The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-12-08
<eokuk, iowa 49,. December 8, 1909.
BETTER MAIL SERVICE.

An important conference having Tor
its object the betterment of the rail-
way mail service into Keokuk, partieu
larry as regards the time OF arrival of
Burlington & ST Louis train No Il, /
due here al $40 a. NJ, was held in the /
Commercial club rooms On North Fifth /
street last evening The parties 10
the conference were. on the part OF /
the railroad. Passenger Traffic Man I
ager P. S. Eustis of Chicago, Assistant /
General Passenger Agent ". a. Lalor
of st. Louis, Division Passenger Agent /
NJ NJ Reno OF Burlington and Super /
intendent H. ". Hamm of Centeryslle
Those representing the business inter /
ests OF the city were Asaph Buck.
Wells NJ Irwin, Ira Wills. A. E. Mat I
less. C. P. Dorsey and W R. c. Ken
drick. DIR. s. ". Moorhead participate
ed as representative OF the Keckuk
postoffice
Manager Eus5is said he had received
numerous complaints regarding the
failure OF train Il to arrive on time
and fully realized the injury thus en-
tailed upon the business interests OF
the community. especially the whole
sale houses He was fully alive to
the Importance of ing Keoknk as
good service as possible. and the OBJ
ject of his visit was to go over the
whole situation carefully and learn
what was best TO he done. In the con-
tative business men present emphasiz-
ed the necessity of getting their mail
on time in order to make prompt ship
ments Of goods and pointed ont that
unless they could do this they could
NOT compete with dealers In other
cities. In such event they must either
go out of business entirely, with con,
segment loss 10, the railroad in freight
traffic both into and out of the city,
or else remove to some other point
In any new location which might be
chosen the Baflington's share of the
freight business. it was limited, would
likely be Tess than it is in keekuk,
AS President Irwin of the Commercial
Club tersely and forcibly defined the
situation, If the Burlington will not
cooperate with Us in getting bust
ness into Keokuk it will not be long
Until it will have no business to hau
out" It was agreed that such result
would inevitably follow and that every
effort should and would be made II
conserve Keokuk's trade as mates
of self-interest to city and railroad
alike.
Investigation into the cause OF thu
lateness OF train II with such distress
ing frequency had developed the fac
that in a large majority of instance
1t was due to the late arrival of Rocl
Island train No. - which connect
with Burlington & ST Louis train Nc
u at Burlington Responsibility TO
the delay of train IL rests pr
marily and chiefly, therefors, wit
the Rock Island If the lai
ter could be induced to run its trail
with proper regard for its schedul
there would be little cause for com
plant The key TO the situation, cor
uuently. is in improvement of the sery
ice on the Rock Island between MINI,
apolis and Burlington In the abseno
of such improvement Mr. Eustis prom
ised to do all in his power With
reasonable limits, TO minimize the e
fects of the failure OF the Rock Islam
to get lis train into Burlington o
time. He said he had been lookin
into conditions at Burlington and wa
free to say that the mail was ne
transferred there from the Rock i
land to the Burlington train as specs
lily as mail was transferred at som
other points notably at the Transfe
in Council Bluffs where connection
made with the Union Pacific. He va
satisfied some gain in time could /
made by more efficient transfer, and
still greater gain by running the ma
car brought to Burlington over II
Rock Island through to ST Louis II
der the present arrangement the c;
stops at Burlington and all the sout
bound mail in it is transferred 10
Burlington mail car Mr. Eustis esi
mated that at least ten minutes tin
could be gaiaed BY annullfng sue
transfer He said the postoffice
partment does not look with favor u
on the proposition. but he is hopef
that its objections can be overcome.
Il has been the Burlington's esta'
l'shed rule for many years to make U