Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-09-23


Commissioner prouty- Why shouldn't
you apply the same principle west ~
the Mississippi river YOU apply cast OF
the Mississippi rivcr7
THE Z. P's PRERoGATVE
Mr. Munroe--I think we do. TO n rea-
sonable extent pittshurg is suhstan-
TALLY half way between New York aud
Chicago. n little more than half Wav
as a matter Of fact. Cheyenne is sub
stantially half way between Omaha
and Ogden and We build up west ~
Cheyenne and get rate To Utah.
which has no relation
Commissioner prouty That DE- true
a. TO Missouri river but I am talking
now about The rate from Chlcaoo to
salt Lake. why DO YOU add together
the sums Of the locals at the Missis-
sippi river and Missouri river when
YOU do not anywhere else?
Mr.. Munroe Simply thai I belie,e
that the Union Pacific is entitled 10 tts
local revenue west Of Omaha
commissioner Prouty- When vnu
transport traffic from Omaha 10 salt
Lake, why aren't you entitled 20 tho
sum OF the locals from Omaha 70 Chev-
enne and Cheyenne TO salt Lake,
Mr.. Munroe-We arc entitled 10 the
combination from Cheyenne.
HANAAiV' AFNiNllfUs IN answer 10
questions by Commissioner Proutv.
our revenue Is being reduced our
average revenue per ton per mile last
year was substantially one cent. ali
through traffic. Utah WAS very much
less than cent We have To amor
ton our rate the best we can We
are out here to expand and build up.
and there Is a lot Of sentimental re-
quests for rate reductions which are
very burdensome indeed 10 a common
carrier with no practical benefit to tho
community and ! think this savors OF
that class"
Mr. Babcock-Do YOU consider the pres
ent class and commodity rates general
~ TO Utah common points reasonable
and fair to tho people Of this state?
Mr.. Munroe-T do
Mr.. Babcock-Do YOU think that the
people Of Utah are entitled 20 AT least
as low rate to and from Mississippi
ana Missouri river territory as the pe o.
pie Of California are given for a
much longer haul2
HE THINKS NOT.
Mr.. Munroe- No Conditions In CALI
fornla are different. A large amount
OF that California traffic lis surplus
business. in the language OF railroads.
and il is Just "a question OF whether
We AAh' To OF NfN III alone. our fNklnE
II helps us and doesn't iniure anybody
In Utah. and there is nothing In COM
mon between n rate from the east on
the one hand TO Utah and a rate from
the east 20 the coast II Is true. doubt
less that there Is some competition be-
ween the merchants Of Salt Lake on
tho ono hand and the merchants of the
coast on the other. and as ! understand
II. the rates are graded west from Og-
al an IN 4, ~
on the Southern Pacific MS they are
from Utah east and they naturally
strike the halfway line 7 believe that
20 be a fair adjustment
During the Rio Grande rate war We
made n rate as low as % cents hun
dred on grain from all points in Ne
braska 10 all points IN Utah, and there
was a lot OF barley raised up here I'm
Cache valley, and I recall a petition
signed by nearly all OF the prominent
interests in Utah that came down to
omaha and said, stop this rate war.
you are bringing eastern grain IN here
Tor less money than we can produce
IL. and YOU will dry our country up"
That petition was very prominent
factor and the Information that fol-
lowed IT, Nothing 50 Importe.nt to
our mind as keeping these people busy.
nothing 30 important as giving them
an export market for their surplus 1
do not mean foreign market. but out
side market. Nothing pleases us more
than 10 take the Utah product to the
east. We are taking their potatoes. as
an illustration. their grain, taking II
down 90 Texas al a differential above
Colorado. which is. particularly in my
opinion. because we want these people
busy The controversy In the general
conference has always been between TIE
railroads on the one hand and the COM
mercial interests on the other 10 fairly
apportlon the rates. but many a man
las said 10 me, we don't care so
much about the rates on merchan-
disc"
A POOL WAS FORMED.
Dry goods men in salt Lake city
have told me that they do not care
enough about a difference Of so cents
per hundred on a long line OF domestics.
They will sell their goods. for instance,
in omaha az Chicago. prices. and are
glad TO do f. ! do believe that this
whole country depends for its prospect
~ on its natural resources, agriculture
aud mining We have to consider rates
as a whole We can't single out any
one article or any one direction Of tIaf-