The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-12-22
ADJUSTMENTS TODAY.
THE METALS
COME RAILROAD FACTS.

Merchants & Manufacturers associa-
ton makes a fervid appeal for sup
port of the movement to Institute a
state railroad commission during the
approaching session of the legislature
Among its chief arguments for the de-
STABILITY of a commission, the associa-
ton declares:
Last summer a committee of this as
sociation waited upon the railroad Of
ficials and asked for a storage rate an
ticipating just such a coal famine, as
is now being experienced. $z-T Had
this request been granted>it would have
served very materially to have allie
waited the present situation. No con-
cession waS granted. however, and one
firm, HI d. ]. Sharp Coal company.
.wbS had the courage TO make stor-
age rate of so cents per ton, was re-
fused further supply of coal and was
forced to discontinue business"
Horace Greeley once told eorre-
spondent that the interesting things the
correspondent wrote were not true and
the true things he reported were not
interesting. The most interesting thing
about this statement of the Manufac-
turers' association is that it is not
true at all. The railroads made a ;itor-
age rate of % cents, and the mines
gave another % cents reductions to-
tai reduction of 80 cents per ton-dur-
ing July and August, and the fact Was
dulv announced in all the newspapers
at the time, as the association might
have noticed if it read the papers. But
and this was the trouble-most of the
dealers figured they would have to pay
interest and the cost of storing the
stacking coal until the big demand
came and refused to reduce the price
TO consumers at all, so the buyer OF
coal at retail paid, in most instances
the same price as usual. The railroads
did their part; the coal was stored and
= great many consumers laid in stocks
If the association has any legitimate
comnlaint at all it is not against the
roads or the mines. Mr.. Sharp made
the 5O-cent reduction to consumers, and
the other dealers protested most Wig
arousIv. but his trouble was not be-
.ause the railroads refused to make
storage rate.
The associations jeremiad declares
that these colossal corporations" no
alone continue but increase the wrong
which we feel so keenly today.
How? By reducing rates, as the!
have done recently, by spending hun
areds of thousands of dollars in i'm
movements in Utah, as they are do
ing? Is it a great wrong for the shor
line and San Pedro to plan an i'm
mense union station and terminal
which are costing an immense sum
Is If a crime for the Rio Grande I
construct shops and a big station j
salt Lake? Should Mr.. Gould be har
assed nv a political state commissio
because he is building line from Sal
Lake TO san Francisco and spendin
enormous sums here for the eonstruo
ton work and supplies at this emu
Does Utah object 10 having the ran
roads risk their millions in san re
aro or a Western Pacific or in buiidin
branch lines into Bullfrog, OF Pioche
Deep Creek? Is there anything rad
ically wrong with system that put
the ores of Nevada into Salt Lake va
lev smelters' and opens up new ave
nues of trade in territory bigger tina
all New England which has hithert
been inaccessible2
Mr.. Hartman has appropriations ur
der consideration which contempla'
the expenditure Of sS,0Go.oo0 on tt
street. railways of Salt Lake alone
which will ultimately give this vale
a splendid system of interurban line
and develop the country hereabouts b
vond computation. Does the associi
tion suppose that the prospect OF
state commission to regulate" raj
roads for political purposes only vi