The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-08-28
Bennett ON Rates.

While merchants and jobbers are storm
ing at the unjust determinations practiced
against them by the railways, the officials
of the latter go about their business smil-
ing, collecting the stiff charges, and credit
ing the profits to the ''swell'' side of the
ledger.
To get the version of the other side in
this controversy, The HERALD reporter
bearded General Freight and Passenger
Agent Bennett of the Rio Grande West
ern, in his den, whose auburn whiskers
radiated brilliancy and whose every hair
seemed TO contain pointer, as the scribe
accosted him thus:
They are after You pretty hard, are
they not9'
Mr.. Bennett leaned back, threw his
arms behind his head and rested the base of
his cerebellum on his folded hands, and then
gave vent to his opinion on the freight
kickers. He was especially captivated
with the verses quoted by the secretary of
the chamber of commerce, and while its
| heroic diction had a sweet charm for his
soul he did not like the idea of establish
ing precedent in quoting poetry in bust
ness matters. 'In its place poetry is all
right, said the prosaic railway official,
with particular emphasis on the word
| place"
Eyes, 1 see they have got UP another
commission, or committee, and presume
we will have to go through them as we did
| the other commissions. Whom complaints
were made before, one of the first things
upon which reduction was asked was
boots and shoes. The jobbers naturally
wanted the rates as low as they could get
them. But we asked them if they wanted
the rates reduced so as to let in boots and
shoes from New England at prices that
would shut down the boot and shoe factory
in this city. They saw al once that this
one factory is more valuable to this city
than the entire boot aud shoe jobbing
trade. They wanted the rate reduced on
dry goods. The same remonstrance ap-
piled here. The Provo wooden mills, which
do great work in manufacturing Utah's
wool crop into a large variety of
cloth, are to be Disseminated
against, and one of the most
valuable factories in the terri
tory is TO be sacrificed for the good of
the dry goods jobbers. Then there was q
demand for cheaper rates on timed goods.
Had this rate been conceded, do you sup
pose that capitalists would now be invest
ing their money in a canning factory
Next came demand for cheaper rates on
ore, and you know how the whole matter
ended by the citizens petitioning the roads
to not make the reduction rs it would ruin
Jne smelIlng business 10 THIS territory.
''These are but few samples of the dual
interests that are to be cared for. The
factories want the highest rate possible,
even prohibitory rate, while the jobbers
demand rate so low that it would cripple
the manufacturing interests.
Again." continued Mr.. Bennett, "mer-
chants seem to lose sight of the fact that
railroads are operated to make money and
that the men who invest their capital in
railroad stocks are just rs much entitled to
make their 5, 10 or II per cent. as the men
who invest their money in the jobbing
business
1.-The railroad interests, nevertheless.
are nearly identical with those of the mer-
chants and the business men whom the
companies serve. The railroads cannot
afford to establish ruinous rate. as ii
would be only driving their own patron
out Of business, but they must
make a profit to be prosperous
Much Of the profits Of the Rio Grande
Western have been expended in broad
guaging and equipping the road in Utah,
and the great improvements on all the lines
between this city were the direct result of
the railroads earnings, and the only way q
railroad can earn money is by charging for
carrying freight"