The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-17

Said to Have Been instrumental
In the Action of the Association.
Santa Claus will not forget the peo-
pie of Utah. He will bring them a
Christmas present from the railroads
that form the Colorado-Utah Freight
association in the shape of the priv
lege of paying an increased price for
everything they buy which has to be
shipped from the east, in order that the
railroads may make greater profits.
That IS the effect of a decision
reached at the recent meeting of the
association, that it would withdraw the
joint freight tariff No. II, naming rates
from Atlantic seaboard points to Colo
RADIO and Utah common points. the
withdrawal to take effect the oath OF
this month.
The withdrawal carries immense sig
nificance for the people of Utah, who
have had for few months a slight
relief from the buldensome freight
rates from the east. The relief was
brought about through the efforts OF
the Utah Jobbers' association, which
in July last sent its secretary, S. n.
to secure lower rates. Mr.. Love sue
ceeded in his mission, at least to
measurable extent. as his efforts re
suited in the publication of the tarln
which is now TO be withdrawn which
in the course of time operated TO make
a reduction in freight rates of from 10
10 80 per hundred on almost every
thing shipped TO Utah from the east
that is included in commodity rates,
in fact nearly every article of merchan-
disc purchased from the east, as by the
time the association determined to
withdraw the tariff, pearly every such
article had been added to the COM
modify rate.
The story of Mr.. Loves work was
published at that time in The Herald.
He went to New York and labored With
the transportation companies for days,
and finally succeeded in inducing the
Mallory steamship line. which oper-
ates steamers to the Gulf of Mexico. TO
put in the reduced rate in conjunction
with the K. NJ. & t, the Rock Island,
the Denver & Rio Grande and the Rio
Grande Western railroads, to Colorado
and Utah. This combination gave no
tice to the Seaboard association, which
had steadfaStly refused to grant Mr..
Loves request, that they proposed
publishing the rate arbitrarily, and in a
day or so all the other lines came in
Only a few articles were included in
the tariff at first. but such as they were
could be shipped in here at a reduction
from former rates. as stated. of from
Is to 30 cents per hundred. This brought
the rate from New York and all At
lantic seaboard points down to a level
with the rates from Chicago to Utah
and equal to the rates from seaboard
points to San Francisco and back to
Utah. via the Southern Pacific.
This was a material benefit 10 Utah
jobbers, as we'll as to the public gen
orally, inasmuch as it enabled the
jObbers to buy in the east the goods
they would have to buy in San Fran
cisco under the old arrangement, when
goods could be shipped across the con-
tinent and back to Utah at lower rates
than they could be brought from the
east here for. 1t benefited the con-
sumner, in that it effected general re-
ductiOn in the price they paid for all
the articles of merchandise affected.
The Arrangement seemed an emf
nently satisfactory one to all except
certain railroads and the Chicago
wholesalers, and as time went by, arti-
Gle after article was added to the tariff
until at length it included nearly every
thing in the way of merchandise that
is shipped from the east.
The arrangement was not agreea bic,
ating between here and the east, as it
reduced their revenues to just the eX-
tent of the reduction in the rates. 1t
was lot agreeable to the Southern Pa
cific, but for only one reason. The
Southern Pacific is naturally interested
in San Francisco. and had rather see
the Utah jobbers buy there than else
where. so none of the roads held out
in favor of the Utah people when the
Chicago merchants raised a hue and
cry that the tariff was iniuring their
business to the benefit of eastern cities
1t was, therefore. no difficult matter
to induce the Colorado-Utah associa-
ton 10 withdraw the rate.
Much of the incentive for the with
drawal 0ustly or unjustly) is laid at
the door of the Union Pacific, whose
revenues suffered most from the OBJ
noXious tariff, by some of the jobbers
One of them said yesterday: 1T seems
apparent that the Union Pacific is at
the bottom of the withdrawal. aided
and abetted by the Southern Pacific
The latter actuated by its interest in
San Francisco, and the Union Pacific
IN the interest of its earnings. l think
the most of the blame is due them, as
1t would be easier for them to force the
lines leading to and from the gulf to
withdraw from the agreement than
anybody else. They undoubtedly give
tHS CAioh L dClilc, Denver N Oull anu
the other gulf connections much more
business than Utah can, and they
would. therefore, only he protecting
their own interests by Withdrawing
if the Union Pacific gave them the ulti-
matum of doing so or losing the bust
ness it gives them.
AS stated. the tariff will be with
drawn on the 9th. and after that time
consumers will have an increased price
for their goods in the ratio of the in
crease of the freight rates