The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-03-06
(Staff Correspondence.)

Helena, March 5.-The report of the
grain committee appointed early in
the session to investigate the freight
rates in Montana on grain and farm
products was submitted to the house
today.
The committee reported a educ
ton of 5 cents per hundred in the
rates of the products named in the
state of Montana.
The report was drawn up by Rep
resentative Amin and but few amend
ments were made by the committee.
The report follows:
Your joint committee appointed
under authority of senate joint reso-
luton No. /. for the purpose of in
vestigating the freight rates on grain,
fruit and farm products from Mon
tana to eastern terminals and within
the state. has, in conformity with said
resolution, performed it's duty, and
herewith submits for your informa-
ton the following facts:
w find that the farmers of his
state are paid at all points in the state
the Minneapolis prices for grain, less
the cost of freight thereto, regardless
of the fact that it is to be used and
consumed in this state; that the freight
rates at the present time. with the
price of grain very low in the east,
leave no margin of profit for the
farmer, after the expenses of produce
ing it are paid; that the price charged
for transportation to eastern terminals
is much higher than is charged for
the same service by the Canadian rail-
roads to the north of us: as, for in
stance, the rate on grain to the Twin
cities from Lethbridge is % cents per
hundredWeight; from Calgary, 25 cents,
and from Edmonton CSC per hundred
weight; while in this state the rates
are 80 cents from Great Falls, 80 cents
from Billings, and 40 cents from Mis-
soula.
In view of the fact that the pros
perity of the railroads depends upon
the tonnage offered from n section,
In our opinion, the policy of the rail-
roads running through Montana is a
very short-sighted one, in that it re-
tards the development of this state, and
is, to a certain extent, responsible for
the rapid settlement of the Canadian
provinces to the north of us. We
reached the conclusion that this mat
ter should be taken up with the rail-
roads, and had before us the repre-
scntatives of the several transconti-
mental railroads running through our
state, explaining to them our ideas in
the matter, and calling their attention
to the fact that the livestock industry
is fast disappearing in this state, oW-
ing to the settlement by the farmers
of the lands upon which the herds of
cattle and sheep formerly grazed, and
that with the disappearance of this in
dlstry, the large tonnage which is
produced for the railroads would be
gone, and unless some relief was grant ,
ed IN the matter of grain rates, in or
der that the farmer might be able to
make a reasonable profit IN his labor,
he railroads themselves in a short
time would be without possible tom
mage in this state; that while it is the
accepted theory of railroad men that
a long haul is proportionately cheaper
to handle than q short one, the rates
now prevailing in Montana for the long
haul are as high or higher than those
prevailing for the same conditions on
the short hanl in the Dakotas and
Minnesota, and that the ton mile rates :
prevailing in this state on local fruits
and vegetable shipments are very de-
cidedly higher than for the same serv-
ice in the states east of US.
After a thorough discussion of these
matters, we received from the traffic
manager of the Northern Pacific rail-
road a written declaration that within
the next 80 days a new schedule of
rates will be made, covering grain ship
ments to eastern terminals, which
would show a very substantial reduc-
ton over those now in effect; and the
stated that they would reduce their
rates to conform to those of the North
ern Pacific.
1T appears to the committee that
little wheat shipped out of Montana
and that local milling concerns took
advantage Of the rates in effect and
which up to that time We're paper
wheat at the lowest possible price for
milling in Montana, and that after the
flour was manufactured the said mills
rcS0ld the product to the people of
Montana and took advantage of the
high freight rates to make a double
profit. These mills nave enjoyed prac-
tically a double-action protective tariff
by reason of the railroad rates for
many years, and in the opinion of this