The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-11-28
General Manager Merrill of the
Burlington in Town
SANPETE VALLEY AT MANTI
Mr.. BabcOck Says Differences Have
Been Patched Up.
A Stock Shipment from DIilford-Earn.
Ings of the Denver & Rio Grande-A
New Use for the Kodak-Gen-
eraI Railway Notes.

ei41t PAL VI Inc great burlington route
that extends east of the Missouri river
came in yesterday morning on the
Rio Grande Western train from The
east and spent the day, until he wen
out on the o'clock Union Pacific
train for the west in looking over the
city. With Mr.. Merrill are his wife ano
daughter and Miss Periey of Andover
Mass. The party took dinner at the
knutsford, but otherwise they stayed
in the private car in which they have
Travelled from Chicago here.
Mr.. Merrill, who is man of about
torty-five years of age has been with
the Burlington for about twenty-one
years. He started in as civil
lehelneer and is a striking representa-
1--WE OF that class of men who have
worked up in the railroad business
from obscurity to affluence, through
the medium of untiring energy. A
product OF the system, in which he
cuts no small figure, he possesses the
genlallty and cosmopolitan character
!stlcs found so commonly among men
IN IN tne business. When seen by a
herald reporter he was in his car
looking over time tables and books
OF references and was evidently figur-
ing on the important business of the
road. However, he readily laid aside
his work to talk and in his business
IKE way he gave out some very good
ideas. e0N'
Opening the interview the reporter
SAID: There has been a. great deal
OF speculation as to whether some one
OF the Great Trunk lines will build to
SAT- Lake city in the near future.
therefore, = Hs'o'0
l do not think the prospects are
very good within any short period. as
money is not so plentiful that railroads
are thinking OF branching out and do
ING anythlng more than holding their
own. While there is financial Quiet
ness they will all be disinclined to make
any advances. Therefore the near
future does not seem to hold out much
promise to this region, but when times
become brighter and railroads get more
money then in all likelihood there will
be something done. Which road will
start or how the start will be made, or
Whether any start will be made, are all
matters of speculation"
situation?' ---""'
The quietness in financial circles
and consequent lack of money. have
anected our business to a great extent
There is a great deal to move. as crons
nave been good in the east, but
prices OF farm products are so low that
it does not pay to ship them, You can
imagine that with corn at 20 cents per
pushel on the Missouri river the far
merS do not feel encouraged and are
prone TO hold back until there is a
raise in prices. AS to the live stock
business, the lack of money has de-
TERED the farmers from buying feed
ers this year and in Kansas and Ne
find hot
about one-third of the usual number
OF cattle being fed. The movement of
cattle, therefore, from Texas and the
western states and territories is very
small. In the northwest, however.
through the Dakotas and Minnesota,
the movement has been as great as it
was last year. We look for a reaction
there next year on this account. OF
course we hope there will be a tendency
to make greater shipments in the near
future and hope to resume the normal
trend of affairs"
Did you not make some good profits
on Worlds fair trafic?"
oh, yes; we carried thousands to
and from the fair, but there had been
great outlay in making ready to han
ole the traffic. The travel would have
been much greater had it not been for
the attitude of the press, which prom
1sed low rates and kept many from
going who would not have considered
rates, which make but a small part of
the expense to be considered in arrang-
ing for trip of this kind, had they not
been reminded of them. AS it was. we
carried great many people, but the
west did not contribute its expected
number of travellers. The east fur
nlshed great many but it must be adj |
mltted that a. large proportion of the |
visitors to the fair came from points in |
Illinois,
What will the railroads of the east
do about the Midwinter fair? Will
they make any concessions. and will |
they advertise it extensively?''
The railroads west of the Missouri |
have made special rates for the ex-
position, but I do not suppose the |
railways of the east can afford to do
anything in that line, as the number
OF people they will carry who are bent |
on seeing the fair will be such a small |
percentage lof their total passenger
traffic that it would not pay them to |
make rates which they would have to !
apply to all the traffic on their lines |
Ot course they will advertise the fair !
and endeavor to make it |
a drawing card. Their efforts will un-
doubtedly send many travellers this
way"
What effect will the belligerent at
upon trans-continental rates?'
1t will probably bring them down |
to such low mark that none of the
roads can afford to haul while they
are in effect. Then it is probable that |
the roads to the south will simply |
and let the Canadian Pacific |
do all the losing. The Canadian Pa
cific is accustomed to making trouble
in rates at all times, and therefore it
is apt to demoralze matters at any
time. But as to that, l believe the
trans-continental rates on the south
western lines are in a much worse
shape than on those in the north"
rs there any solution in sight for
the veXed question OF trans-continen-
tai rates?''
We'll, 1 can hardly say there is any
in sight, but there seems to be a very
simple solution of the question That
is to stop legislation regarding the
railroads Commerce will flow along
like stream of water in its regular
channel, without the aid of legislation
The rates on the railroads will, in
a natural state. be fixed by the
laws Of commerce, regulated by
the prices of articles and a healthy
competition. But the congress and
the legislators of the different
states do not seem to understand this,
and the minute a railroad begins to be
or to enforce a policy that L
is conformable with the laws of COM
merce, legislation is resorted to. There
is no legislation against farmers or
against any artizans. They are al
lowed to conduct their own affairs ac-
cording to the laws of nature But
railroad company is constantly inter-
and misdirect its energies. The conse-
1uence has been that there hae haa1 |