The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-25
COAL INVESTIGATION BEGUN
BY COMMISSIONER PROUTY
Continued from Pace

continued from rage !.
know who fixes the retail price of coal
asked Attorney Marchand. No" was the
witness answer, Il am not the manager
OF the Citizens Coal company
What office do you hold?" continued
Mr.. Marchand. Secretary
You know the facts?' persisted Mr.
Marchand. Il suppose labor and cost of
supplies regulate the price of coal" said
MIR. OBrien.
Witness explained that the retailers pay
the freight on coal from the mines to
Salt Lake. The distance between Dia-
nlondville and Salt Lake is about go miles.
Witness said the cost of coal at the mines
was 81 per ton for lump and nut and
81 for slack. Witness could not estimate
cost of Kemmerer and Castle Gate coal
Coal In storage loses from ten TO fifteen
per cent of its original value through
crumbling, explained witness. When asked
about the fall shortage of coal i'm Salt
Lake witness said the demand for coal
commences in September and lasts during
the cold season. More coal could be
mined and would be brought into Salt
Lake were cars available concluded the
witness.
No Stock in Company.
w. II. Bancroft. vice president and gen
eral manager of the Oregon Short Line
in Salt Lake. was then called to the
stand. In reply to questions from AttOr-
ney Marchand, he denied being an officer
or stakeholder in the Diamond Coal &
Coke company.
Has there been no stock held in trust
for you in this company by a man named
Remington? asked Attorney Marchand
MOI was the answer.
He said he knew of no traffic agree
ment made by his railroad with the An
aconda and Amalgamated Copper COM
3anies to install an unpublished rate on
coal hauled from the Diamond company's
mines at Diamondville to the srnelters at
Butte and Anaconda. The attorney for
the commission then asked for inforrna-
tion> about a meeting said TO have been
held between Governor John Lind and
Seward Fee. then heavy stakeholder in the
Diamondville mines and the witness, rep
resenting the railroad. to agree upon
Sc cret rate This was to apply on coal
hauled from the Diamondville mines TO
the Amalgamated Copper and Anaconda
Copper companies at Butte and Anaconda
The meeting is said to have been held
In 1898. Witness said he knew nothing OF
any such meeting or agreement When
asked who ought to know. Mr.. Bancroft
said j. a. Reeves had charge of the
freight department of the Oregon Short
Line here but upon second thought said
s. w. Fccles or T. NJ Schumacher were
freight affairs before Mr.. Reeves Mr.
EccleS now holds a similar position with
the American Smelling e. Refining com
pany and Mr.. Schumacher is connected
with a Texas railroad. having headquar-
tiers in Chicago
Some surprise was exhibited at Mr.. Ban
crofts hesitancy in speaking for the hon
esty OF his road under oath. The fol-
Lowing bit of questioning brought out this
doubt on Mr. Bancroft's part:
Attorney Marchand - Your railroad
obeys the law with regard 20 the filing of
tariffs. does it not?
Mr.. Bancroft suppose il does.
Attorney Merchandise general mana
ger don't you know?
Mr.. Bancroft don't know
Explains Car Shortage.
Witness testified that he owns no stock
the Wyoming coal companies. The West
ern Wyoming railroad, explained witness,
is sixteen mile branch running from
the main line of the Union Pacific to the
Cumberland mines of the Union Pacific
Coal company. This, explained the wit
ness. was constructed by the Oregon
Short Line and is being operated by that
road at the present time. In answer to
the question. What points do you furnish
with coaI?' witness said the Cumberland
coal was used by the Hartman lines
and some sold in Butte for commercial
uses only. OF the Diamondville daily pro
duction of 800 tons from fifteen to TWEEN
ty cars are taken daily TO Butte Witness
said there are no idle coal deposits on
the Union Pacific's line. In times of
car shortage. he said. available cars are
divided between the Kemmerer and Dia-
mondville mines. He explained the reg
ular fall shortage Of cars Ey explaining
the demands for equipment to maui live
stock. grains, crops, sugar beets. ETC. in
autumn just Wnen the demand Tor coal
IS most noticeable. AS an illustration
ne said over II 600 cars of beets must be
carried 10 the sugar factories before Nov
1. These cOnsignmentS move from five
To one hundred miles Witness further
explained that the demand for coal was
never so great as it is now in the his
tory of his road.
Montana Coal Rates.
After listening to additional explana-
ton of the annual coal shortage. the at
torney for the commission asked: WAS
there not an opening made in a coal
deposit west of Remmerer by the Adayflle
company. and did not this company ask
for track connections which were re-
fCsed?'' Mr.. Bancroft answered. mo cir.
No company has been refused track con
nections."
He was then excused and J. A Reeves.
general freight agent for the Oregon Short
Line, sworn as a witness. The commits
Sion resumed its questioning about the
rate between DiamondVille and Butte and
Anaconda on coal for the AmaIgamated
and Anaconda Copper companies smelt-
ers He said the rate on coal between
these points has been So % for years. this
rate being open TO everybody Mr.. Reeves
repeated this assertion in different words
as often as the question about a secret
rate was asked.
Knows of No Rebates.
He said he did not know what freight
was paid on the smelter coal from some
office in Chicago. and asserted that il
made difference TO him w pt bar II NO..