The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, October 13, 1919, Page 4

. congress. These men and TR S AT G T A Record of Service for the Farmers P . In Single Week North Dakota Railroad and Warehouse Commission Saves $50,000 to Whole State—Gets $2.08 Overcharge Back for Farmer BY E. B. FUSSELL FRIEND of the late Russell Sage, telling how that financier got his millions, said: makes a penny here, a penny there, and a few hundred thou- sand the next place.” The North Dakota railroad and warehouse commission, under the farmers’ administration in North Dakota, is not engaged in making money for itself, but in saving money for the people of the state. But it pursues just about the same policy attributed to Russell Sage. No case is too big for it to tackle, if there is a chance to benefit the peo- ple of North Dakota; on the other hand, no farmer, overcharged a few dollars on a freight bill, need stand the loss if he has a just claim and takes it up with the commission. The writer of this article, the other day, went over the records of the commission for the past few months. The last session of the North Dakota leg- islature greatly extended the powers of the com- mission, giving it authority over all branches of public utilities, instead of merely over railroads and warehouses. The three commissioners—S. J. Aan- dahl, Frank Milholland and C. F. Dupuis—elected by the farmers and workingmen of North Dakota, are making the most of their opportunities. They have employed the best experts.that their appro- priations would allow and are setting out to see that public utility patrons of North Dakota, which in the - last analysis means almost every resident of the state, get justice as nearly as it is humanly possi- ble to arrive at it. . Going through the “railroad” files, that is, the files devoted to cases arising out of complaints against railroads, an investigator is struck at'once by the pains that the commission takes to look into every meritorious case that is presented, no matter what the size of the question in controversy. One week’s record, for instance, shows one railroad case settled that will mean a saving of $50,000 a year to livestock shippers of the state. The same week gives the record of a railroad being compelled to refund a $2.08 overcharge to another shipper. Both savings were the result of painstaking work in be- half of the shippers. The $50,000 case referred to was a flat saving secured by reductions in cattle and hog rates. The 100-mile carload rate, formerly $48.25, has been cut to $41.80. The 200-mile rate has been reduced from $63 to $57.80, and so on right along the line. The North Dakota commission secured this reduction, making it possible to start the Equity packing plant at Fargo and saving. money to shippers throughout the state. COMMISSION STOPS BIG RAISE IN LUMBER RATES An even more important case was the proposed increase in lumber rates from the Inland Empire (eastern Washington and Oregon and northern Idaho) to the Middle West. The railroads proposed an average increase of 3.3 cents per hundredweight on this lumber.. This would have made an increase in the average annual lumber bill of North Dakota of $378,000 a year. The commission stopped this by a direet appeal to all congressmen from the Mid- dle West. It was helped immeasurably b§the fact that the farmers of North Dakota h#id-elected Baer, Sinclair and Young to others got busy and soon the North Dakota com- mission received notice that the proposed in- crease had been abandon- ed On the ground that comparatively little hay was being shipped from western North Da- kota to the eastern part of the state and to Min- nesota this year, the Mil- waukee recently tried to increase the hay rates. It ‘would have meant an increase from 85% cents to 212 cents for the haul from Mott, N. D., to St. Paul and . similar in- North Dakota.” “He S. J. Aandahl, chairman of the North Dakota rail- road and warehouse commission, creases from other points. The North Dakota com- mission pointed out that while conditions this year might not justify a low rate, in normal years a hardship would be worked by the changed rates. The increase was stopped. The increase, on hay shipments in a normal year, would have meant $25,000. The railroad administration put in a 15-cent transfer charge on cans of milk and cream trans- ferred between the Soo and Great Northern lines at Ardock, north of Grand Forks, N. D. The commis- sion pointed out that this charge was exorbitant and had the rate cut to 8 cents for the smallest cans and 4 and 5 cents for the larger ones. v Flax straw has been given a rate 25 per cent lower than the hay rate in western North Dakota. _ Because of the drouth this year flax did not grow high enough to make the straw worth shipping. The railroads tried to cut out this rate. An expert of the commission was sent to make a protest and to point out that the proposed increase would cost the flax shippers $5,000 in a normal year. The pro- test prevailed; the old rate was kept. I asked R. B. Smart, the expert sent to handle this case, the total expense involved. It was $14.71, and $5,000 was saved. ‘ These are some of the larger cases that have WHAT THE FARMER OFFICIALS ARE DOING IN NORTH DAKOTA. This article starts a new series for the Leader. istration came in at Bismarck the Leader has told of all the most important devel- opments — the adoption of new laws, the opening of the Bank of North Dakota, the purchase of the first mill. But in addition to these big things that have attracted attention everywhere, the farmer officials at Bismarck, in their daily grind of work, are doing things for the benefit of the farmers every day. E. B. Fussell of the Lead- er staff’ will tell Leader readers what these things are. Did you know that the North Dakota railroad commission secured new freight rates on livestock that mean an an- npal saving of $50,000 to shippers? And that the commission was not too busy, the ‘'same week, to’ collect a $2.08 overcharge on a farmer’s freight bill? Mr. Fussell tells - about it this week. And be sure to read next week’s story, “George Schmidt of It tells what the new Bank of North Dakota did for one farmer and what it is doing for dozens of other farmers eve other departments will be reviewed in the same way. This . is a big se;‘ies. Watch the articles. Ever since the farmer admin- ry day. PAGE FOUR = come up in the railroad branch within the last six months. But the members of the commis- sion and Mr. Smart pointed with just as much pride to their record in the smaller cases, that involve overcharges of individual shippers. The law of North Dakota does not require the com- mission to pay any attention to individual cases of overcharge. No previous commission ever took them up. So far as the law. goes, it is merely a matter between the individual shipper -~ and the railroad as individuals. But the pres- ent North Dakota railroad and warehouse com- mission is not trying to dodge work, just be- cause the law does not require it. They have facilities, better than the individual has, for investigating these cases, and they have adopt- ed the policy of performing this service for the citizens of North Dakota. : Going through the “overcharge file” I noticed - these few, out of many other cases: Robert E. Strutz, a farmer of Thompson, N. D., shipped two bulls and four sheep to the fair at Grand Forks. He was overcharged $6.16 on freight. The railroad agent became abusive when the mis- take was pointed out. Strutz wrote to the commis- sion. The commission got him his $6.16. 'TOWNSHIP OFFICIAL GETS $125 BACK FROM ROAD . H. F. Moffitt, a township supervisor of Burleigh county, was authorized to buy grasshopper “dope” to stop recent invasion of the hoppers, which were eating up everything in sight. On one small ship- ment from Wing to Regan, on which the freight rate should have been $40.07, the railroad charged $60.47. The railroad commission - got back the $20.40. On three other shipments, from Bismarck to Regan, involving about two and one-half carloads of the ‘“dope,” Moffitt was overcharged $105.85. This money the commission also got back. A. C. Lofthus, appointed bank examinei of North Dakota, shipped his household goods from Kloton to Bismarck. The railroad overcharged him $20.87. The commission got him the money back. W. E. Purcell, a farmer, shipped his household goods from Lansford to Fairmount, 366 miles. The railroad charged him at the rate of 42% cents per hundredweight. Purcell complained. The commis- sion found that the rate charged was one provided in the railroad’s tariffs, so Purcell can not collect on the overcharge basis. But because the railroad tariffs provide a rate of only 138.9 cents per hun- dredweight for the same distance in Minnesota, the commission has decided to take steps looking to re- duction of the rate, and will seek to get reparation for Purcell on the basis of the rate that is decided upon as a fair one. L. Arhart, a farmer, shipping his household and farm machinery at immigrant rates from Marble Rock, Iowa, to Wimbledon, N. D., placed a valua- tion of less than $10 per hundredweight on them, to get the lower rate, which would have been $250.80. The railroad agent neglected to mark anything on the bill of lading to designate what valuation had been placed upon them, but when the goods arrived in North Dakota the railroad insisted on collecting - $416.81, the rate that would have applied if the goods had been valued at more than $10 per hun- dredweight. The commission communicated with the agent who accepted the shipment. He admitted that he had not put any designation of the valua- - tion on the bill of lading, - and the railroad was forced to refund $166.10 " to Mr. Arhart. ‘There are dozens of cases similar to these— complaints of the “break- age of a few eggs; com- plaints of overcharges upon carloads of coal; complaints - against ex- press companies for the nondelivery of dresses ordered by a merchant. All of these have been taken up and given in- dividual - attention, re- gardless of the amount involved. et : Although only - given - authority by (Continued on page 13) . The work of