The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-12-13
Consumer Would Benefit

show, he ssid, that there is natural.
~ large movement from North
Dakota cities to smaller North Da-
kota towns, and from Minnesota CEN
tiers to the same points. Readjust.
ment Of intrastate rates, he said,
would enable North Dakota points
to compete for all of the business
and wOald reflect in the advantage
IF the smaller towns and eventually
to the consumer. Such action, he
said, ''is essential to the proper devcl-
opment Of business and industries
within our state which must compete
with interstate dealers in similar
lines, including mail order or cata-
log houses
Comparison Of rates between North
Dakota and Minnesota points and
South Dakota and Minnesota points
of comparable distances show that
the eastern part of South Dakota al
ready is enjoying the rates which
are asked for North Dakota. he said.
Present rates and others which have
been proposed by the railroads favor
the long hauls, he said. with an OBJ
viOus discrimination against short
hauls from North Dakota points. The
discrimination, he said, exists not
only in the case of few freight
classifications but in the entire rate
structure of iess-carload shipments.
The proposed new rates, he said,
would absolutely annihilatc" job
bling and distribution in North Da-
kota.
In a table showing the comparative
cost of less carload shipments han
died through prime ipal North Dakota
jObbinG centers and direct from the
Minnesota centers, Springer aver
red that the average cost on 100
pounds of freight for the four lead
ing freight classifications was mate
rally greater in each instance.
lie gave figures as follows: Bis
marck from Is to 81 cents; Fargo,
III. to 30 cents; Grand Forks, 81 =.
TO IS cents: jamestown 10 to So.
cents; Minot 24ls to I4l. cents: Val
ley City 20 to 1914 cents.
Minot at Disadvantage
"The average picture shows that
the more North Dakota interstate
transportation our shippers pur-
chase, in competing with direct ship
mcnts from interstate points, the
greater the disadvantage in cents
per 100 pounds" Springer said. Mi
not, he said, is particular sufferer
from existing rates since the rail-
roads have thrown blanket"
around it's territory which seriously
handicaps Minot distributors.
Other exhibits show, he said, that
for equal distances the North DakO-
tn jObbers pay over 10 per cent more
in freight rates than their competi-
tors in Minnesota centers. This, he
said, is not usually the case in sur
rounding states. Both South Dakota
and Montana enjoy rates more bene-
fetal to their home distributors than
is the case in North Dakota, he in
sisted.
Another effect of the freight rate
prejudice which he declared exists
against North Dakota is a reduction
in the net price received by farmers
for certain agricultural products,
Springer said. Among these he list
ed poultry and eggs. While freight
rates are not wholly to blame for
lower prices paid within this state
in comparison with neighboring
states, the higher cost Of assembling
these commodities is a factor. he con-
tended. One effect. he said, is that
discriminatory freight rates prevent
"free and full competition in buying
and q corresponding lessening in the
price to the producer.