East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-08-23

roads and Coal Mine OWnefS-fur-
thcr Discussion of Freight Rates.
The report of the joint committee
of the Boise city council and Cham
Der of Commerce concludes as fol-
lows:
The price of lump coal at the mines
is SO ton, freight 81. The advance
on lump coal at one of the mines is
so cents over this price, making lump
coal cost from Sc to $3.50 ton
Boise city from one of the mines is
4S9.1 miles Butte from the same
mine is 437 miles distant, making
difference against Boise of 10 miles,
For this 1.9 miles Boise pays rs cents
a ton for coal, or in other words, the
rate on coal from Kemmerer, Wyo.,
to Boise, 439.1 miles is S4 The same
coal is hauled to Butte, Mont, 4S7
miles, for sS.25.
We also in our investigation. found
that with the coal supply short, the
output reduced, no railroad, no big
smelter, no sugar beet factory, no
large corporation of any kind or ma
ture, so far as we could ascertain, has
suffered or is likely to suffer for the
want of coal. Plenty of arrange
ments and facilities are provided to
these gigantic enterprises to carry on
their business without interruption.
1t is only the hospitals, the schools
and the common, ordinary citizen who
have a short supply of coal and have
to bear the brunt of the suffering, and
no delegations from any of these big
corporations have been out begging
for coal, but only the small munich
palities, pleading for the interest of
the ordinary mortal that have to re-
sort to any of these measures.
Railroads Attitude.
\ We visited the Oregon Short Line
Railway company on our trip, and we
have their assurance that they will
cooperate to their fullest extent
with the coal miners to furnish cars
and plenty of shipping facilities, ex-
cept during the sugar beet season SC
that the shortage of coal for private
consumption should not be above q
per cent less than 1t was last year, II
\ it is, it is simply because 1t Is di
\ verted to other channels, and the @,
\ 900 tons of coal that the Oregon Shor
u line now takes from the Kemmerel
and Diamondvile mines should b!
" right be diverted to domestic pur
poses. and that amount of coal shpul'
b be taken from the mines that hav'
no domestic commercial business.
& These mines are not, in our opin
ion. willing sellers to the Oregon
q Short Line: they would much prefe
I to sell to their old customers. to who's
y business they had always had to lool
L for existence. 1t is only by tina
u great, powerful and domineering in
4 fluence of said railroad that they Civ
"A up the coal.
" If the railroads and the mine own
n ers would come together and deere
F that the output of coal is 20 pc
"A cent less this year than it was las
~ and that all users Of coal, eXceptin
"A the railroads, should have their sur
~ ply curtailed 20 per cent it might, t
"a n certain extent, hurt a few of tn
~ large corporations and they be CON
n pelled to work few hours less in
81 month, but it would furnish an adt
~ quate supply of coal for domest
use and establish an equilibrium be
4 tween the supply and demand tht
would do away with all anxiety abo,
4 coal shortage during the winter
Coal from Utah.
4 Your committee, through its inve!
tigation, is led to believe that Gel
Il tain amount of Goal might be obtair
"a ed during the months of Octobe
I November and December from SON
Of the mines in the state of Utal
which coal could be shipped to OF
~ Boise dealers here and sold at reta
- to the private consumers during thi
period and thereby relieve the grei
- want that might exist at that time Il
coal, as well as to produce a reasoi
s. able profit to the parties selling
But the great obstacle In the way
accomplishing this is that the Orego
Short Line railroad and the Denv'
& Rio Grande have no traffic al
rangements between them for thi
/ purpose In other words, the closir
of the Ogden gateway here SON
years ago makes IL lHlpOsSiDie " OIL
coal from the Utah mines into Il
territory of the oregon Short Lii
Railroad without paying the full ra
on the Oregon Short Line from Ol
den to Boise and the local charg
from Ogden to the Utah mine
thereby increasing the cost Of co
$3.50 per ton.
The Oregon Short Line will not r.
duce its rate from Ogden to Boi
and they also claim that the Denv
& Rio Grande will not enter into
Joint arrangement with them, or ha'
not up to this present time. The Or
gon Short Line claims that they hoI
to be able to bring forth amicable a
rangements about this matter, b
your committee IL led to believe th
l. all questions of harmony betwet
these roads on this particular que
ton is as far off today as 1t ever WI
and the promises are simply for Il
4 purpose of allaying the present u
gent demands. The. Denver & r
& Grande will not even allow its ca
to be switched at Ogden on the Or
a. gon Short Line tracks, and in ord
to get coal from Utah at present eve
by paying these exorbitant charges {
" both roads, 1t would be necessary 4
w the oregon Short Line to furni'