Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-03-14
LOADING WOOL
IS NOW ILLEGAL

As each day passes the railroad Of
heials are discovering new features
hidden in the all embracing interstat,
commerce bin now generally known as
the Elkins' law The measure reads
that It shall be unlawful under penalty
NJ a heavy fine to favor any shipper
with ANY concession or discrimination
by any device whatever This is al
ready creating great grief among the
vcol-buyers OF the east and a cores
pording amount Of Joy among the To-
cal railroadmen.
In no other states in the Union do the
conditions prevail that are prevalent
during the wool season in Utah Wyo-
mng and Idaho, So great has competi-
ton been In the past that each year
broader concessions have been made
~ the buyers Ia order to secure the
shipments Of wool The woolbuyers
have been given mileage books and
have gone around the country accom-
panied by a following OF railroad
freight agents. all eager to get the clip
Tor their respective roads.
In the hustle for business the freight
men have pocketel their pride and re-
sorted TO all kinds OF schemes, until
last year the spectacle Of bright young
business men doing the work OF rOust-
alouts was the rule rather than the ex-
ccption. Numerous protests have bee,l
fled In the past but Il was case OF
don overalls or hunt another job.
Just what fell to the lot Of the aver
age travelling freight agent, who. while
IN town generally wears diamonds and
a debonnair air, was about as follows.
After he had accompanied the wool
buyer 10 certain spot and made him
acquainted with flockmaster possibly
a deal would be cOnsummated when 4
certain amount would be paid down 10y
the buyer. On a specified date the
freight agent would pack his grip anu
board the train for the shearng pen
where he would receive the wool, as
cist with his own hands In lifting "a
tales on 10 the scales and then into the
cars he would mark the bales. weigh
them, keep tally and finally pay the
grower by means Of filling out a blank
draft that had been given him by the
buyer when he left town IN some
cases when the wool would have TO be
hauled from a distance ne would have
to lay around al some Isolated spot Tor
two or three days ere the last load ar.
rived.
Last year such work was done by
about a. per cent Of the railrUadmen
who were out after business II was
simply case OF where a well paid mon
had 10 get down and do the work Of a
neight roustab0ut or lose the bust
hess. Some OF the men went as far as
10 carry a block and tackle around
with them In order 10 facilitate things
generally or course u was healthy
exercise even Il It was mira dix, but
While the freight man was doing
dollars worth Of manual labor out on
the desert he could otherwise have been
out husting getting business IN carload
lots for his road
This Is TO be changed this year I'M
der the Elkins' bin no such concessions
are permissible and the man who so
llCits such discrimina tion Is equally as
liable 90 a fine OF from 81 LOCO 10 $50 oo0
a8 Is the railroad corporation whicl
volunteers 10 do this In order 70 get
business.
Consequently there Is exceeding great
joy IN local railroad circles over the
matter and Il Is on the cards that there
win be- a big celebration just before the
wool season opens when the obscuuics
OF an unjust custom viii be observed
IA a fitting manner