The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-08-06
G. N. WILL TAKE OVER
LOCAL BUS BUSINESS
SUBSIDIARY CORPORATION TO
PURCHASE JEFFERSON
HIGHWAY BUSES
TO MAINTAIN SERVICE
PASSENGER RATES LIKELY TO
BE INCREASED TO MEET
RAILROAD LEVEL

The increasing uses Of buses for
passenger traffic in Minnesota has
greatly curtailed revenue of the rail-
roads. The inroad has been so heavy
that the Great Northern has made APP
plication to the Minnesota Railroad
and Warehouse commission to dis
continue eight local passenger trains
running between the Twin Cities and
st. Cloud and the Twin Cities and
Willmar. ~
After passage of the law regula-
ting bus traffic by the recent Mime
sofa legislature the Great Northern
stockholders Incorporated separate
I bus company which is generally as
sumed to be the Northland Transpor-
tation company. Application has been
made to the Railroad and Warehouse
commission for license by the
Northland Transportation Company
to operate over highways paralelling
to a large extent the Great Northern
railway.
At various times during the past
2two or three years several companies
have operated buses in and out of
Sank Centre, but competition has
gradually been frozen out or absorb
eb by the jefferson Highway Trans
portation Company and they are only
company operating in Sank Centre at
present.
1t has been rumored for several
weeks that the Northland Transport
alton Company would take over that
portion of the jefferson Highway
TRANSPORTATION business in territory
tributary to the Great Northern rail-
road, and stories published in the
Twin City newspapers the past few
DAYS would indicate that the deal has
been closed. The jefferson Highway
Transportation Company will con-
tinue to operate in southern and
southeastern Minnesota, continuing
their service between the Twin. Cities
and Rochester, Mimi, and the Twin
Cities and Mason City, Iowa. The
Jefferson Highway will continue to
be the largest independent operating
company in the state.
There isn't any question but what
the bus lines are furnishing needed
service but they have not been paying
anywhere's near what they should
for the privilege of operating. The
result has been a decidedly low pas
senger rate, and at seasons of the
year when they could not operate the
railroad companies who own and
maintain their own right of way have
had to care for the local passenger
business. With this condition existing
of course any hope of lower freight
rates is an impossibility.
The key to the whole situation
rests with the railroad and warehouse
Il. IL.
ings on applications of bus companies
for license to operate on the state
highways.
While no official announcement
has been made by the Great Northern,
this railroad is regarded to be the
owner of the Northland Transporta-
ton Company, which just has perfect
ed a $2,500,000 merger of the states
important bus lines, including the
large lines in Great Northern terri
tory, 81 ~@ s,sl NJ wNz.
The situation is this:
3 If the railroad and warehouse
Z commission should deny any of
the applications on the ground
that steam service is adequate,
the Great Northern would con-
tinue to serve the territory with
its passenger trains.
If the commission should grant
applications of bus companies,
the Great Northern would oper-
ate the lines to supplement the
railroad. service.
Recently the Jefferson Highway
Transportation Company, the Motor
Truck Service Company and the In
terstate Transportation Company
have appeared before Ivan Bowen,
state railroad and warehouse commits
sioner in charge of the motor bus
division, requesting a hearing on
applications of those lines in the
northwestern Minnesota territory.
They asked that the hearings be con-
Quoted in the vicinity of st. Cloud
about August 10.
Significant in this connection is
the fact that the Great Northern
Transit Company, one of the two
S1,000,000 corporations organized by
the Great Northern Railroad to enter
the bus business, did not request a
hearing at that time. This was inter-
preted to mean that the Great North
ern Transit Company is not to press
its applications for routes in that ter
ritory and that it is interested in the
hearings on the three companies, ap-
plications, which are in reality North
land applications. The Northland has
purchased the lines of the three
companies.
Under the new arrangement it is
not probable that the bus service be-
tween Sank Centre and Minneapolis
will be as frequent and more than
likely the fare will be increased to
the railroad passenger level.