The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-01-28
COMMERCIAL
[ R AFF IC
BUREAU
MEMBERS VISITED WEBER CLUB
LAST EVENING.
Traffic Commissioner S. II. 8abcock Of
Salt Lake One of the Enthueias-
tic Speakers.

Get together and work together IL
you do not want to longer be called
the pie territory OF the transcontinen-
tai traffic system" were the closing re-
marks OF S. H. Babcock. traffic COM
missioner Of the Salt Lake Commercial
Traffic Bureau, to fifty business men
of Ogden, assembled at the Weber
club last evening.
The meeting was called for the pur.
pose of discussing the matter of freight
rates to Utah from outlying districts
and from the state to the markets
of the country. The following named
gentlemen Of Salt Lake. who are mem
bers of the Commercial Club Traffic
Bureau. attended the meeting: C. n.
Strevell, vice president: w. S Nc
Carthy. secretary; Samuel Weitz.
treasurer; B. F. Redman. ]. G. Nc
Donald, S. H. Love. and S. H. Bah
cock.
President A. r. Haywood Of the We
Der club presided over the meeting,
and number of enthusiastic speeches
we're made by the Salt Lake visitors
and business men of Ogden, urging
an organized effort on the part of the
shippers of Ogden and other cities
of the state to protect the business
interests of the state against what was
termed unjust discrimination against
Utah dealers In freight rates exacted
by the railroads of the country.
Vice President Strevell stated that
an organization known as the Com
mercial Club Traffic Bureau" had
been brought into existence, having In
view the idea and purpose of the
more effectually exacting square
deal' In respect to rates from the rail-
road companies. and he explained that
the object OF the visit OF the Salt
Lake delegation from this organ
ization was to use their best efforts 20
induce the business men of Ogden to
join them in the work at hand. He
said he thought the time had come in
Utah when a closer relationship should
exist between the shippers and the
carriers of the state. and that the only
way TO accomplish that was to get the
shippers together in an organized form
and Ientralize the efforts of all the
commercial interests of Utah toward
the correcting Of the existing evil Of eX-
cessiyc freight rates that are now be-
Ing eXacted by the railroad magnates
EX-statc senator and eX-preSldent OF
the state. senate. Nj. Love, in a
few remarks, expressed his pleasure
upon meeting so many Of the business
men Of the city. and hoped that the
meeting would result in much good TO
all the people Of the state. He stated
that II the shippers expect to be treat
ed fairly by the railroad companies in
the matter of freight rates it was abb
somtely necessary for them to form
a bureau through which they could
operate in making their demands upon
the railroad men for better treatment.
The railroad people, he said. "are
thoroughly organized, and every rate
established over the roals is passed
upoA b. a bureau of their own which
has been organized for that sole pur-
pose. and In order 10 core with them
VIC must &c organized aid act with 4
unity cf purpose that can rot be
thwarted" Mr. love stated TIA; to
his knowledge ali Utah points were DC.
ing Disseminated against in the mat
ter of freight rates in the ratio in
many instances of l54 to 90 1-2. The
woolgrowcrs of Utah" be said. "are
now forced TO pay SlGS000 more to
place their wcCl clip upon the eastern
market than they would Were their
herds shorn CT their wool on the Pa
clfc coast. 500 miles farther west; in
other words, the freight rate from Cal
ifornia points to Chicago and Missouri
river points Is from 40 TO rs per cent
lower than from Utah points He
further stated that, aside from having
in view the matter OF presenting a
united force to exact reduced rates
from the railroad companies, 1t was
the purpose of the traffic bureau re-
GENTLY organized to use its best ef-
forts to induce the present legislature
to create a state service commission
with the power to investigate tranlc
ARRANGEMENTS and correct Such evils
as might be found to exist The OBJ
Iect of this commission and the OBJECT
of the traffic bureau organization is
not to fight the railroads, but TO get
a Square deal' from them.
S. II. Babcock. who for the past
forty wears has been occupied as traf"
fic manager Of the Rio Grande West
ern Railway Co, and other roads. and
who has been employed by the re-
Gently organized traffic bureau, taikea
interestingly of the growth OF the va.
rious railroad systems in the United
States, and how the whole network OF
railroads had been centralized into
the hands OF about seven men until
they were now exercising "transpor.
tation despotism." Mr.. Babcock made
the statement that the idea of the rail-
road magnates is to force the great
huIk OF transcontinental traffic to Cal
ifornia points and then fix a local rate
from San Francisco back to the inter,
mediate points, which embraced all u.
the shipping cities OF Utah. What is
needed In Utah" the speaker said, rs
a distinct and definite rate that
should bear no relationship with
San Francisco or any other coast city
and that the same local rate out oil
salt Lake, Ogden, Provo and otner