The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-04-29
HUMP is
TO BE OPPOSED
BY n. D. CITIES
Railroads Attempt to Boost
Rates to Points Beyond
Missouri Brings Fight

Attempts by the railroads to create
Il "hump" in rates at the Missouri
river will be bitterly contested by
traffic experts representing the com
merciai organizations Of jamestown.
Valley City, Bismarck, Mandan and
Mihot and by the freight rate de-
partment of the state railroad board,
il was disclosed here today.
Following a conference with state
railroad board experts. q. NJ. Spring
er, jamestown, representing the
five cities named, said that fight
for uniform freight rates to be APP
piled throughout North Dakota will
be waged by the interests which he
represents in connection with the
general freight rate hearing now
being carried on by the Interstate
Commerce Commission.
At the beginning, Springer said
the railroads suggested that "a hump
in rates be created at a line extend
ing across. the state from North Da-
kota to South and passing through
jamestown. Later the carriers sug-
gestcd that the hump" be made at
the Missouri river.
How Hump" Operates
A hump" he explained. Is a sharp
increase in rates made effective at a
certain place because of certain al
legged changes in traffic conditions
If the "hump" were made at the Mis-
souri, river. he said, rates on ship.
ments to Mandan would be substan-
TALLY higher than rates on the same
products to Bismarck, only six miles
away on the east hank Of the river.
Creation of hump" would ap.
parently give cities east of the point
where the raise was made an ad.
vantage, Springer said, but would
in reality be a short-sighted policy
In North Dakota, he explained, every
community is dependent on the agri.
cultural community to the west of it.
The reason, he said, is that farm
products move eastward while manu-.
factured and other products handled
by distribu move. in the main
westward.
The result Of a sharp raise In
freight rates at any point, Springer
said, would be to penalixe the per.
sons living west Of It by forcing them
to pay higher freight rates. The
result would be that they would
spend for additional freight charges
money which would 20 into trade
with the merchants who might pre-.
sumo they were benefited by the
lower rates which they enjoyed in
comparison with their customers or
the west, Springer said. His efforts
will be directed toward preventing
the adoption Of any rate structure
which will create a hump" anywhere
in the state.
Policy Called Wrong
Holding that the policy adopted in
creating sharp rises at any point il
fundamentally wrong, he will oppose
attempts to create hump" any.
where, Springer said, but will insist
that if one is to be established any.
where it should be at the state line
Another important factor, he said
is that once the railroads obtain &C
ceptance Of the principle that a sharp
rise is justified ut any point. the
'hump" system will be extended tc
other than class rates. II it were
extended to grain rates, he said, il
would force farmers, and others
forced to pay the higher rates. to pay
hundreds of thousands of dollars
more in freight charges and would
reduce by the same amount the none,
available for trade with merchants in
cities east Of them.
The traffic department Of the state
railroad board has taken the same
position, Springer said, and will join
in preparing exhibits and data>6p.
posing any sharp rises in the rate
structures applicable to North Da
kota.