Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-10-29
why CANYON LINE
IS DISCONTINUED
w. A. Buadeeke Makes Public His
Contract With the Santa Fe Rail
road Co. Showing Financial Less.

S0mt time after tho editorial article
which appears in this Issue, dealing
With the trolley line situation. had
been written, Mr.. Buddecke. president
Of the Las Vegas Light q Power Com.
pany. handed The Optic the article
which appears below and which "x.
piainn his reason for not continuing
hts arrangement with The Santa Fee
Mr.. Buddsckess statement
In one nf yoar editorials OF the 2s,h
you say The failure cf ahe Las Vegas
Railway a Power company 10 renew
It's lease on the canyon line indicates
that the company m satisfied that
the National rraternai SanitarlWm In
back number" Please permit mo
10 say that our compas's had decided
TO give up the canyon alne. regardless
Of the National Eratefnai ssnitarinms
opening up or not. Tor the reason tuat.
under the terms Of the present lease
with the Santa Fe r. II. Co. the can,
yon line showed us loss Of nearly
five thousand dollars for one years
operation. Aside from this there arr
other stipulations In the lease that
would eventually put our company out
OF business. Can you. therefore. blame
Us for giving up a losing proposition"
In your editorial of the eth you
suggest that an effort should be- made
by the citizens Of Las Vegas to bring
about a basis of agreement between
our company and the Santa Fe X. r.
Co. whose chief officers. you say. will
be In Las Vegas in day or two. For
the benefit of Las Vegas the effort
might be made. but | question wheth-
er the Santa Fe officials would grant
our company anything that would be
fair and equitable: as MIR. Jansen.
with whom have had all my deal.
ings. has practically proved this to
me.
Now. as matter Of fact. the Santa
Fe will run one train day to the
canyon. just In order TO hold their
charter ON the Hot Springs branch. on
account of the Ice that is harvested In
The canyon. which In very valuable to
them. Were this not the case they
would not have spent thirty-fi thous-
and dollars in extending the last $500
feet of track up the canyon, In order
to get more ice.
Al the least calculation II will cost
the Santa Fe. to operate one train a
day, ten dollars per day: this does not
include the cost of maintenance of the
roadbed. You can readily see that the
Santa Fe could save this money by
letting our company operate the
branch without cost to them. and still
hold their charter.
On the other hand. however, the
Santa Fe charge us one thousand dol.
lars per year rental, and taxes that
also amount 10 about one thousand
dollars and then they want s per cent
va WIG sS'"Sb mugs bt EhG
In addition to this, We should haul al
their freight to the hospital and Mon.
tezuma free of charge: and last. but
not least. 10 we were to have a wreck
of their ice ears, due to defective
equipment. or have a washout (which
would be an act Of Providencel we
should be responsible for all the dam
age. The flood Of 1904 is still fresh In
our memory.
give You all OF these facts so that
you may know that IL is not a lack
of public spirit on our part that we
give up the Hot Springs branch. but
because the Santa Fe will not even
consider any proposition whereby we
might just break even.
The Santa Fe now has an excellent
opportunity 70 demonstrate TO the citi.
Gems Of Las Vegas how much love they
have for the citizens welfare. and
without cost to the Santa Fs.~
WM. A. BUDDECKE.