Arizona republican., 1906-02-08
A FIRST LESSON
 IN RATE-MAKlNG
George nauk Learned it at Arizola
 Many Years Ago.

Deputy District Clerk George A. Mauk speaking yesterday of the rail- road rate regulation legislation pend ing in congress. was reminded of .ne time when he thought he would be a rate maker That was when Arizola was in the heighth Of an adolescent boom. The Southern Pacific company had recently established a station at that point and put MT. Mauk in charge Of IL. AIr. Mauk was then eighteen years old. He had all the enthusiasm which appertains to that tender age.
 The conservation of water by the Casa Grandc Reservoir company had been begun and the whole country about Arizola was in alfalfa. There seemed to be no limit to the area of the desert which might ultimately be reclaimed and t was confidently be- nsved that Arizola would become in a short time the point from which the alfalfa markets of the world would be regulated. MT. Mauk thought so toe and he thought he could see in the sit uation of Arizola a min5 for the South ern Pacific if it would only handle fl right and not provoke the alfalfa rais CTS of Arizola into building compet ing transcontinental line. There seem ed no reasonable limit to the volume of alfalfa wlich would have to be moved after the cultivation of that forage once got in,o full swing.
 Most of the Arizola alfalfa which had been raised up to that time had found a market at Tucson or Benscn. and points along the Sonoro road. The Salt River valley was the only compet- ing alfalfa producer and 1t was soon learned at Arizola that that point was being sinfuIly discriminated against b. the Southern Pacific. The rate on all fal a from AJizcla 70 Tucson was S3 and to Benson S4. The rates On Salt River wall y alfalfa to the same points were also 8 and S4. The distance from Phoenix to MaricOpa was thirty-five miles and from MaTicopa to Arizola was twenty-three miles. Thus the al- falfa from the Salt River valley was given an extra ride of fifty-eight mil ss for the same money. This was a lux ury of travelling which the Arizola peo- pie thought ought to be paid for. It was more to their purpose though, that the rate from the SaItRiver valley be al lowed to stand and that the rate from Arizola to eastern points be propor- tionately reduced. They spoke to MT. Mauk about it and he agreed that
 
 rate sheet that needed immediate cor rectiOn. He was brought to this way of thinking in part by the feeling of unfriendliness which was manifested toward him every time a car load Of hay was sent out. The shippers of Arizola seemed to regard him as an accessory.
 J. $. Smurr at that time was in charge of freight matters and MT Mauk resolved to inform nim wherein the rates of the Southern Pacific were off their base. He accordingly wrote MT. Smurr at length on the subject of the alfalfa industry at Arizola and rec commended it's encouragement by the fiXirg of a lower rate to Tucson and 1 Benson. He and the farmers about AriZCla believed that on the receipt tos tn, letter of MT. Mauk the rate would be arranged by telegraph; they supposed that once the matter Fod been brought to the attention of MT. SslnUrr he would not want to waste the time it would take a letter to travel from San Francisco to Arizola.
 Tn the course of a month or two Mr. AIauk received a letter from MT. Smurr acknowledging the receipt of his sug ge stIon with reference to the read IjusJment of the Arizola alfalfa rate ard adding that it had been found 70 be ilpracdcable, or at any rate mad visable. MT Mauk showed the letter to the alfalfa association, and partici- Ipated in the general indignation which ensued.
 The next morning it occurred to MT Mauk that he might not have express ed himself as explicitly as he ought tC have done. In his letter of five or six pages which he had written he had not had room to tell the whole story and point out the unanswerable req sons why the alfalfa rate should be lowered. He decided to write MT
 Smurr again, this time fully, without
 regard to time and company station cry.
 He presented 9 picture of his sur roundings, the waving fields of alfalfa
 but the nucleus of that vast expans,
 of green which would come with tn, early and certain further conservation Of water All this luxurious growtl
 had taken place within a shor