Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1914-01-15
INTERSTATE COMMERCE
EXPRESS RATES
SAID TO FAVOR GRAND FORKS
OVER FARGO.

o.1A" w EhSOIS uItl1ND FOlIhS
OVER FARGO.
Discrimination to the Block System.
New Rates Effective Feb. l..
Bismarck, Jan. S.---The past three
days have been occupied by the rail-
road commission with discussion Of
the new interstate commerce COM
mission express rates as applied to
North Dakota. Some interesting and
rather startling facts have developed
as to the effect of these rates upon
several North Dakota cities.
Rate Expert J. A. Little, who has
been working on these rates for some
time preparatory to the express rate
hearing to be held at Grand Forks
next Wednesday, was present and
the matter was gone into very thor
oughly. From Mr.. Littles analysis
of the present and interstate rates,
which go into effect Feb. !, it appears
that of the large shipping centers Of
the state Grand Forks is on easy
street and Fargo relatively not in the
game at all as between Grand Forks
and Aberdeen, and in addition Fargo
will suffer from the long distance
rates given the Twin Cities into this
state.
! Some of the facts uncovered in the
discussion are that Grand Forks can
ship by express to nearly all points
| in the state cheaper than either Far
! ing on 100 pound hipments-small
er weights holding nearly the same
relative proportion of rate. Aberdeen
can get into all the western section
Of the state cheaper than either Far
go or Grand Forks. She will be on
a parity with Fargo at New Rockford,
Darlington and Hannaford, while
I Grand Forks can beat both the other
cities by 20 cents hundred. Aber-
deem can ship to Bismarck cheaper
than either Fargo or Grand Forks,
and is on an equal basis with Fargo
at Valley City, jamestown, LaMoure,
Edgeley, etc., while Grand Forks can
beat both cities by Is cents a hun
dred. Grand Forks can ship 100
pounds of express to Hannaford,r right
through Fargo, for 70 cents hun
dred less than Fargo. ..e.,'S1
This peculiar situation arises from
the fact that Grand Forks is in a
block entirely within the state, while
only about 80 townships of North
Dakota territory, the balance being
in Minnesota, the entire United States
being cut up into blocks containing a
certain number of square miles Of
territory, and where these blocks lap
over state lines, complications arise
IN relation to intrastate rates.
| Grand Forks block is numbered
I22S and extends from a point about
four miles north of East Grand Forks
west to point a: little southeast of
Petersburg, thence south to a point
about six miles north of Valley City,
thence east to a point about eight
miles north of Mapleton, thence north
to place of beginning. Thus all but
about one township of land is in
block 22S.
On the otner hand Fargo is in
block 329, the north line of which
runs west about mile north of Har-
wood to a point about six miles from
!Harwood, or southeast corner of block
1928, thence south to point about
four miles north of the state line,
thence east into Minnesota about 80
miles, thence north to near Manito-
ba Junction, thence to place of be-
ginning.
Inasmuch as the rates are based
upon the distance between blocks it
will be seen that so far as North Da-
kota shipments are concerned Grand
Forks has the best of Fargo of about
SO miles in distance, or one block,
while the same advantage obtains for
Fargo over Grand Forks in east or
south bound shipments.
Valley City and jamestown, being
in the same block, will fare equally
we'll, as will Bismarck and Mandan,
for the same reason.
The question before the railroad
commission is, whether to accept the
interstate commerce commission ex-
press rates for North Dakota, or
adopt the modified or sub-block plan
proposed at recent conference be-
tween the railroad commissioners of
the various states and the express
companies at Chicago, which embod-
les a system of sub-blocks, designed
IN haitian onuoN1o i,,nt anch c0ndi-