Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-06
Head of Local Traffic Bureau
Submits Views on Water
Competition.
ROADS PAY BIG DIVIDENDS
Points as 10 shipment OF Cattle East
And Cotton West Discussed by
Former Railroad Man.


date of Nov. 20. 1909. and signed by S
II. Babcock. commissioner OF traffic OF
the Salt Lake Commercial club traffic
bureau. The communication is as fol-
y lows:
"Your editorial columns in the issue
of Wednesday. Nov. "a. contained a
somewhat lengthy article under the
caption of RAILROAD Freight Charges %
and from the various somewhat qucs-
tionable statements contained therein
II is doubtful IL It's real authorship
rests with any member OF your regular
editorial staff.
Water competition as adversely af-
fccting the transcontinental freight
rates Of the rail carriers has long since
ceased to be much II anything more
than mere pretext or subterfuge on
the part of those carriers, as is quite
clearly evidenced from the fact that the
net earnings per mile of the Union and
Central Pacific railroads are higher
than those of any other railroads in the
country west of Chicago. and their
earnings for each ton of freight handled
greater than those of any other impor-
tant railroads in the ontire country, so
~ - aS ,'.,Sna i.S., a,,ao,trat.S a.
subject.
,i,,Ia.,. - ,.sY pai, p'S
~. ~. ,'. N 80 "a 80 ~ I''o''oii "nu
-, '..'.,,'' .,''"e, 1N ..S y.
payment of which. for the fiscal year
e.ui,e '",io w. i'Vo' pSlne el'e t"s, TOT
.I,,s M... ,r ,. ~ .1 otilclai i's u1es. 'nere
~ 81 - i'Cf i'S s.n
,as -, e- ,I, ,o'ai surplus ol ~,
,,, - aie 9ou,netn racn,c
"i.i ,o o.. 'in..tec !nciuu-
ing lnk .''e c'i'ta' fac''ic rdilrostn from
Oeu.n ~. 80 p1yo pei cen. u,Viuchus
on ils preIerIeo dliu per cent on us
eo1'l''oi s'ocN alnudhy' ana TOT tne
S.t1"e year as stateo LOT the Union "a
enc tnere remained a surplus from its
generdl operations OF 1889. 472.S1. Dur
ing the nscaI year stated the panic
period OF l5Vi ana IT'S following season
OF business depression occurred, but
the net earnings OF both those great
ed tune ao ,aao Vs. Vs. y~. nso, '''ss % r'a-
than for the year given above. The
ratio OF operating expenses to earnings
Of the Union Pacific system is lower
than that OF any other railroad of
Of the Southern Pacific company is also
lower than that of any of the impor-
tant railroads east of the Missouri river
so far as known. II may therefore
quite readily be seen that these great
lines. whose earnings are derived very
largely. from transcontincntal traffic,
arc suffering not at all from any ele-
ment OF water or other form of compe
tltion.
,,-lk
unfavorably contrast the freight reye-
nues on wheat and cattle moving 10
the Missouri river markets from poinfS
about 200 miles west thcrcfrom. The
carload minimum weight of wheat or
other grain usually ranges from 20. .oO0
to 10, 900 pounds, and the actual weights
generally approximate those figures
and not 10000 pounds. or more AZ stat
ed; hence the actual earnings on 81 ca-
OF grain would by no means reach the
figures given. The owner of the grain
is only interested in the rate ner Inn
pounds and not In the tonnage carried
in any one car.
SdlFPlNG Ot' CATTLE
The charge of s3S. 30 for the cor os
cattle as stated which would ,yIoId -
tri6e more than is cents ner car r,us
would be very profitable to the carrier
particularIv when II is considered thst
live stock Is penerally mnyed In Ia, 1,
loads The anegestion thai tha o,,,'oan
Of the cattle creates his own competI-
drive Tho cattIe 10 marrat ~
worthy of consideration si,oo {, ,ho
region Indicated tba co,ntry Ri,
fenced n yvo1i5 ha entiraiv ,,,,nrnn'
ticabIe 10 dive 1at cattie oe,r ~ ~.
markcts n, cons,,n,n ntJon e,nne n,siss
bIphways dsstituta ~ nost,,ra n5
nrohah,,, go sin,a " 80 -, n,,1
IN the csttIa trnrn abo,t go ~ "s.es Is.
drive undsr o,,ch n,,o,,rost .,,S
more than aHSarh ~ ~.Ia ~ ~MIulu
char1es a., ~ oar,oI . nsv ' hs LivSn.
os ,ho 80 ~ w 80 80; ~ say noti'i'lS
an rn,,,e tn ~ ..~u aiu o.nei eApe.SeS
th. os elip.y cal nloseinen. in
ly ot sa.i eiauc III ens. resao,i - vast
s,osr 49, o~een. .iilt .nIs LOT i've
]rsrs r,. As tue uloVencn, OF nye STOCK
asaa. otan 70 Los Ahseies ana tnence
so,,-a sdse"aru. presuInaoly 10 tue MIS-
~ riyer, woulo inVolve tnc payment
'ne nsner actual tarin rates from
Aneeies 10 tnc missouri river than
currently IN erect direct from Utah