Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1888-03-30
COAL VERSUS WOOD.
Why Send Large Sums Out OF the
Country when There Is an Abundant
Supply Of Fuel At HOme2

WY Seuu Largo sums Out OF the
Country when There Is an Abundant
Supply Of Fuel At Aomei
To THE EpIroR OF The T,xxs:-
l observed an article in your issue
of March 20 under the caption "An.
other Coal Famine" in which some
suggestions appear pointing out the
probable cause and attaching the
blame to the place where you seem
to think it belongs.
Now, desire to make a few sue.
gestions placing the blame whore l
think it belongs. The business men
OF Wood River are to blame, not on
account of shortage of coal fur.
nished by the U. P. company, but are
to blame for buying any coal of them
at all, at any price, at any time, where
wood will possibly answer the pur-
pose.
What has the U. P. railway done
for HALEY and Wood River general.
ly? They have never done us a
single favor; they have at all times
and are now discriminating in rites
on ore shipments against this whole
Wood River country, charging now
double tho rate per ton on ore ship
men.s from Wood River to Omaha
that they do from Butte, Montana.
And why? They have no grudge at
us nor complaint against us, but they
have "the strings" on US. There is
no competing line in this country and
there is in Northern Montana. We
arc to-day nore oppressed and our
mining industries are in a worse con-
dition than they would be had we nc
railroad nearer than Odgen. Nc
man can ship ore unless it is of the
most valuable and richest per ton
Hence hundreds of our mines are
either not worked at all or are only
worked in the most favorable por
ton of the season and the miner.
who find employment in such mine.
for six months IN the year have nc
employment the balance Of the sea
son. The common laborers who WORK
about the mines and who do the haul
ing of the ore and who prepare ant
furnish the mining timbers during thu
half of the year the mines are worked
are out of employment the balance o
the year. Now, would it not be {
great help to the Wood River coun
try if all these men had employment
for IL months in the year instead O.
SIX months? Would it not be bette,
for every merchant and every bust.
ness man on Wood River if we never
had any idle men?
The business men are obliged to
pay hundreds Of thousands of dollars
in freight to the railroad company fol-
such supplies as we are compelled te
have, and this is all charged up to the
consumer who is the laborer.
This we cannot avoid. But the
business men of Wood River do no,
stop at this necessary outlay fol-
freight to the railroad company, but
they have actually adopted the use OF
coal stoves, and are not only paying
out hundreds Of thousands of dollars
freight annually on the coal thereby
consumed, but are paying out a sum
equal to the same railroad company
for the coal, it being well.known that
the U. P. railroad company own the
coal mines in Wyoming, from whence
our supply comes. Now, is it not
about time for the business men of
Wood River to cry halt and take the
question at least under advisement
and see if by using the coal for fuel
they are not greatly damaging their
own business and that of their neigh
Dor and the country? We will not
now attempt to discuss the relative
cost between wood for fuel and coal
for fuel on Wood River, for the diff.
ference is so small either way that t
is not worth discussion. But sup
pose every dollar paid to the railroad
company for the past year for coal
and coal freight had been paid to the
worthy pioneers who are here among
US and seeking to make for them
selves homes in our new country! l
say suppose all that money had been
paid to men for chopping wood and
teamsters for haullno il and thew in