The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1910-05-25
WEDNESDAY, MAY %, 1910.
MONTANA FREIGHT RATES.

The members of the United States
senate given some instructive
and interesting facts about railroad
rates the other day, when Senate
Jos. Nj. Dixon, of Montana, made q
speech in support Of his amendment
to the railroad bill requiring that the
charge for q short haul shall not be
greater than the charge for q longer
haul of which it forms Q part. The
injustice of the discrimination against
certain communities as now pr acticed,
and which was clearly exposed by the
Montana senator, a. not challenged
by Senator Elkins, leader of the rail.
road forces in the senate, whose only
excuse for opposition to the proposed
reform was the allegation that it
would cause chaotic conditions in
railroad affairs throughout the coun-
try.
The people of Montana have been
aware, in q general way, Of the fact
that freight charges exacted from
them by the railroads are unreasonable
and oppressive, but the extent of this
extortion-in dollars and cents-was
q feature of the stu ration with which
they we're not familiar. This defcien-
cy vas supplied in part by Senator
Dixon in the course of his rem arks,
specific instances of exorbitant rates
to Montana points being quoted from
official railroad freight sheets.
A few examples will convince any
iair.minded person that Montana citi.
zens have just cause for protest
against the excessive tribute paid by
them to the railroads. On cotton
goods, duck and denims, for instance,
q comparison Of freight rates per 100
pounds gives this convincing exhibit:
New York to
Seattle, 800 miles 5000
Spokane, 2, 700 miles,. LIS
Missoula, 2,450 miles 80. 1881
A merchant In Seattle receives q
shipment lof these goods from New
York, the shipment passing through
Missoula and Spokane on its way tt
Seattle, and pays freight charges q
the rate of 80 cents per hundred weight
On the same train was a consignment
of the same class of goods to a mer
chant at MissOula, and upon arriving
at that place the shipment is unloadei
and the Missoula merchau confronted
with a freight bill at thesrate of s3.3l
per cwt. Had this consignment gone
through to Seattle,s about $50 miles
longer haul, the rate would have beer
80 cents instead OF So 81 per cwt. 1
unloaded at Spokane, a haul abou
400 miles less thanlto Seattle, the rate
would have been 81. Is per cwt.
Another peculiar feature Of the sit
uation isithe factithat the rate upor
this class Of goods from Chicago tc
Spokane and Seattle ia exactly tn
same as the rate from New York, al
though the d~istanceSis about $50 miles
Lees. On the face OF the exhibit, thu
railroads in the fret. instance appear
to haul the shipment from New Yorl
to Chicago free OF charge. From St
Paul to Seattle, the same rate of q
cents perltcwt. still applies to thi'
class Of goods, !while from Chicago o.
St. Paul to Missoula the rate Is 1913
per cwt. observation-disclosures form
freight rate puzzle that it is impossi
bic to explain.
Another illustration OF peculiaI
rates appears In the case of canne'
goods, the charge per 100 pounds be
ing as follows:
New York to
Seattle, 3, 100 miles ......$ 0.9 5
Spokane, 2, ZOO miles,. LAB
Missoula, 2,42O miles 80. 1.60
Many other illustr atoms of a simi
lar nature might be given, all con
frming the claim OF Montana citizen
that they are not getting q square dea
from the railroads.