Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-01-26
ADVICE Of OLD
RAILROAD MAN.
Says Before Commercial Club En-
dOrses San Pedro Project 1t
Should Investigate,
A STUDY IN FREIGHT RATES.
Urges That Salt Lake be Accorded Pro-
lection as Against Prospective Los
Angeles Invaders.

The following exhortatlon delivered
this morning by Il member Of the Com
mercial club relative 10 the rate situa-
ton present and to come, will undoubt-
eddy echo the sentiments OF q number
Of business men who have the interests
OF Salt Lake at heart:
do not think for a moment that
want to DO a knocker, but the fact re-
mains the same that before the Com
mercial club takes up and passes upon
the question of assisting In the san
Pedro harbor scheme that It should look
well into the matter and be sure that IN
inviting Salt Lake 10 help out that Los
Angeles is not putting knife into the
hands OF Salt Lake and asking her 10
cut her own throat. The San Pedro
line will be n great thing for Salt Lake
providing Salt Lake interests are de-
Tended and hedged around so that IN
stead Of Building UP Los Angeles 10 the
detriment OF our city both VIII be as.
sisted. I think that the Commercial
club should look we'll into this thing
and secure guarantee that II SAT-
Lake helps out heart and soul that she
should not be sold TO Los Angeles. TO
illustrate When the line IL completed
the freight rates from the Atlantic sea-
board TO Los Angeles will be the same
as prevail TO Portland, and San Fran
cisco. Under the commodity rate that
exists at the present time and has been
in force for some time there are certain
shipments on Is not necessary TO spec
fy) which can be transported from the
Atlantic seaboard to San Francisco for
81 a hundred in carload lots. The job
beers In San Francisco can break up the
carloads and ship goods back to Ogden
for 81 80. making a total Of 81 so laid
down In ogden. The same commodity
from the Atlantic seaboard to Salt Lake
Is $3.50, adding % cents from
here back to ogden It makes
total Of $3.l4 or Gi cents higher than
the San Francisco man can do rms
IL only one instance, there are many
others When the line Is opened through
to Los Angeles the wholesalers OF the
city Of the Saints will also be able 10
get into Utah and between them hack
the salt Lake men clean off the board
At present this ls not possible as the
san Francisco, Portland and common
points rate to Salt Lake Is N,l2lS
against S2.32h from Los Angeles, via
the Southern Pacific.
THE present rate on first class ship.
ments on the San Pedro Is not en-
couraging. Take Milford for instance
which is 22lia miles from Salt Lake,
the rate Is 81 cents, while to Galleries
which Is 1868 miles the rate Is Sl.iS.
| This means mileage Increase over
Milford Of 52 per cent and rate in
crease Of S2.I2 per cent which II TO say
| the least, unusual as railroads generally
| make Il practise Of reducing the rate
| pro rata the further the destination II
from the initial point The rate IN COM
| parison with the Short Line for m
stance on first class shipments does NOT
show up we'll For the same distances
| there are Idaho Falls t22l miles) ana
Red Rock C339 miles, The rate 10 tho
former Is so cents and TO the last nam
ed sl20, being an increase OF % per
cent In mileage and 50 per cent In the
rate.
you will probably be told that this
rate viii be changed. We were told
the same thing by the Southern Pacific
10 years ago but the tariff sheets pub
lshed then are still In effect today,
Let us help out the new railroad
all we can but let us first know where
we are at and require that we have
a guarantee that In helping out Los
| Angeles we are not clubbing ourselves
TO death. | have been in the railroad
business for a number OF years and
know how these things pan out II
the Commercial club VIII only inYes-
tigate II win see the truth OF my ar
gument. To build up Salt Lake We
must build up our business interests