Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-01-09
1HURsDAY. JANUARY 8, 1890.

Office Of Publication, 123-125 West Second
street. Los Angeles. Telephone No. 156
1HURsDAY. january 3, 1890.
why 1t Will Come Here.
We do not believe that the conference
between the Union Pacific and Southern
Pacific officials, announced to be on the
tapie, has any significance whatever in
the matter of the extension of the Utah
Southern to this city. There are many
subjects of debate between the two roads,
besides this, which might give rise at
any time to q conference. People who
are not we'll informed on railroad matters
have jumped to false conclusions about
the attitude Of the Southern Pacific upon
the Utah extension. We have very good
reasons for believing that the Southern
Pacific Company, instead of being an
tagonistic is favorable to the projected
extension. The country through which
the Utah Southern will pass is now dor.
mant. The Southern Pacific has no
notion of building into it, and for any
other company to tap it would be to
create new and extensive traffic, q
share of which, under any circumstances,
would fall into it's hands. Indeed the
Southern Pacific is very anxious, as we
are credibly informed, that the Utah
Southern should be pushed to connec-
ton with Los Angeles for reasons that
are vital to ITSELF
According to a statement made by the
late Charles Crocker, the fuel question
has all along been the gravest pro olem
with which his company has had to deal.
The cost of coal formed so considerable
An item in their operating expenses as to
seriously stand in the way of every
movement they desired to make to meet
the demands of the public for reductions
in the rates of freights and fares. He
said that eleven per cent of the entire
operating expenses of the road went to
the account of fuel. With the exception
Of two or three small veins in Puget
Sound, all the coal of this Coast. includ-
ing such as had reached here from
Alaska, was found to be deficient
in the qualities necessary to make
steam. They, therefore, have been
compelled to get their princi-
pal supply of coal fuel from
Australia and England. The cost of
bringing it from those distant points by
ship and paying the duty on the same is
tremendous. A large fleet of ships is
now under charter to bring coal from
Australia, and the fact that disaster fre-
quently intervenes in these long voy.
ages compels the company to keep an
enormous supply of this coal on hand at
all times. This ties up very large
amount of capital, and is the cause of
constant anxiety and no end of incon-
venience.
In view of these facts the Southern
Pacific Company has had large force of
prospectors constantly in the field
searching for accessible coal mines; but
80 far with very little success. In the
meantime some of the best and most
extensive coal mines in the country have
been opened in Southern Utah. These
mines are controlled by the Union Pacific
through its branch company, the Utah
Southern. The quality Of the coal for
making steam is unsurpassed, and the
Southern Pacific is very anxious to OBJ
tain its fuel supplies from these mines.
Indeed, we are assured that an agree
ment to that effect has been entered into
between the two companies. This alone
would be powerful incentive with the
Southern Pacific not only to favor the
Utah Southern extension, but to do all
in its power to expedite it's construction.
Now let US look at another aspect of
the question. The Central Pacific is a
leased line, and as such the Southern
Pacific Company cannot have 80 great
an interest in its prosperity as in the
road which it directly controls and owns.
A large portion of the business of Gen.
tral Nevada which now finds its way to
the Central Pacific will necessarily be
DETECTED to the Utah Southern when it
has been built to Los Angeles. That
portion of this business which is des-
tined for San Francisco, and which is
diverted to the Utah road, will neces-
sarily go by the Southern Pacific.
So that what the Central Pacific loses
the Southern Pacific will gain. Then
again, of the new business that will be
opsned by the extension, all that is des-
tined for San Francisco-a vast proper
tion of the whole-will necessarily pay
tribute to the Southern Pacific. In fact,
from whatever point of view we may
examine this subject, there can be moth.
ing but increase of business come to the
Southern Pacific Company from the ex-
tension of the Utah Southern to Los
Angeles. Why, then, should that com.
pany wish to place any impediment in
the way of it's construction A terri
tory Of vast extent that is now without
railroad transportation facilities, and
which is rich in mines that can only be
profitably worked by such facili-
ties, will become the scene of busy
industry. Old camps that have
been abandoned will become thriving
mining towns, and new camps will spring
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