be done away with,
There have been a great many in
dividual complaints Of a more or less
trifiing nature, which, when taken I'D
alrect with the express companies,
turned out to be due largely to cleri-
cal errors or to mistakes and over
charges of the local agent.
There is no disputing the fact that
there is universal complaint among
the patrons of the express companies
in this state that high rates are
charged for local shipments. 1t is
acknowledge by the express com
panies that She rates in North Dakota
are higher than in more thickly settled
states, owing to the fact that the traf-
fic is not so heavy, but at the same
time they have one other chief obiec-
ton to reduction of the rates being
that it would tend to bring the rates
within reach of an undesirable class
Of business; in other words, that If
the rates were reduced, commodities
that are now shipped by freight would
be shipped by express and the ex-
press companies would be swamped
with business that they do not want.
A Delicate Proposition.
1.-THE adjustment Of matters SO that
both the objection of high rates on
one side and of undesirable business
on the other hand can be avoided. ID
delicate proposition and the whole
rate situation is one that must be an
preached, not only with a spirit of
fairness, but with intimate knowledge
OF the intricacies of the express bust
ness, and this Is not usually possessed
Dy the ordinary railroad commission,
y Tn view Of this fact, the first steps
taken by the North Dakota railroad
commission was the setting of hear
ing at Bismarck on March 1 to which
representatives of all the express com
panies doing business fin the state
were invited. This hearing was at
tended by d. s. Elliott, general man
ager of the Great Northern Express
company; ]. p Collins, auditor of the
Northern Pacific Express company
w. II. Burr, general traffic manager of
the Western Express company, and S.
A Davis, superintendent of the same
company. These men are experts in
the express. business and have spent
the better part of their lives working
out the problems that confront ex4
press companies. These gentlemen
met with the commission with the
same spirit in which they were invited
and throughout the hearing discussed
the questions arising with candor and
frankness, and apparently DESTROYS of
assisting the commission in every way