Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-03-31
WAGON FREIGHTERS EMPLOYED
IN FIGHT FOR LOWER RATES
ou'ng 81 Wagons Loaded With Coal and Sup.
pies Driven Across Country Demand
That Florence Be Made Common
Point With Pueblo, Colo.

h'sh freight tariffs imposed by Tho
no Grande and Santa Fe railroad
companl's, Edwin Lobach ar
riVed n Pueblo from Florence
Colo, Wednesday, with a string al
wagons 'oaded with coal and apples
from the treemont county town to be
sold there, The wagons returned ,c
Florence Yesterday loaded with
freight OF every description for the
merchants OF chat city.
a regular wagon train will be nut
in operation between the two cities at
once and trips viii be made four times
each week, Freight win be hauled Ia
ana from PHeblc by these freight.
ers at twenty cents per hundred
pounds which is an average of
seventy-fiN par cent cheaper than is
charged BY the railroads.
me using OF wagon trains for this
work instead OF the railroads. was
brought about by A. X. Hadley, man.
ager Of The Hadley Mercantile com.
pany, one Of the largest merchandise
concerns in Florence. Mr.. Hadley, TO.
gether with several other dealers of
tina city, decided that If they could
not obtain the same freight tariff Tor
goods from the east to Florence. as is
obtained by Pueblo merchants, they
would install a wagon freighting sys-
tenn and in the future purchase their
supplies in Pueblo.
A request will be presented to tho
railroads asking a reduction in the
freight tariff and If this is not granted
the wagon train will be kept IN serv.
Ice. MI. Lobach. who owns a large
NUMBER OF acres of fruit lard in
Fremont county, has agreed to haul
freight to and from both cities &C
twenty cents per hundred Dounls.
for every class of traffic. He claims
That the men a make wages and
tina be can make a profit by doing
this inasmuch as he will bring TO ru-
eblo on each trip quantities of coal
to be sold to the local dealers heie {,
making the price correspondingly
lower because of the reduction in
freight.
Al present the freight tariff from
Pueblo is twenty-five cents a hun.
dred pounds for fourth-class, twenty
seven cents for third-class, thirty
cents for second-class and thirty five
cents for firs,-class. The distance is
thirty-two miles. The freight rates
from Chicago to Pueblo for freight
are ninety-seven cents for four.h-ciass
and $2.05 for first-class, with The adj.
ditional tariff added to Florence.
Ten wagons that arrived in pueblo
and $4,000 pounds Of mer-
chandise were taken back to Florence |
TIL effort to be made by The Flor |
ence merchants is to have Florence |
made a common point. They contend
that linasmuch as Florence IS but
miles from Pueblo. and as
the bulk Of goods is ordered from the |
wholesale houses there the tariff |
be made to conform with tina: |
Of Pueblo. They cite as an instance
where other roads have granted This
concession to the merchants, the case |
Of LOngmont. Colo, on the line o. the
B. & NJ. road. Longmont Is forty |
two miles from Denver and they are
allowed the same freight rates as
are given merchants in Denver. In
addition to this passengers for the
east can purchase a ticket in Long
mont at the same figures as a
ticket can be obtained in Denver.
Mr. Hadley, in discussing the mat
Ter to a Chieftain reporter said:
my freight bills amount to over
$1,000 a year, and there Is no reason
Why the Florence dealers should not
be given an equitable freight tariff.
The matter of urging the Santa Fee
and Rio Grande to make Florence a
common point will be taken up by the
business men of this city, and we will
also have the matter brought up at the
Florence chamber of commerce meet
Ing to be held soon.
Il expect that the Denver Wholesale
will buck the proposition,
rs IL will injure their Florence trade.
but on the other hand 1t will be OF
great consequence to Pueblo whole
as If the rate goes into effect
our entire supply will be be ordered
from them
Engineer Cook. master of the 931,
is taking needed rest at home for a
trip or two.
A special car with nobody on board
was in transit to California last ev-
aning. II will be occupied by Mrs. |