The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-17
This Is Gist of Address BY
George j. Kindel, the Colo
radO Expert.
MANY REPRESENTATIVE
BUSINESS MEN PRESENT
Numerous AbsurditieS of the
Freight Schedules Shown
by Speaker.

Not lower railroad rates, but fairer
rates; rates that Shall bs relative in
their bearing and shall be based on 2
uniform and fair classification, - This
was the gist of the long talk given by
George j. Kindel at the Commercial
club, Monday night, under the auspices
OF the Commercial Club Traffic bureau.
The railroads are not hauling
freights for long distances for less than
cost,' said Mr.. Kindel, "for if that
were So, they would not extend their
hnes.' He also added that they must
be making money on the long hauls,
since it Is against the law to carry
goods for less than cost.
Another statement, which Mr.. Kiudel
considered q bot shot in the camp of
the railroads, was the fact that in the
East the rule held that the longer the
distance, the less would be the rate per
ton per mile, whereas In the West the
contrary held.
More than 200 representative bust
ness men of the city gathered at tbe
Commercial club Monday night aud
listened for over three hours to Mr.
klndel, who showed up some Of the
Mayor Bransford and W. j. Halloran,
president OF the club, were among those
present.
The meeting was called to ordc,
promptly at 8 o'clock by Charles A.
Quigley, president of the traffic bureau,
who commented upon the need Of lower
freight rates and the meeting of the
organization to obtain recognition from
the. railroad companies. Mr.. Quigley
insisted that 1T was not the intention
OF the bureau 10 ask for anything uu-
just, but only for fair treatment He
called attention to the fact that mer-
chants or Salt Lake City were paying
higher freight rates than those of al
most any city in the country, and that
in many cases they were being shame
fully Disseminated against. Mr., Kindel
was then introduced.
MIR. Kindel Is Heard,
Mr. Kindel began by calling atten.
tion to the fact that the very vitality
of the community depended upon fair
and equitable freight rates. since these
rates were often the means of assist
ing or running a business. tFair trans
portation, like free circulation. means
life,o said Mr.. Kindel, ''and diSTimi-
native transportation, like impeded cir
cnlation, means death. - He stated that
IN the adjustment of rates much diff.
Guilty was encountered, however, by
those who were willing to compromise
for small reductions, rather than fight
to obtain what rightfully belonged TO
them.
Mr.. Kindel showed that the whole
subject was in chaotic state; that
there was apparently no rule for the
arrangement of the rates and insisted
that in many instances the rates were
apparently made In favor OF special in
terests in certain localities. Compar
sons OF the traffic rates IN different
cities of the West showed that those
localities which had insisted upon fair
rates had received them. and those
cities which had been, as he expressed
it, ''mentally lazy or had allowed the
present conditions to continue, had suf
fered in the matter of exorbitant and
unfair rates.
lie characterized the work OF the
Interstate Commerce commission as In
effective and wasteful, and stated that
the members were receiving 5000 q dav
for, doing nothing, In many cases, they
had carried out the wishes OF the peo-
pie when the conditions had been
brought before, them. but he criticised
them for lnaction in numerous cases
where they should have insisted upon
better ratings,
Mr. Kindel is evidently a fighter,
knows his subject thoroughly, and pre-
that he is determined TO carry out what
ever he thinks is right and ought to
be done He reviewed briefly what
had been accomplished in Colorado dur
ing the past few years in the matter of
the regulation of freight traffic rates,
and showed that in some OF the cases
where better rates had been secured for
cities of that state, these had acted
TO reduce rates all along
the line In this way Salt Lake City
shippers had, in some cases, reaped the
benefits of the fight which had been car
ried on in the other state.
Lists of Commodities.
Long lists OF commodities were shown
in tables which indicated that there
wore MANY queer things about traffic
-ailroad men were unable to explain In
ho case of first-class freight rates, he
showed that the rate. per 100 pounds,
,ctween Chicago and Ogden, q distance
If 1900 miles, was S2.S5. divided so
hat between Chicago aud Missouri
liver points, a distance Of 500 miles, tbc
alto was so cents, and between those
points and Ogden, distance of 1000
niles, was S2.00,
On the other hand, tho rate between
OGDEN aud Colorado points, distance
IS 500 miles, the rate was $l.54, and
,ctweeu those points and Chicago, was
Z. .O5. Mr., Kindel said that he would
onccdc 10 tho railroads the right 20
harpe n greater ra'~ for localities III
ome parts of the " est, whore there
we're high grades, but asked why the
nte for the 1000 miles between Chicago
nd Colorado points should be the same
S between Missouri river points and
)gden for the same distance, when tho