The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1913-02-17
ninety-nine. i insist that ali shall
have anna "a deal 8 3sss5.

L
have q square deal.
ut might. not be amiss at this time
to explain some OF the features OF
the bill. The distance tariff bill com
pels railroad company to charge
the same rate per ton per mile for
the same distance on, all commodities
shipped within the state. In other
words, II they charge q low rate on
one part fof their system on certain
commodity for 4 certain number Of
miles they will have to maintain
that rate on that commodity for a
like distance, except in special cases
whore two roads run into the same
own, one having "a much shorter
mileage than the other, IN which
case the railroad and warehouse COM
mission would be authorized to per-
NIT the company shipping In the
roundabout way to compete with the
shorter line If they saw At. This
Iowa law does not name rates but
authorizes the commission to name
maximum and reasona Bile rates and
to classify all goods shipped within
the state. The companies may charge
any rate up to the tmaximum,. but as
stated. before, II they name a lower
rate on one part Of their system that
same rate would have to be main
tanned on all parts.
"a great many people are under
the impression that the Iowa dis
lance tariff law scompels railroad
companies to charge the same rate
per ton per mile, regardless of what
the distance may be, thereby work
ing hardship on the companies for
q short haul on account. of the time
consumed in loading, switching and.
so on. Then again If the rates were
q fixed price per ton per mile, re-
CARELESS Of what the distance might:
be-, man shipping or receiving from
long distances would be discrimin-
:ated against. As I said before, the
fixing of rates is left to the commits
sion and they can name any just
rate they see fit. ~ = s. r..
!, Minneapolis .Jobbers Wise.
1.-TWO years more have rolled
around and we find the demand for
Il distance tariff still increasing
every day. The Minneapolis jobbers
and manufacturers have found that
they have lost considerable business
by continuing to assist the rail-
roads from pulling their chestnuts
out OF the fire and from the position
they are taking today they have ap-z.
.parently concluded that they: have
made a serious mistake and that it
is not wise for them to- fight the in
terests of the commonwealth any
longer. The St. Paul jobbers ap-:
pear to be either slow in catching on
or they cannot control the head Of
fcers of the Greater Commercial
club as it is called. At any rate we
find Mr.. Beck before us uttering
cries of despair and attempting to
make the best of a forlorn hope.
Last week Mr.. Sheehan Of the
Northwestern railway had the fol-
lowing to say before our railroad
committee: That the railroads are.
less interested in the measure than
the. people are, that the inevitable
effect of the bill will be to increase
railroad rates in Minnesota we
are not asking for higher rates. said
he, but any change. must mean an
advance ...s : - -
.>sLet us figure out if we can just
how Mr.. Sheehan could base. this
conclusion. In order to find his
basis we must study the bill. !: What
does it provide? It simply provides
that the railroad companies shall not
charge a higher rate on q given COM
modify for a certain distance to4one
man than to another regardless of
how influential or important this
man might be. This bill does not
name freight rates but simply au-
thorizes the railroad commission to
classify freight and make a reason
able maximum rate. Now should
the Iowa law be placed upon our sta
tute books, we have a right to ex-
pect that the Minnesota commission
will be. as fair to the shippers and
receivers as well as the railroads, as
were the Iowa commission when they
named the rates in the latter state.
The only way that Mr.. Sheehan can
figure out that the rates will be
raised to the country shipper is that
he expects the railroad commission to
permit the railroads to dictate what
the rates will be and am satisfied
that the companies will be given no
such opportunity. No commission
would dare do such thing
Great
yEV eAf2T eso9e. Ne 1ozz ".