American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1911-05-13

District Passenger Agent Gray
responded to the welcome He said
the kindly reception showed plainly
that the people were not unfriendly
to the railroad. The railroad had
mad great deal to do with the
opening up of Idaho, and had had a
hard time keeping up with the de-
velopment. On the whole our inter-
ests are yours, he said, and yours are
ours.
The custom of Indians is to rub
noses and hit the big pipe. The
purpose of these excursions is to
carry out this idea. We are here to
rub noses with you people and hit
the big pipe, and to bring you the
message that we wnat to be better
acquainted and find out what it is
that you want, what you need, why
you want 1t and whether or not we
can give it to you. We expect to
hear tonight from the people of this
community on subjects that you
want to bring up, after which your
questions will be responded to by
various departments represented.
Immigrant Rates.
R. B. Greenwood was the first
local speaker, and said he felt
little like the gentleman who was
newly married. At one of the first
meals they had his wife asked him
how he liked the biscuit. "Well, my
dear, 'he said, you are rather
light for such heavy work. - So l
feel | am rather light to address
rollroad people. In the way of
needed improvements he called at
tention to the striking resemblance
between the present depot and the
one that greeted his first appear
ance here in 1885, except in color,
which had changed from regulation
red to regulation yellow, There is
one thing about the station that l
would like to call your attention to,
which is it's contrast with the new
and handsome depot at Aberdeen.
Around the station there is a sub
stantial platform where teams can
back up and load up their wagons,
while for the last twenty eight or
more years we have been picking
our heavy articles of freight off the
ground. 1t would please the people
very much if we could have one plac
where we could drive up a team
and roll our heavy barrels into a
wagon from a platform.
eve would like to know why
immigrants from Washington have
to pay SO much more freight to this
point than to Minidoka. Minidoka
has a rate from Spokane of so cents
while that to American Falls is rs
cents. Shipping to American Falls
from Odessa, through Spokane, the
rate is only 73 cents. The rate
from Minidoka to American Falls is
II cents, and from there to Spokane
so cents, making 62 cents for the
two local rates combined, yet our
through rate is 70 cents l do not
understand why this discrimination
should be.
Discriminative Grain Rates.
Wilford Bennion, of the Kieth-
Greene Grain company, asked why |
the carload rate on grain from Amer
lean Falls to Caldwell was 25 cents
a hundred, and only 20 cents from
Idaho Falls. Why we had to pay
81 cents to Salt Lake and Idaho |
Falls only 20cents per 100. That
the superior quality of grain grown
here was the only thing that made
it possible to compete with enther
Idaho or Twin Falls. He called at
tention to the large increase in the |
amount of grain grown and stated
that we should be on an equal foot
ing with other nearby localities in
seeking a market.
0. H. Barber talked on advertis-
ing, and d. Burrell closed for the |
local people by referring to rubbing
noses with some of the Short Line
at Boise in matter that |
did not benefit us any.
Questions Answer ed.
At this point Mr. Gray took the
meeting and introduce Mr.. Manson,
general superintendent of construc-
ton. who replied to everything that
h ad been brought up regarding con-
AS to the extension OF
the Aberdeen branch, it was not !
paying yet, and nothing would be
done until it was paying operating
AS for the depot, Mr. !
Manson thought the memory of Mr. !
Greenwood was at fault, as new
depot had been built in 1897, when I
a runaway engine had destroyed the
original one. The depot had been
remodeled several times, and was
in serviceable condition. At Poca-
tello. Montpelier. McCammon and
Shoshone the original depots were
still in use and these would have to
be replaced before American Fails
got a new edpot. A
1t is very true, he said, that wSl
have very little warehouse space but
[ will tell you what we have IN
sight You know of our proposed
double tracking. We will have to
reduce the hill here, and in order
TO do that it will require us to raise
the track through town here some
thing like fourteen feet. You will
have to get stepladder in order
to reach the track. If we change