Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-02-26
CITY FAVORED IS
COMMISSIONS DECISION

SuDJccl HIit&eIp IcIAucIcu luIS lulcTlOcu
tory decree Of no value as q precedent
yet this commission Is not disposed t
ignore the importance Of Judge AmIdon'
view OF tho situation.
The hearing ut Valley City on .Januar,
9Th. 1913, was given q wide latitude, AM
many things were brought up and dis
clssed which have no bearing on tn,
main issue in this case, such a. tn,
question whether the company intended
service to the high line, or whether It nj.
ways intended to furnish adequate Ser.
vice on tho low line. or whether It In.
tended at all times to consult the wishes
of tho majority Of the citizens or OF tht
city council. and whether the utmost gool
faith at a.. times was exercised. or not
IN" commission listened patiently to al
that was to be said from every point OF
view without imposing any restriction
but when all vas said and done the sit.
uation dissolved itself practically into a
question as to comprised adequate
passenger and freight service at its down
town station for a city of the size and
importance Of Valley City. The size of
the attendance at this meeting convinced
the commission that the meeting had been
properly advertised and that the entire
city was adequately represented. so that
the opinion of those present would reflect
the sentiment Of the entire city. and
moreover there was no escape from the
conclusion that the citizens as n whole
are unanimous upon the question as to
what their needs arc. Tho people of
Valley City do not wish to have q divid-
cd service such as has been given them
for some years past, nor do they wish.
nor will they be satisfied with, the entire
service upon the high line in the absence
Of some definite understanding and
agreement rs to what sort OF transporta-
ton facilities to- the high line depot will
be furnished them. They arc only con-
tent with the present divided service be-
cause they fear that an undivided service
down town would not secure them as
many trains In n out rs they now en-.
joy. --. IT,.
The commission has given careful con-
sideration Of the question of the ade-
Quacy Of the train service to which VAL
ley City is entitled as compared with
other cities Of its own size and impor-
lance within this state and elsewhere,
and is convinced that the present low
line service is adequate. and that 1t is
entitled to q service which would be
equivalent to that service furnished if
the present trains Nos. 3 and 4 are stop.
ped at the low line depot, in addition to
the present down town service. In reach
ing this conclusion we have considered
the amount of business handled md the
passenger service through Valley City
more attention to the needs of the city
based upon the character Of It's inhabi-
tents and institutions. The comparative
tables furnished the commission by cOun-
sci show other stations with larger pass.
cnger receipts but no better service, but
ONE OF the towns have branch lines run
ming out s." that 1t would be impossible to
determine whether all Of the passenger
service is to be credited TO the main line
trains serving these towns. or the towns
themselves have some especial claim for
Increased train service. The commission
feels that the fact that Valley City has
q normal school, Il large state Institution
with 800 pupils coming and going to and
from all parts of the state at al times
OF the year. gives 1t q greater Importance
from 4 transportation point of view than
some little city which has only its local
commercial interests and agricultural
surroundings to support it..
The opinion Of Judge -AmilOn,. holding
that three trains are sufficient for VAL
ley City, and holding. as we think, that
less than three trains would be INSULT
cient for Valley City. was based upon the
train service in force and in effect at
that timcj which constituted ali the co,n-
pany's Trains with one exception: in fact
the admission Of Judge Young, counsel
for the railway company ut the hearing.
would sem to indicate that when the
high line was built and put into use all
the time cards of the company showed
that -four trains a day were to be opcrat-
ed at the down town station. II IS not
sufficient in determining what is AIDE.
quate train service to merely say that
a town or station is entitled to one or
two or ten rains q day. The determ-
inatiyc question is not how many trains,
hut how good. and the character Of the
trains themselves is a matter of prime
Importance. While it is rue that there
are three trains stopping ut Valley City |
today at the down town station, vet 1t
must be, remembered that these are not
all through trains. For instance, one Of
thc~truins, number 1lg and 120 is a local
train operating between Leeds and Fargo
Which starts nowhere and gets nowhere
SO TAI, as Valley City is concerned, and
the same service can be and for many
was furnished by train numbers z
and 5 which runs from St. Paul to Glen
dive return. The Leeds train is not
a train officially recognized by this com
and IS only being operated on
suffernnce and we cannot recognize It
IN determining the adequacy of the SER
vice Of Valley City. Train numbers III
and 3 furnishes local service between
|ocal points In North Dakota, and also |
furnishes an evening train for the people |
81 Valley Lity to the Twin Cities, but
OF no value to them as to- points west
D, the state line. This leaves hut one
rain. numbers 5 and G. to serve Valley
-dty people travelling to the coast or to
81. Paul. Number g furnishes q morn
ng train to ST. Paul and number s an
evening train. Number 5 furnishes an
train to the coast, but there is
morning train, and in fact Valley City
1as but n train a day to points west
the state line. II number 8 should
stop ut this down town station 1t would
a nj ornipg train to the coast, and