Weekly Arizona citizen., 1880-12-18
RAILROAD MATTERS
Complaints of Delay in Transportation and Excessive Rates of Freights- Reasons Why and Wherefore.

uuu lduiL uuuer all ClTCunSbdICCs- whose happiness appears 10 consist iI making themselves perfectly misera- ble. They consider themselvts injured they are martyrs; nothing suits them the world is against them in theiI opinion, and yet if the whole of their rouble were sifted to the bottom, it. would be the old story of the noun tam in labor bringing forth a mouse. From the day on which the Southern Pacific Railroad opened it's station 8; this point, there have been those who have done nothing but growl and find fault at the "tardineSs" of transpOrta- tiOn and the excessive rates charged This is natural, however; it is the re- compense received by those whose en- ergy, enterprise and capital have opened the doors to civilization, and made valuable that which has hereto fore been worthless. Only a short time since a mercantile house in this city received 6 letter from which we make the following extract. The find fault mania has reached points east of us, for the complaining comes from near Lordsburg It says: This erro- on the part of your clerk ac- counts in great measure for the un- accountable delay in getting goods through from Tucson Co this place. The tardiness displayed by the South ern Pacific Railroad in thls regard and the arbitrary rates charged, is driving an immense traffic from Silver City, Georgetown, Hillsboro, Clifton, Shakes peare, and all surrounding mining camps east, and working serious dam age 10 the interests of California and Tucson. Rates from Chicago, St. LouIs and New York are given us at but atrifling advance over the rates between here and San Francisco, Los Angeles or Tucson. This is q matter worthy of your attention, and of remonstrance with the Southern Pacific Railroad officials" This growl k moderate in tone, but now let Us look at the other side of the question, With re spect to the word Iardiness, as used by the complainant, we suppose the term expresses nothing ex- cept it is used relatively. The Southern Pacific Railroad Company has built during the past year an un- precedented number of miles of road. It has outstripped the AtchIson Road by many miles, having already passed the proposed end of the track, while it, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Road, is seventy or eighty miles distant, and tbe last station opened for business on that line IS one hundred and thirty miles distant from the Southern Pacific.
 The Southern Pacific has opened stations wherever they were demanded by business, and as soon after the track reached the point as water could be found It has also received freight and forwarded all that was offered without any interruption or delay eX- cept such as may have originated from storms or Q pressure upon the road in order to get building supplies Cor ward, it beng of first importance, not only to the company, but to the citi- zens of Arizona and New Mexico, that the track be extended as rapidly as possible. In order Co build the road and at the same time do busi- ness, il has had to run special trains with steel and ties in order Co make up for delays on Eastern roads. lt also had to haul coal from Wyoming to New Mexico, and even tO buy coal in the San Francisco market, at rates two or three times higher than ordi- nary. Notwithstanding these delays, which no amount of expense and skill in management could avoid, we veu- ture to assert that, upon the average, there Is no road in the country which has moved its freight SD promptly during ,he past four months as the Southern Pacific. There have been no instances of such delays as occurred upon the Atchisun Road last fall and summer by reason Of freshets; no instances where cOusignees have moi received their freight in an incredibly shOit time as compared with times when they had no railroad. Under these circumstances il seems Co Us that there is want of judgment or fair ness upon the part of the person mak- ing the complaint referred tO.
 Now, again. as Co the arbitrary rates charged; The Southern Pacific Railroad Company has not thus far by it's business, been able to pay tOi opening the road. We have the most positive information of 1ms. It de- flyers freight within forty miles ol Silver City, while the AtchisOn road cannot deliver it any nearer than from one hundred to one hundred and thir- ty miles. The rates charged by the Southern Pacific are but very small percentage of the cost that the fadlt- finders have been subjected tO in re- ceiving their freight before the South ern Pacific road was built AS tt driving traffic from Silver City, George town. etc, very little of the traffic of those sections has ever come from this side. In the nature of things. very little can come from this side. The question of relative rates from Sar Francisco and Chicago has very little to do with it. because the bulk O freight originates at the East, ano must first come from there 10 CG!ifOr- mia, paying the cost of twenty-five hun cred miles of rail transportation before it can be distributed to New Mexico
 Chicago is nearer the terminus of tho Atchison road than Sal Francisco and the idea that the rates of this com panv can drive from 1t what 1t nevel had, or that the company can make rates from San Francisco on goods which originate at Chicago, tha would enable Silver City men Go bul in San Francisco and lay his good
 down at Silver City as cheaply as h, buys in Chicago, and lay them dowi at the same point, is simply absurd.
 The above is the whole matter in nut shell. Those interested had bet ter ponder and reflect If they do,an' they are men possessing powers O reasoning, they must see that vas
 majority of the complaints agains
 the Southern Pacific Railroad in th
 matter of delay and excessive charge
 are unjust and unreasonable.
 The New Ten Wheeler.
 The first of the twenty new engine
 ordered for the Tucson Division c | ,Lo Southern Pacific Railroad has ar