Consolidated Freightways, Inc. v. Lamb Ex Rel. State

15 N.W.2d 74, 73 N.D. 339, 1944 N.D. LEXIS 67
CourtNorth Dakota Supreme Court
DecidedJune 30, 1944
DocketFile No. 6928
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 15 N.W.2d 74 (Consolidated Freightways, Inc. v. Lamb Ex Rel. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering North Dakota Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Consolidated Freightways, Inc. v. Lamb Ex Rel. State, 15 N.W.2d 74, 73 N.D. 339, 1944 N.D. LEXIS 67 (N.D. 1944).

Opinion

Christianson, J.

The plaintiff is engaged in transporting freight in interstate commerce through North Dakota. It brought this action to enjoin the defendants from interfering with the transportation of certain freight in the vehicles which plaintiff employs in transporting the same.

At the commencement of the action plaintiff applied for and was granted a temporary injunction. The defendants demurred to the complaint on the ground that it failed to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action and moved to dissolve the temporary injunction. The trial court sustained the demurrer and ordered that the temporary injunction be dissolved. The plaintiff has appealed.

■No question has been raised as to the propriety of the remedy. Both parties are agreed that the rights of the parties are controlled by chapter 194, Laws 1941, which, so far as material here, reads:

“No vehicle, including the load thereon, shall exceed a length of thirty-five (35) feet. No combination of vehicles including the load thereon, shall exceed a length of forty (40) feet. No more than two *341 units shall be used in a combination. A tractor truck and semitrailer shall be considered as two units. The provision hereof shall not apply to carriage of equipment of the Army or the defense forces of the United States Government or the National Guard of the State of North Dakota;....”

In its complaint the plaintiff alleges that it is engaged in transporting in interstate commerce certain freight through North Dakota; that in transporting such freight it utilizes a “two-unit truck, namely: a six wheel truck pulling a six wheel trailer, .... That the overall length of said truck does not exceed sixty feet and that the overall axle load does not exceed fifteen thousand pounds; that the overall length is more than forty-five feet; that the length of the front unit is twenty-two feet and the length of the rear unit is twenty-eight feet; that the weight does not exceed forty thousand pounds gross for each unit, and that the gross weight of each unit does not exceed thirty-five thousand pounds, making a minimum gross weight for the two units of seventy thousand pounds; that said weight of said two units is distributed evenly on six axles in two units and on twenty-two tires; five axles with twenty tires on dual wheels and one axle with two tires in the front end of the front unit.”

It is further alleged “That the freight transported and carried in said trucks on said highways in interstate commerce as aforementioned, consists, exclusively, of equipment of the Army, the defense forces of the U. S. Government, and the National Guard of the State of North Dakota; that said transportation of said equipment by said trucks on said highway as aforementioned, consists of among other things, the transportation of said equipment and material from and to said military forces; the transportation of material from and to or between private parties which ultimately is used and intended to be used by said military forces, the transportation of material for the construction of plants, which manufacture products used and intended to be used by said military forces, the transportation of material for the construction of military installations, military cantonments, and all other military objects of every kind, nature or description, the transportation of material which is used or intended to be used directly or indirectly by the said military forces, the transportation of material *342 from and to and between private parties constructing military installations for said military forces, the transportation of material and equipment from and to parties and persons constructing military installations and structures for said military and defense forces or used or intended to be used for national defense, the transportation from and to and between private parties of materials used and intended to be used for national defense; the transportation of material to be used and intended to be used by private manufacturers producing equipment used or intended to be used for said military forces or said defense purposes, the transportation of material to be used in the construction of industrial plants, which plants are used or intended to be used in the production of material and military equipment for said military forces or national defenses.”

The complaint further sets forth “a description of the type of freight carried and transported by said trucks, the name of the consignee, name of shipper, point of origin, destination, billing station, and route.” The first shipment set out is one of aluminum rivets by the Midstate Manufacturing Company from Waupon, Wisconsin, to the Boeing Aircraft Company at Benton, Washington, to be used for military airplanes. The second shipment set out is one by the Koehring Mills from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, of tractor tread shoes and shoe pins to the Sound Construction and Engine Company at Galena, Washington, to be used in connection with the construction of an airport for the Army. Eleven other shipments are set out. These shipments consist of such items as electric motors, shoes, electric controllers, iron bolts and nuts, abrasive paper, and polishing wax.

In disposing of the ease in the court below, the trial court filed a memorandum decision wherein he made the following pertinent observations :

“Much of the material hauled is such as is used in the Manufacture of War equipment. In fact almost everything shipped now by Rail, truck or boat has some relation to the War effort. This would be true in the shipment of farm products.

These shipments described in the Complaint are largely from one manufacturing Company to another and consists of parts for the construction of War activities.

*343 However, they are not shipments direct to or from the Army or Navy or Aviation Service of the United States Government or the National Guard of the State of North Dakota

It will be noted that the complaint shows affirmatively that the plaintiff employs vehicles of a size that it is forbidden to use for transporting freight unless the freight carried falls within the exception in the statute. It is the contention of the plaintiff that the proviso that “the provision hereof shall not apply to carriage of equipment of the Army or defense forces of the United States Government or the National Guard of the State of North Dakota” applies to whatever is used in equipping the Army or defense forces of the United States or the National Guard of the State and that consequently plaintiff had the right to utilize the vehicles that it was using in transporting the freight that is described in the complaint. The defendants, on the other hand, contend that the exception in the statute does not apply to material that may be or is intended to be used for military purposes; that it is restricted to equipment of the Army or defense forces of the United States or of the National Guard and that the freight described did not constitute equipment of the Army, the defense forces or of the National Guard.

The language of the exception is restrictive. It does not apply to the carriage of goods or material suitable for or to be used by the Army, Navy or aviation forces of the United States or the National Guard of the State.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

McGurren v. City of Fargo
66 N.W.2d 207 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1954)
Schnoor Ex Rel. Schnoor v. Meinecke
33 N.W.2d 66 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1948)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
15 N.W.2d 74, 73 N.D. 339, 1944 N.D. LEXIS 67, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/consolidated-freightways-inc-v-lamb-ex-rel-state-nd-1944.