The Grain Monopoly Grip

A recent decision by the state supreme court emphasizes the need of a railway commission to regulate the placing of warehouses as well as to fix rates and fares. The case decided was that of the Northwestern Warehouse Company against the O. R. N. Co. The plaintiff had applied to the railroad for a warehouse site on its right of way at Pomeroy but was refused. After purchasing adjacent land and offering to grade a connection at their own expense, they were again rejected. The supreme court reversed a lower court ruling in favor of the warehouse company, holding that railroads are under no obligation to grant such connections unless they have already granted them to others. This case calls attention to the fact that railroads in eastern Washington are practicing rank discrimination in favor of the Pacific Coast Elevator Company and the Puget Sound Warehouse Company, giving them a virtual monopoly on grain shipping. As a result of this policy, warehouse facilities at many points are inadequate, leaving thousands of sacks of wheat exposed to damage from inclement weather—a clear violation of the state constitution's prohibitions against monopolies and discriminatory transportation facilities.