The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-04-24
Failure of the Recent Conference
May Open 1t.
SHORT LINE INDEPENDENT
MANAGEMENT HAS PLAYED A
VERY SHREWD GAME.
The Salt Lake & ogden-Mr. Clay
Returns - Excursion to Tintic
Sunday.

1t may now be stated on good author
ity that the recent efforts of the Union
Pacific officials to force close tariff re-
lations with the Short Line utterly
failed, and that the prospect for the
opening of the Ogden gateway is not a
remote possibility.
/ The cloud of speculation which has
obscured the exact commercial position
of the Oregon Short Line has finally
been penetrated and The Herald is in
position TO announce that no agreement
was entered into between the Union
Pacific and Oregon Short Line at the
conference which ended in this city on
Sunday last, nor is there any immediate
danger of such an enhancement, one
not regarded with favor by either the
shippers at this point and certainly not
by competitive lines that have been
clamoring for a fair division of busi-
ness. Ii is known that General Man
ager Edward Dickinson of the Union
Pacific admitted the failure of himself
and his associates to get anything sat
isfactory out of the Short Line officials,
and intimated that another conference
would be necessary.
The truth of the situation is that the
Oregon Short Line management has
played a shrewd game. having the adj
vantage of having seen the Union Pa
cific's hand without exposing their own
design. The Herald was assured yes
terday by a gentleman who is in posi-
ton to know whereof he speaks, that
the Short Line would be operated pre-
cisely on the lines suggested by Presi-
dent Carr, that of an entirely independ-
ent system with no close alliances, but
those most favorable TO the business
prosperity of the Short Line.
President Bancroft and Traffic Man
ager Eccles leave for Boston TODAY,
and among the things which will be
settled by his interview with President
Carr is the Union Pacific overture of
a traffic arrangement that will pre-
clude the Short Line from forming any
other advantageous connection, the
very point. in fact, upon which the
conference stuck and dissolved. 1t is
not thought that President Carr will
cast his benign smile on that sort of a
proposition. If he does not, The Herald
can reasonably assure the competing
lines that the opening of the Ogden |
gateway is not dream, but a coming
naturalization. For the Short Line |
alone has the power to throw down the
bars to the outside lines and then the |
Union Pacific may content itself with /
a share of the business, instead of a /
monopoly
Another matter that will occupy the I
attention of President Carr and Mr.. |
Bancroft is the scheme to take the Salt /
Lake & Los Angeles extension in hand.
Some time ago the Salt Lake & Los An
geles company bid for 100000 ties to be
delivered by July l. at specified places
along the Oregon Short Line. The bid
was made on the strength of an agree
ment with the reorganization commit
tee of the Short Line previous to the
departure os Chairman Carr and Mr..
Nichols from Salt Lake. The extern
sion would mean the connection of Los
Angeles and this city, as repeatedly re-
ported. Nothing will be done at Gar
field unit! after Mr.. Bancroft's return
The general manager will not reach
Boston before May 1, which will keep
the local situation in suspense until
that time.