Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-06-10
S. v. Derrah of Rio Grande and
]. A. Reeves OF Short
Line Talk.
SOME IDEAS ARE CORRECTED.
esack Coal for Manufacturing DcIiy-
cred for $500 Per Ton--Nho
Makes High Price of Coal7


policy OF the Deseret News in giving
both sides fair hearing in all con-
troverses Of public interest. this paper
requested S. " Derrah. assistant gen
eral freight agent OF the Denver a.
Rio Grande railroad. and j. A. Reeves,
general freight agent OF the oregon
short Line to give the railroads side
of the present coal rate controversy.
The articles were to have been publish
ed with the account Of the mass meet
ing in the Commercial club which APP
peared yesterday. but a rush OF mat
ter rendered this impracticable. Both
MIR. Derrah and MIR. Reeves responded
and sent their communications In
Thursday morning. They are given
herewith
MIR. DERRAHs REPLY.
MY fortunes are cast with the peo-
pie or Utah, with whom 4 nave rcsiued
Tor something over II years, ana 1
yisld TO no man In loyalty to the state
OF my opinion. by uint OF perserver-
ance ana economy, nave acquired
modest home In salt Lake city, ana.
in IA small way, am d property owner
and taxpayer; hence 1 am personally,
and may say Nitally interested In every
movement, public or otherwise, that
may make Tor une Donent, or TO the
detriment OF the citzens OF our city
and state, and. in my opinion. the ad-
yertisement to the word watch was
announced and signalized BY last
nights mass meeting at the CONNER
cial club was Al knock at Utah
30 ponderous and disastrous that IL
viii take years of publicity labors to
overcome or neutrallze its effect.
1T was an announcement to the
world that salt Lake city and Utah
are suffering from oppressive freight
rates on coal shipments, and the m
sdious. misleading statements made
by majority of the speakers were eff
forts TO confirm this. IL was stated
time and again that various prospec-
tive factories had been kept away
from Utah for the reason that they
could not afford to pay so.75 per ton
for fuel, and yet the gentlemen making
these statements, or at least a major
ity OF them, well knew that modern
factory OF any kind In these days OF
economic operations would find loca-
ton accessible to the railroad tracks,
and would pay not to exceed s1.i0
ton for It's slack coal at the mines,
which. AIDED to the freight rate OF $3.50
per ton, would make a price of $3.50
per ton on steam coal delivered at
their very doors.
'"rhe call for the meeting seems 20
have been inspired for the purpose Of
making a vicious attack on the Denver
4 Rio Grande railroad, as its purpose
was to consider Oppressive and ex-
cessive freight rates on coal" and not
word contained therein as 20 what
extent the freight rate Is responsible
for the price of coal delivered at Utah
points While the speakers were pro-
fuse In their allegations that freight
rates were too high, not one OF them
conceded that possibly the cost OF the
frttH
considered. Now, let US look into this
feature OF the case.
ITO bring a load OF domestic coal
20 Salt Lake City from the principal
shipping point, namely, Clear Creek. II
Is necessary 20 haul an empty car from
Salt Lake city to the mines, dis
lance Of lis miles. A portion OF that
haul is over a fz psr cent grade,
where II requires two, and oftener
three. standard engines to pull the
train. After the car is loaded 1t Is
hauled to destlnation-anothc IFS
miles over a ga per cent grade for
some of the distance, the total distance
the car having travelled being 236 miles.
Now, in view of the service which
exceeds, so far as | have knowledge.
the expense OF transportation OF coal
over any standard gauge railroad in
the United States, | would like to ask
" the freight rate should properly bo
considered excessive, and II the Dem
Yer q Rio Grande road should be held
responsible for the fact that sacked
coal is sold delivered in Salt Lake City
for 1925 per ton.
while the meeting was RECALLED with
profuse and we'll deserved compliments
directed AT the former owners and
management OF the ID. g. II. q. rail-
road. none of the speakers thought ID
OF consequence To inquire why in their
long administration OF this property.
and at a time when every article or
commodity entering into the construc-
tion, operation, and maintenance Of a
railroad was anywhere from 25 to 100
per cent cheaper than now. that II re-
manned for the present administration
20 reduce the freight rate on domestic
coal from 81 ton to si.15 ton.
WHAT ROAD Is DOING.
NO attempt having been made TO
analyze the cost OF service or the fair
ness OF the current freight rates, does
the Denver q Rio Grande Railroad de-
serve the treatment il received last
night at the hands Of the Salt Lake
City Commercial club freight trafiic
bureau7 Should it not be entitled to
some consideration for what IL has
done and Is doing for our state? II IA.
OF course. commonly known that the
Western Pacific Railway was projected
and built by Denver x Rio Grande in
terests at a cost approximating $4,000
thing like one and half million dol
lars in terminals and the building OF a
passenger station in Salt Lake city
that would BE- a credit TO any metropO-
lis. lite monthly payrolls approximate
$500, 600. and the building Of extensive
machine shops that VIII require an OK
penditure Of over million dollars Is
In contemplation. Surely there l. no
danger SO imminent no peril so great
as to Justify the calling OF mass
meeting In salt Lake city TO force
reduction OF It's necessary earnings on
one OF its principal tonnage commodl
ties
As to the mileage basis OF coal rates
demanded by the bureau, II is SO alb
surd that IL is not worthy Of the CON
sideration OF any thinking, sensible
business man. II would mean that the
mines located farthcst from "A COM
mon market must pay a higher rate
than those less remote. and ~ that
principle were observed Ia the making
~ other commodity rates. II would
close every manufacturing industry
IN Utah. II would mean that the
freight rate from the Independent Coal
company's mine M Helper must be
higher than from the mines at Castle
Gate: that the coal mines near Price
must pay more than the mines at
Helper. and " should be apparent that
N this basis wore carried out. the
mines at SIN more distant points
Sunnyxidc for instance. would ahso-
utofv bo driven nt1f Of huaipcse