Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-01-30
LAYMAN ON THE
RATE QUESTION.
Man From Caldwell, Ida., Had il
All Figured Out on an Equit.
able Basis.
SOME ITEMS OVERLOOKED.
Striking illustration OF the Huge Prob
lem Which Conrronts the Admin
istration at This Time.

Since the rate agitation started there
nave sptung UP on all SIDES laynen with
solutions of the difficulties thu, confront
President Roosevelt and his following
Just as every one thinks he can run a
newspaper SO does the average indivld-
ual imagine II ne We're in the trGihc
managers chair he would so direct
things that on would be satisfied.
one Of this class haillng from the
prosperous little city OF Caldwell, Ida.
struck Salt Lake few days ago. He
had a trainIoad Of sheep which he
wanted to ship to the eastern market
incidentally ne thought the rate to Chi
cago was excessive, Up in Caldwell
he had talked the matter over with
some OF his friends and the
result was that reams OF paper
had been utilized In figuring
out an equitable rate so that both
sheepmen and railroad officials could
live in ease. Armed with this document
he hunted up traffic headquarters ic
Salt Lake and after the preliminary
chat about the crops and the wool
prospects Tor next year he came round
TO rate legislation and the excessive
charges ON sheep 10 market. Then he
sprung his tariff sheet as audited and
revised by the shippers of Caldwell.
1t was a beautiful document. To a
nicely the cost OF coal consumed by
the engine was figured out Their came
the wages OF the train crew, the cost OF
cotton waste and oil used on the trip 60
gether with few other incidentals, the
whole being topped of with few dol
lars tOr wear and tear on equipment.
The bill Of particulars from first TO last
was apparently d damning arraignment
of Wholesale hold-up on the part Of the
railroads generally.
He slapped this down on the freight
officials desk with a smile OF triumph
and then settled back In his chairs to
watch the hirelng of grasplng mon
opoly shrivel and Wilt.
Then something went wrong with the
progam. The man With the double
barreled title shrivelled not worth a
cent. He ran his eye over the list and
then said IF you VIII double this total
and then add some more you viii get
nearer to cost. | see that you have not
reckoned water In this list. Engines
need water you know. SO do sheep
Water is free, sir" snapped back
the shipper with warmth
THAT may be, but every railroad
spends hundreds OF thousands of dollars
on It's water system In cold cash that
ought to bear some interest
well, we viii allow for that; put IL
down"
Nov, when we get your sheep back
to Chicago" softly insnuated the rail-
road man, at will be necessary to haul
that trainload Of cars back TO Idaho
again for another load. | do not think
OF anything we can load in those open
cars this wintry weather. We viii have
10 get them back quickly, too. because
there Is call for livestock cars In Ida
no.
Hum" unused the shipper; guess
you'd better allow for that, too
Then 1t was that the trailic man
really warmed up. Gently he began 10
Dggle with figures and as he proceed
ed the man from the Gem state endea-
vored TO expostulate. AT every corner
he was bombarded with statistics
First Of all he was shown that whether
the railroad company hauled one or 200
trains a day the right of-way had TO be
kept up. taxes had to be paid (higher
taxes I'm Idaho than heretofore). station
agents and operators had to provide
bread and butter for their families, In
terest TO the amount OF a million or so
had 10 be paid on bonds; general head
quarters had TO be maintained az the
cost of several hundred thousand dol
lars every quarter day, then, once IN
awhile. the railroad company had a
wreck. and II always happened that the
stock killed I'm a smashup was pedigree
stun worth n mint OF money. Now and
again q man was killed, In fact, taken
all together. II was n ierkwater railroad
system that did not have to figure on
half q million cold cash a year for
claims for damages Of one sort or an
other.
By the time ne got through the gem
teman from Caldwell admitted that he
was willing TO concede that his first es-
innate was rather low, He agreed to
ship the stock but affirmed that the
rate was too high In any case.
Walt until the government controls
the railroads" he asserted with
warmth. "and then we shippers will get
justice"
Possibly. possibly" returned the
urbane traffic official the government
makes the rates IN Germany and such
are the problems encountered In that
comparatively small country thar at
the present time the maximum distance
grain can be shipped is exactly 125
uiles--not as far as from Caldwell to
pocatello. The German government
did make q diminishing rate but poll
Ties lnterfered and the shipments were
diverted 10 the rivers and now conslGn-
ments across Germany are being trans
shipped half a dozen times or more. be-
cause II Is unfair to use the govern
ment railroads the entire distance ard
shut ont all competition"
The above is a true incident which
happened In this city and Is given az
an Illustration OF the problems and
ramifca'lons connected with the big
question which Is now In the public
eye. The names Of the parties are not