The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1911-01-20
SUMMARY OF THE WORK
OF THE R. R. COMMISSION

OF THE R. R. COMMISSION
Agreeable to the provisions OF
Senate Bill No. 81, passed at the
. Eleventh session of the legislature
of this state and known as Chapter
. Is, of the 1909 Session Laws, a
number Of complaints have been
prosecuted by this Commission be-
fore the Interstate Commerce Com
mission.
On the 8th day of July, 1910,
while this commission was in Chica-
go attending upon the hearing in
the taking of testimony In the pass
enger rate case and the investigation
of other complaints, it was brought
to the attention of this Commission
that several railway companies do
ing business in South Dakota had
filed in the office of the Interstate
Commerce Commission tariffs Of
/ rates proposing to advance the rates
on grain from South Dakota points
to the terminal markets from one
half to three cents per hundred
pounds to take effect August 1, 1910.
A conference was Immediately held
between the Commission, the Attor-
ney General and attorney for the
Commission, and as a re-
suit Of that conference 4
telegram was sent to the
terence telegram was sent to the
Interstate Commerce Commission re-
questing the suspension of these tar
could be held into their reasonable
ifs of rates until an investigation
could be held intotheir reasonable
ness and at the same time kilograms
were sent to the Board of Railroad
Commissioners of the states of Wis
consin, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Ne
braska, Wyoming, North Dakota, and
Minnesota, requesting a conference
at st. Paul on the 18th of July for
the purpose of taking united action
-.
At the hearing in st. Paul on the
18th of July in addition to the mem
bers of this Commission, there were
present the Iowa, North Dakota, and
Minnesota Commissioners and as a
result of that conference joint pro-
test was sent to the Interstate Com
1nerce Commission requesting the
suspension of the proposed schedule
to advance the grain rates for a
time sufficient to enable the Inter-
state Commerce Commission to con-
duct an investigation as to their rea-
sonableness. AS a result of the tel
egram sent by this Commission from
Chicago on the 9Th and of the joint
protest sent from St. Paul on the
18th, the rates were suspended until
November 1. A complaint was i'm
mediately prepared and filed with
the Interstate Commerce Commission
by the attorney for this Commission
attacking, not only the proposed in
crease of grain rates from South Da-
kota points, but the present rates on
grain from South Dakota points to
the terminal markets. A hearing
was had at Aberdeen on October 10,
and II, 1910. before Examiner Hill
yer of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission. At this hearing the Mime
apolis Traffic Association, the Du-
luth Board of Trade, the Superior
Board of Trade and the North Dako-
ia Railroad Commission, INTERVIEWED
to assist this Commission in estab-
fishing it's case against the proposed
advance in grain rates. At this
hearing the Miller's Association of
South Dakota interviewed on behalf
of the railroads and asked that the
interstate rate on grain from South
Dakota points to the terminal mar
kets be raised. Since the hearing,
the Omaha Grain Exchange, of Oma-
ha, Nebraska, has interviewed in this
South Dakota Commission in pre-
case for the purpose of assisting the
venting the proposed increase in
grain rates. After the closing of the
testimony in the case, numerous ex-
hibits were filed by this Commission
in addition to the testimony given
at the hearing. AS a result of the
testimony introduced by this Com
mission, the rates were again sus-
pended until May 1, 1911. BY the
action of this Commission the entire
1910 crop will be moved to the ter
minal markets before the proposed
advance in grain rates could go in
to effect and If it should be finally
determined by the Interstate Com
merce Commission that the railway
companies should be permitted to
charge the rates proposed in the tar
lifts filed, the action of the Commits
sion will have resulted in a saving to
the citizens of South Dakota, of ST.
Ron 00n onnuo11v oooordipn 70 tho