Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-08-30
REPLIES TO BOISE FINDINGS.
No Cause for Alarm and Rail-
roads Are Doing All
They Can.
Claims That All Commercial Coal TAX
en- by System in Emergency Has
Been Replaced Promptly.

General Manager w. II. Bancroft of
the oregon Short Line has forwarded
to the mayor and city council of
Boise a communication on the pres
vailing coal situation wherein he sets
forth at length the subject of Goa!
distribution and the influence of this
railroads in connection with the same.
The communication follows tho ac-
ton of the Boise administration in send
ing two representatives to Salt Lake
TO investigate and report OH the coal
situation. They returned to Boise and
their findings were printed in the
Statesman and Evening Capital News.
it is in answer to this report that
MIR. Bancroft has gone into the local
situation exhaustively. He takes it
up in a calm manner and in no res
pect is the reply written in the spirit
of antagonism.
The communication in full follows:
Salt Lake City, Utah, Aug. 2s. 1907,
TO the Honorable Mayor and city
Council. Boise, Idaho
Gentlemen;
have read with great interest re-
port on the coal situation from the
committee appointed by your honor
able body, which appeared In the news
papers of the fourteenth instant, The
subject is one of such vital importance
to all concerned that II is cause for
congratulation that your honorable
body has undertaken to secure for IL
self and the public full and reliable
Information with reference thereto,
and with the desire to further pro-
mote a general and correct under
standing of some features connected
with the question, have ventured u
communicate direct with you, ana
through you with the people, who look
to us. ana to whom We look for cor
dial corporation III the solution Of
this serious problem.
Your committees report evidences the
fact that they have devoted consider
able time and been at much pains to
acquaint themselves with the condi-
tons as they actually exist, and l
feel that they have seriously and earn
estly endeavored to state the facts as
found and have given their best
thought to forming conclusions and
suggesting remedial measures only
i'm the hope of adding to and ampl-
fyins what they have said and, Incl
dentally. modifying some Impressions.
which, for reasons / win state l con-
ceivc to be somewhat erroneous or
HllSiNhQlnB, can i presume TO tTeSpdSS
upon your valuable time.
DEMAND LoNG-sUPPLY SHORT
Your committee has truly stated that
the difficulty TO be confronted is an
increase in demand during the two
Years Fast of from 20 To 20 per cent.
due To the growth OF population and In
industries and, simultaneously, a de-
crease of coal supply of something like
@O per cent. traceable TO shortage of
labor and other causes which the COM
mittee has fully eXplamed--a total dis
crepance 10 be met of quite 40 per
cent They have also correctly stated
mat these conditions exist. not only
state.
PRICE OF COAL
Your committee has called attention
to the fact that up until this time coal
Is the only commodity which has not
tSlt the eject of a long prosperous pc
ROO and that until now neither has the
pllce OF the commodity nor the wages
OF the labor producing il been advanced.
ana they have pointed out that the
scule recently agreed upon with the
miners unions, under which the men
VIII receive marked increase I'm pay
VIII be accompanied by an advance i'm
the price of coal, at the same time
!
VIII prove a correct one that the re-
suit Will be an immediate increase in
coal production of the present mines,
ms well as an incentive to the opening
Of new properties or the reopeniue OF
those abandoned in years past as I'M
profitable.
THE TRANSPORTATION QUESTION
being that with which we have pncl-
pally to do. and, therefore, NATURALLY
that portion of the problem with which
we are most concerned and which, par
run and correct understanding on the
part of our patrons, our officials felt
much pleased that your committee saw
NJ 10 favor them with a call during tho
course, Of its investigation, at which
tlIie me committees statement as to
conditions, together with some OF it's
conclusions later appearing IN It's re-