The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-09-23

whether both do not sell in the same ter
/ ritory and therefore come into competi-
/ ton Mr.. BabcOck said that he did not
think the two districts could be regarded
/ as being IN competition.
Montana Rates Lower.
/ Mr.. Babcock said he had been Of the
oplhlon that prior to 1906 the rates to
/ Montana had been lower than to Utah.
/ and always understood that the rate to
/ Utah was arbitrary. Mr.. billiard suggest
ed here that Mr.. Babcock ought to go on
| the stand II he desired to give testimony.
| Mr. BabcOck asked Mr.. Munroe why it
/ would not do to have a mileage rate be
| tween Chicago and the west as well as be-
/ tween Chicago and the east. The witness
| rephsd that he did not think the mileage
basis the proper one, as conditions were
/ so different. Mr.. MunrOe said mileage was
not lost sight of west of the Missouri
/ river.
He was asked by Commissioner Proutv
why 1t was the custom to add together
the sums of local rates at the Missouri
river and the Mississippi river and not
| do II anywhere else. The witness replied
| that the roads do not consciously make
| excessive rates. He said he believed that
/ the int5rmOuntain country is an object les
/ sen OF the transportation interests. He
| admitted in reply to "a question that with
city of 100000 population here it was
/ likely that rates would be reduced. Asked
/ whether ne considered the class and COM
modify rates between CnicagO and Salt
4
| were.
He said he did not think the Utah peo-
pie were entitled to a lower rates than the
coast, and referred to the fact that a lar-se
| portion of the California traffic is sur
plus business, from which the railroad
oes not realize much. The hulk of tn
| California traffic, he said. is carried lti-
/ der commodity rates. He said the COM
modify rate is as much of fixture in
/ freight traffic as the class rate, and that
one must be reduced when the other is
/ reduced. He said that in justice to
community it was necessary to consider all
rates,
| Commissioner Prouty asked whether, in
] case a reduction were demanded. both the
| class and commodity rates should be tax
en- into consideration. and the witness said
| both should be considered,
Munroe Resumes.
Adjournment was taken for lunch at
/ this point, and Mr.. MunrOe resumed the
stand when the afternoon session start
| ed He was asked whether more money
| IS earned on short or long hauls. and said
| that the long runs were not always pro-
0uCIlVe OF greater earnings than the short
| ones. He was asked concerning the run
ming time of freight trains between Oma-
| ma and ogden and said the time is about
100 hours. He was asked whether there
was not time when better time was
made, and said there was d time when
an emergency schedule of about 63 hours
was made. He said that a schedule of rea-
SOnable time with regularity is better for
the road and the patron as well. He
was asked whether the public is as well
satisfied with the 1O0-hOur schedule as
| the older ones, and said he had not taken
! the public pulse here. but was not aware
Of any material complaints.
He was asked whether the Union Pa
citlc had not been improved in recent
years and asked whether the line through
Ogden did not carry the bulk of the traf-
fiC. He replied in the affirmative Asked
would
rates, he said the railroads have been
paving more for what they buy and il is
necessary to renew their property every
few years.
Mr.. MInroe was asked whether his
road establishes rates without consulting
other roads. He said it is d rule to con-
suit with others, but for each road to re
tam Its own rights, Asked about the
Trans-Missouri freight bureau. with
Headquarters at Kansas City. he said the
bureau simply exists to further matters
IN buslness-lIke and orderly manner.
lie said the bureau expenses are paid by
the railroads. No notice of the meet
ings is given to the public. and the meet
ings are not of a public character. but
Mr.. MunrOe said the public gets infOrma-
ton as TO what is done.
No Bothersome Competition.
Mr.. Munroe was asked whether there
has been as much solicitation on the part
Of the officials of the railroads for bust
ness as in former years. He replied by
citing an instance Of call he made on
q man in Denver with whom the road
did business, and said that he was told
by this individual that he was the TWEEN
ty-seventh railroad representative who
had visited him to make a rate, and he
was tired Of being bothered. Mr. Nun
roe said he had told the men on his line
not to be extensively active along this
line. He said the impression that the de-
crease in activity along these lines is
not due to the fact that there is a pool
ing arrangement, saying that nothing of
this sort exists. He was asked whether
his road has had an arrangement with
the Denver & Rio Grande during the last
five years for the Utah business and re
Jlied in the negative.
Mr. MunrOe was asked about the rates
in force on certain forms of copper and
said it was S10.74 a ton from Utah to
New York. The rate on lead bullion to
Missouri river points ten years ago was
SO a ton. He was asked why the rate
on bullion was so low and said il is low
all over the country. MT. BabcOck quot
ed the rates on junk from here to the
Missouri river and Chicago, showing that
it is much higher than bullion. He asked
whether this did not show that there was
great discrimination, and negative
reply was made.
Former Relating.
Mr. Munroe was asked whether there
he d not been a system of secret rates
and rebates for years among the various
considerable disturbance in rates prior to
the passage of the Hepburn law He
said the reports as to the number of the
rebates and the amounts were exagger-
ated, although there doubtless were some
"faVOTites.
He said a tariff today means just what