The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-04-12
WELLS, FARGO & Co.
MONOPOLY BROKEN
American Express Company to
Succeed 1t on Salt Lake
Route August /.
BETTER SERVICE TO EAST
PRESIDENT CLARK HAS SIGNED
IMPORTANT CONTRACT.

When Senator W. A. Clark, president
OF the Salt Lake Route, signed a con-
tract with the American Express COM
pany several days ago he broke the
monopoly OF Wells Fargo & Co. in the
express business in southern California.
Neiis, Fargo q Co. will retire from Salt
Lake and Los Angeles August /, and the
american Express company will take over
the business on the Salt Lake Route.
As result of this contract, the stock
holders of Wells, Fargo a. Co. who also
are stockholders OF the Southern Pacific
and the Santa Fe demanded that an
southern California business possible be
turned over TO those two lines for routing
east IN order to get the long haul This
resulted IN continual loss to the Salt Lake
Route in hauling express.
Under the new contract the American.
which is the strongest company operating
In the east Will, of course, send all east
ern business handled over the Salt Lake
line. This win mean that by far the
greater quantity Of westbOund express
Will be handled by the Salt Lake Route
from points which the American Express
company controls.
II also will mean that service in Salt
Lake and Los Angeles will be improved
through competition, and that the Amer
lean, which has one of the best handling
systems in the world. win be able to cut
into the Wells-FargO earnings in south
ern California.
In the north the Gould system, which
controls the Western Pacific into San
Francisco and operates with the Denver
& Rio Grande and the Colorado Midland
IN Utah and Colorado, has purchased the
Pacific Express and a number of small
companies. and will work with the Adams
and the American companies in the east
10 San Francisco. This means that the
Wells, Fargo & Co. monopoly is broken
on the coast
Clark Is interviewed.
In an interview in Los Angeles. Senator
Clark said:
In the past we have been at the mercy
of the other lines in regard to our ship
ments for our Pacific Express contract
at Salt Lake forces Us to turn over bust
ness to them.
This caused the Salt Lake to carry a
smaller amount of business than it was
entitled to, because the Wells-FargO peo-
pie obtained the long haul over the South
ern Pacific and the Santa Fe routes.
In order to get ready for this business,
we are preparing TO spend even more
money IN rebuilding through the Meadow
Valley wash than we first intended, ana
this was also one Of the prime reasons
for the building of a temporary line, while
the high line is being surveyed and built.
Under the present plan, we viii spend
not less than s4,oO0,0 600 or the rebuilding.
There already are three surveying parties
in the field, and another party left Los
Angeles this morning 20 take up the work.
We will use Caliente as the middle point
OF the work, and with that as good
starting point We are working our parties
each way from the yards there, to meet
the surveyors now running the line from
the ends of the washOut section.
Within the past few days there has
been a large amount of material received,
and when / was in Salt Lake City more
than forty cars came in loaded with sup
plies for the line. a part of this material
was composed of the much needed piles
for the work in the east end OF the valley.
The arrival of this material viii enable
US TO proceed with our work at once.
We are putting on a large force OF men
and are hurrying construction in every
way, and are DESTROYS of having the line
open early in June. The active engineer
ing work viii be in the hands OF Chief
Engineer TiltOn, and of Arthur Mcguire,
who are both in the valley at the present
time"
Would Reweigh Mails.
II is learned that application has been
made by the Salt Lake Route TO the post
office department for a reweighing of
the mails as soon as the through line Is
in operation.
A letter has been received from the
postmaster general, which, while II makes
no definite pledge, leads the Salt Lake
officials TO believe that a general re-
weighing of the western mails Will re
suit in orders TO give the SAT- Lake q
fair proportion of the mail pay, when the
through line is reopened.
In the meantime all the engines and
other rolling stock Of the line have, under
Senator Clarks orders, been given thor
Ough Overhauing, and when the road IS
again in operation everything VIII De IN
readiness for efficient service.
Senator Clark will not come north with
President LoVett of the Southern Pacific
but will go from Los Angeles TO Arizona
for an inspection of the United verde
mine which has reached a standard pro
ductiOn OF S5,000000 annually