Omaha daily bee., 1907-02-21
FORT SAYS BILL IS NOT FAIR
UHion Pacific ofioiAl PronOunOes TWO-Osnt
Maximum Unjust
THINKS SETTER SERVICE MORE IMPORTANT
cites Decision of wisconsin Railroad
COmmissiOn Decreeins Passen-
Eer Rates There OF Two
and Half Cents.


II see that our statesmen at lincoln
have decided the railroads OF Nebraska
must handle their entire passenger trafho
at cents per mile per capita" said Gerrit .
Fort assistant general passenger agent OF
the Union Pacific. 'Tn my opinion 2-cent
maximum passenger rate law in this state
is not based on equity or common sense
and is not a good thing for the citizens OF
Nebraska. But perhaps / am prejudiced
and the senators and representatives may
know more about the question than the
passenger agents. However, we may lay
the hattering JUNCTION to our souls that
the Wisconsin Railroad commission. which
I believe has given fully as much study
to the question as any of our legislators
seems TO agree In the main with the views
expressed by the passenger officials OF the
Nebraska railroads.
According to the press reports that body
has Just handed down a decision that the
Chicago, Minneapolis g. ct. Paul. Chicago
q Northwestern and the Chicago, st. Paul.
Minneapolis & Omaha railroads shall re-
duce their passenger fares from to 2ls
cents per mile. In support Of the decision
as against what seems TO have been more
or less strenuous demand for a 2-cent nat
rate the commission says II believes itself
right in concluding that the passenger
business should stand on Its own bottom
ana we cannot pervert our judgment at
the behests OF popular clamor While
the Importance OF cheap fares should not
be minimized. the demand for adequate
service cannot be ignored. There are per-
sistent requests for more trains, faster
trains and better trains. Perhaps those
who travel most attach more Importance
20 good service at a higher rate Of charge
20 .
IL is safe to say that many more COM
plaipts have been received by the com
mission about the alleged inadeauacy Of
service than have come about the alleged
excessiveness of rates
1.-THE foregoing statement speaks for IT.
self / would simply call attention to the
fact that the population of the state OF
wisconsin is approximately 100000. The
population of Wisconsin to the square mile
is approximately forty-one. The popula-
ton OF Nebraska is approximately 10000;
the population of Nebraska to the square
mile is approximately fifteen; whereas, the
passenger train service in the state OF Ne
braska compares most favorably- as 70 ire
auency, equipment, speed, and In all or the
qualities which conduce to the safety, con-
venience and comfort of passengers with
the passenger train service in the state of
WlHCOnblut dlNnOuBh TIC Noh9teS - RNRN-
ton In the state Of Wisconsin is easily two
and one-half times as great as the density
Of population in the state Of Nebraska"
other Troubles Than Laws.
railroads of the west are having other
troubles than those with the state legisla-
lures. At the Presbyterian convention
Tuesday night w. E Cell said 1t had taken
him fourteen days to get from Portland to
st. Paul. The rampage OF the Platte hed
caused more trouble than the simple delay
of trains and the washing out of the road
bed in several places and the washing
away OF a few bridges.
The Union Pacific is the worst sufferer
from the ice gorges in the Platte, although
none of its bridges were washed away. The
traffic OF the main line was blocked practi-
cally four days, and although the passen-
ger trains were detoured to the Burling-
ton. that road was unable to care for the
freight trains, and, as a consequence, the
main stem of the largest railroad in the
entire west was blocked for four days.
During that time thousands of freight cars
have congregated on the line west OF
Grand Island and between Grand Island
and Fremont. and every road running into
Omaha from the east has its side tracks
for a hundred miles into Iowa blocked
with cars which should have moved west
over the Union Pacific.
With the road doing all the business il
could possibly handle without any hin
drance, the action of the Platte has caused
a great congestion. which it will take days
TO clear away. One Iowa line has over 80
cars waiting for delivery to the Union Pa
cihc. Wednesday morning there were thir
ty-hve freight trains doing business be-
nd ali xsylt ,,t.,
passenger trains trying to work their way
through this mass of cars When 1t is con
sldered that the road has a single track
considerable part of the way, the enormit,
OF the task may be conceived. THE roaC
may have plenty OF engines and plenty o.
crews, but there is limit to the possibili
ties OF a one-track road" said one promi
nent ofiicial.