The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1932-12-30

it stops at Seattle the railroad
agent collects just the same a
mount of freight on it as the agen
did on the car that stopped a
Poplar.
? Yes, friends, and had that cal
stopped at Williston the freight
would have been approximately
$3.50, which leaves $210 to hau
that car from Williston to Pop
lar, a distance of about rs miles
yet they haul it across the moun
aims to Seattle from Poplar with
out any additional charge. rms is
the arrangement which they say
SINNERS and carriers have found
so satisfactory-an arrangement
hat permits the railroad to charge
as much for a 1,346 mile prairie
haul as it does for a 2,44S mile
haul, and much of that over the
most formidable mountain ranges
in North America. This is the ar
rangement that the oil company
counsel, in his brief, states Is d
",ife saver to the railroads n
hoe NOT bee an undue burden 10
the shipping public. The present
ovoossiva rates from the Mid 0
tinent to Montana is IN realty d
moadstone' around the necks Oh
+be railroads, as traffic over thelr
long stretches of level track, Whlch
shows them profitable earnings at
tbe North Dakota rates, Is pro-
bihited into Montana on account
of the excessive rate when they
have hung on them.
Furthermore, 1 wonder II you
NV friends in northeastern Mon
tana. are to be the savior Oh HIS
railroad when we have a Recon
struction Finance corporation
which to my knowledge this rail-
road has not felt the necessity
TO borrow from. If it is T that
the railroads are in SUCH shape
! that they must be saved by uh-
fair. p%rohibitive freight rates I'M
posed upon you people OF nortn-
eastern Montana, then ] say that
if is about time that the railroad
management exercise its manager
ial ability toward the making OF
rates that will move traffic instead
of bowling around about their IL
nancial difficulties and loss OF BUS
mess.
They say that this arrangement
has been satisfactory to Shippers
and carriers alike. l take exception
TO that statement. The Westland
oil company is one shipper TO
whom it is not satisfactory. Furth-
ermore are the interests OF the
shippers and the carriers the only
interests to be considered? Well,
the author of this major oil com
pany's exceptions didn't consult
their sales department when he
wrote those exceptions, but he does
put the words right into my mouth.
/ am going to quote from his ex-
ceptions again. Here is what he
says:
For years there have been ma
terially higher rates on all COM
modities in Mountain Pacific ter
ritory than in Southwestern and
Western Trunk Line territories.
We think this should continue. The
line between the different rate lev
els must be drawn somewhere.
Why should it not continue at the
Montana-Dakota line as it has for
years. This has undoubtedly been
a life saver to the western car
riers and has not been unduly
burdensome to the shipping pub
lie. If the examiners proposal is
followed, it is bound to result in
the breaking down of the oil rates
Ito be followed on other commod-
ities) not only from without on
rates applying to Montana but also
within Montana itself and within
Mountain Pacific territory gener-
ally.
Here the complainant proposes
to apply the opening wedge to
break down a long-standing group
adjustment into transcontinental
territory where large groupings
are maintained. The question be
fore the Commission is whether
it should jeopardize the entire
rate structure in order to provide
different rates to a limited area
in northeastern Montana on the
meager record being here review
ed"
Friends, let's analyze that state
ment. He says that the line be-
tween the different rate Levels
must be drawn somewhere. l have
already explained why this oil re
company wants them left
at the Montana-Dakota line, but
why should there be any difference
at that imaginary line? If the rates
proposed in the examiners report
are put into effect they will be in
ere ~ CT 2 rnilep~e basis across
the sta.e -1-to-t,n-., a.d that MI