The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1921-05-04

Kali freight rates are being nlgner
than they have ever been in the his
tory Of the United States. 1t costs
more to ship ton of freight a
mile than it ever cost before. Every
additional mile that shipper is COM
PEELED to send his goods by rail cuts
down in heavy proportion the profit
that the shipper receives for his pro-
duct.
Ocean freight rates are much low
er. They have been decreased since
the war. There is plenty of tonnage,
thanks to the merchant marine policy
adopted in recent years, to carry the
exports of the United States to for
eign markets.
Every mile, then, that the grain
growers of Montana can ship their
product by water instead of by rail
represents a saving in cost to- them,
and, therefore, an increased profit.
Every time they can decrease the
mileage by rail they increase the
value of their goods.
Montana grain has always been
shipped to foreign markets from the
eastern seaboard. It has gone by rail
to the mid west for manufacture,
and thence by rail to New York for
trans-shipment by water to the world
markets. 1t has travelled 1000 miles
by rail before it reached tidewater.
Montana growers profits would be
increased by, cutting the rail haul in
half. Their bank accounts would be
much larger at the end of the years
work if they reduced the transporta-
tion charges by shipping their prod
ucts to western tidewater by rail, a
distance of 1000 miles. as against the
1000 miles that it now goes to the
eastern coast.
The Montana growers want to low
er the cost of transportation. They
have passed resolutions recommend
ing that their grain be shipped west
ward for trans-shipment by water
They have expressed desire to trans
port their 1921 crop this way.
The Montana growers have another
complaint. The price of their grain k21
been juggled. When their crop was
ready for shipment eastward, the rail
lines were congested. Cars anb cars
and cars were bound eastward with
capacity loads. They could not secure
immediate shipment when prices were
high.
But at the same time empty cars
were bound for the Pacific coast
There were adequate transportation
facilities to carry their crops west
ward. But while they were waiting
for eastern shipment prices declined
and the growers profits were reduc
ed to the minimum.
That phenomenon has occurred yea
after year. The Montana growers
have protested against it to no avail.
They have tired of the conditions, ant
wish to escape it by shipping to tn
Pacific coast
There are millions of bushels o
grain in Montana. There is enoug
, agricultural soil undeveloped in tn
t state to triple the crop. There ar
: huge crops in the two Dakotas t
{ which the same conditions apply. TIL
growers in those states, too, would un
: doubtedly prefer to transport thei
: products westward if the west wi
: reach out for the business.
h Are the western ports, such as 81
: attic, Tacoma, Portland and Astori
y and Vancouver, to have no concer
S and permit Montana grain to go cas-
e ward, be manufactured from the ca!
i against all commercial fundamental
it instead of coming west, to be mani
h featured in the west, and shipped
n world markets from western ports ;
n all reason would suggest?