The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-02-24
SAYS j. P.
IS SlOWEST
Hearing in Government Suit
on Merger Case Develops In
teresting Testimony From an
Official of Western Road.

New York, Feb. 23.-Freight train
speed on the Union Pacific was gone
into at length today by Government
Counsel Severance in examining A. L.
MOhler, general manager OF the Union
Pacific, in the governments suit to dis
solve the Union PaCific-Southern Pacific
merger.
Comparing tabulated figures, which
the witness said had been prepared by
the American Railway association, the
Santa Fe, Great Northern, Northern Pa
Cific and other partly single track lines
were shown TO average much better time
than the Union Pacific. particularly on
the scheduled time of their green fruit
trains.
According to these figures, said Mr..
Severance. tine sIOWest time in the
United States is made on the Union
Pacific"
Yes, that appears to be So" said
Mr.. Mohler.
The witness said the green fruit train
schedule was entirely satisfactory to
the shippers. He dropped a remark that
there was an agreement as to this.
Mr.. Severance Immediately became IN
teTested.
ia be very glad TO learn something
ney.
Terms Are Very Dim.
Mr. Mohler was not able to enlighten
the governments counsel very much. He
had been informed by the Southern Pa
cific officials that there had been some
sort of an agreement with shippers, but
just what it was he did not know. Meth
er could he tell about the six-day green
fruit trains from Los Angeles to Chi
cagO over the San Pedro and the Denver
& Rio GTande. This train was with
drawn, il appears, when all Of the COM
petitOTs put up a stiff protest.
The much-disCussed 54-hOur freight
train between Council Bluffs and Og-
den, which was made d 100-hour train
in 1907, was alluded to by the witness,
who said congestion of traffic had made
operations at the original speed impOs-
sible.
The Cattle Laws.
The witness was cross-examfned re-
garding the Union Pacific's expendi-
lures for improvements.
1t had been shown that the federal
law required the construction of stock
yards where cattle might be watered
and fed en- route.
THE law relating to cattle was not
tillOiGcu previous ~ 1'VOI anu We paul
little attention to it,, said Mr.. MOhler.
Mr.. MOhler said many of the Union
Pacific expenditures We're of an eXtraor-
binary character.
The witness then said the Union Pa
cific had spent generously in installing
all sorts Of safety devices.
That, of course, has been to our in
terest," he said. The public IS worth
more TO US alive than dead"
Referring again to the Improvements
and betterWents of the Union Pacific. MI
MOhler said
Mr.. Hartman instructions to me when
he was alive were that he did not have
any objection TO giving me all the money
] wanted, telling me that he wanted tn
Improvements so well made that there
would not be need for further change.
He added that he had carried out Mr..
IaTTimanS Instructions.
Among the new improvements Contem-
plated, he continued, was the erection of
a general office building at Omaha that
viii cost 1889 900. not including the cost
of the land.
When Mr.. MOhler was excused. William
L. Clark, general superintendent of the
Union Pacific. was called. The hearing
will continue tomorrow.