The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-05-30

| the public and invited people to at
I, tend the sessions in the Masonic
Temple.
The Coal Rate Increase.
This concluded the business of the
Retail Merchants association and
President John r. Snow of the Com
mercial club then took the chair and
| conducted the meeting for the re-
mainder of the evening. Secretary
| Soaring brought up the matter OF
| the proposed increase of thirty cents
ton on coal shipping rates from
Indiana and Illinois into Minnesota.
| He said this meant serious matter
| for Mankato. To the school board
! alone he said it would mean 5000 ad-
| ditional during the winter. The pub
| lie hearing on the matter he said
was to be on May 20 and in let
| ter from the Sioux Falls CONNER
| cial club was suggested that Man
kato have representative in Wash
ington at that time.
F. M. Currier declared that the
situation was such that the eastern
coal dealers dominated this market.
| He said they wanted people to buy
coal shipped to Duluth and in order
| to force this were raising the rate
on shipment of Illinois and Indiana
| fuel. The following resolution sub
mitted by Mr.. Currier was unanim-
ously passed and a copy wired to
Hon. E. E. Chambers, director Of
traffic, United States Railway ad-
ministration, Washington D. c.:
"Mankato, Mimi, May 81
| Hon. E. E. Chambers, Director
of Traffic, United States Railroad
| Administration, Washington, D.
C. Dear Sir: Mankato Com
mercial club and Mankato Re-
tail Merchants association, meet
! ing jointly tonight, unanimously
voted following protest: "We
hereby theoretically protest
! against proposed advance rate
Illinois and Indiana soft coal of
thirty cents per ton, to this ter
| ritory. 1t is our position that
| proposed advance, simply apply
! ing to Illinois and Indiana soft
| coal at this time, is unjust, il
| logical and confiscatory. Eastern
coal interests with present rates
are dominating this territory,
and advance in rate thirty cents
per ton would compel this ter
ritory to discontinue using ILL.,
| nois and Indiana coal, which our
| people like and are using almost
exclusively
| Ill - ktesA
Secretary Soaring read letter
from the Ten Thousand Lakes as
ISOLATION in which they asked that
Mankato again help put across their
advertising campaign to make this
a center fro southern tourists. A
motion was passed that the club
again give $400 to this movement.
| Whether or not Mankato should go
| into the league of Southern Mime
sofa cities, joined with Owatonna to
| fight crime, was again brought up.
Secretary Soaring read letter from
the secretary of the organization
asking that Mankato join the move
ment and explaining that it was for
good roads, better relations etc., as
well as crime prevention.
/ Considerable discussion resulted
'lF. NJ Currier said he thought Nan
kato ought to join if it would help
fight the criminals. DR.. ]. w. And
| rews said if the idea of fighting the
| st. Paul police could be divorced
from the organization it would be all
right. R. E. Brown declared he be-
| Iieved joining such an organization
would reflect badly on Mankato. He
| opposed such a move. 1t was NOV
ed that the matter be referred to
/ the executive committee and then
Fred Druckenbrod amended the mo-
ton that the club go on record as
opposing joining the organization at
all. The motion was unanimously
passed.
From the Spokane Association of
Commerce resolution was read
which protests against the discrimi-
nations of the railway companies in
giving lower rates for short hauls
than for long hauls. In a letter with
the resolution the Spokane associa
ton raped Senator Kellogg and said
he was not unfolding the interests
of the people of Minnesota, suggest
ing he might be favoring Minneapolis
/ and ST. Paul concerns. On motion
of J. E. Brett the secretary was in
structed to write Congressman ELS
worth and Senator Kellogg asking
them to use their interests for the
! passage of bill which provides for
q fiat freight rate.
| Secretary Soaring read resolu-
ton from the ST. Paul Association
of Commerce for the endorsement of
a plan for the maximum use of the
docks at Buffalo, N. Y. Mr.. Soaring
! explained that this was but part
of the plan to make Duluth seaport
to which ocean going vessels could
come for loads of grain and western
produce On motion of w. A. Strea-
tor the resolution was passed.
| The Luxury Tax.
J. E. Brett brought up the matter
/. of luxury tax and declared that all
should urge it be repealed forthwith.
He said it was unjust, unfair, and
wrong in every way and that it cost
the merchants more that the gov
eminent gets. M. F. Sullivan also
| disapproved the measure. He said it
put a luxury tax on all shoes cost
ing over $40 a pair and made the
assertion that within sixty days it
would be hard to get shoes for $40
| or less.
| On motion of w. A. Streator the