New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1914-01-28
Consumer Pays
Higher Freight
eastman Bill Raises Rates
Generally For New Ulm.
Stone Companies Say Freight
on Carload is $500
Higher.

Lily u0l.
When the eastman Freight Tariff
Bill went into effect a short time ago
it aroused storm of mixed common
dalton and protest that left the aver
age person good bit in doubt as to
whether the bill is a good, bad or
Indifferent measure The bill, in
brief, insists that all Minnesota Rail
| roads must have standard schedule
of tariff of freight rates for all thei.
| intra-state business. That is, the
railroad must have a fixed rate of
charges for shipping to all points CT
equal distance.
The purpose of the bill is to do
away with discriminating rates be-
tween different points. It is a we'll
known fact that rates to the cities
were considerably lower than to a
point equally distant but away from
the cities. It was to check this evil
that the eastman bill was introduc-
ed.
What the effect upon general in
tra-state trade will be is uncertain
as yet for the law has not been In
force long enough to have had fair
trial. But the effect upon New Ulm
shipping would seem to be injurious
rather than helpful. The bulk of our
shipping is confined to the products
Of the flour mills and the output Of
the stone companies.
The effect of the bill on the local
milling industries would seem to be
very slight. Both the Eagle Mills
and the New Ulm Roller Mills mill
in transit" That is, the wheat when
being shipped to New Ulm is billed
to Chicago or to some point outside
the state. 1t is then stopped at New
Ulm long enough to be converted in
to flour and feed and then passes on
to it's destination. Thus it comes I'M
der the head of interstate commerce
and the eastman law does not APP
ply. Mr.. Beecher of the Eagle Com
pany, declares that SO far as they
are concerned the law has no bearing
on the and little, if any, effect. Mr..
August Dahl of the New Ulm Roller
Mill Co., thinks the millers will not
be affected unless the bill should be
interpreted in such a way as to take
away the milling in transit privilege,
which seems improbable.
1t is the stone companies which
seem to be hit the hardest by the
new regulation. The Twin Cities are
the logical market for the crushed
stone and practically all the stone.
quarried by the local companies is
transported thither by the M. & ST.
L.. railroad. Under the old rate the
shippers enjoyed a commodity rate
of 31s cents per hundred pounds to
the cities, altho the rates to other
points equally distant were higher
Under the new regulation the COM
modify rate on crushed stone is four
cents and the st. Louis has met this
rate. This means an additional cost
Of between IL and is cents on every
cubic yard of crushed stone shipped
to the cities from New Ulm. To be
sure the rate is from 3 to z of a
cent lower to other points but as the
bulk of the shipping is to Minneapo-
| lis and st. Paul it is easy to see that
the result of the law on the stone
companies is anything but desirable.
! Mr.. Robert Scherer of the Mimi
Flint Rock Co., in discussing the
matter, says: 1.-THE law is bad
thing for us. It makes no difference
in our interstate rates but it raises
our rates to the Cities from 5 TOT
of cent. This means a total of
SIS to 81 per carload and, of course,
it mounts up in the aggregate"
Mr.. Herman Held expresses him
self as dissatisfied with the new
rates. "The old rates Of SO cents
per 100 lbs. per 100 miles is now
raised to 4 cents and our haul be-
tween New Ulm and the cities aver
ages half a cent higher per hundred
weight. This additional charge must
fall upon the consumer and necessi-
! tates raise of about 18 cents per
cubic yard on crushed stone, sud-
den jump Of 1870. The law GER
tainly fails to give relief in our bust
ness, at least"
From all this, it would seem that
the eastman law is not much of a
help in New Ulm at least. It is
thought, however, that the rates on
general merchandise will be lowered
slightly thruout the state.