East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1916-09-08

PORTLAND, Sept. S.-"For the
Southern Pacific company to throattle
the business of western oregon with
car shortage is shame said
Frank ]. Miller, chairman of the ore
gon public service commission, when
he was in Portland Thursday
I'VE have made careful inquiry in
California, Idaho, Washington, Ne
vada and Arizona" continued Mr.
Miller, 'and there is no car shortage
in any of them. Yet the Southern
Pacific operates in all but Idaho. The
company is simply neglecting oregon.
Every month in the year the com
pany has about 500 more cars going
south than come north, So If oregon
ty cars must be hauled north for
them to load, The railroad COM
pany does not want TO do this. 1t can
make more money by keeping its cars
in California.
Discrimination Is Alleged.
But the railroad company has no
right to discriminate against oregon
in that way. The company is under
legal and moral obligation to take
care OF the districts il undertakes to
serve. The company came into this
territory voluntarily. Communities
have been built up under the implied
promise from the railroad company
that If industries were developed 1t
would provide facilities for getting tho
products to market.
The company is not living up to
its obligations 1t il not treating the
people of the state fairly And the
worst sufferers will be the laboring
men. because hundreds of them will
be thrown out Of employment by the
enforced shutting down of mills and
factories unless immediate relief is
given.
If the company treated the peo'
pie of the state in the spirit ii should
it would have no. grounds for COM
plant of antagonism or the people
Roads Policy Scored.
The company complains because
it says it is not making enough profit
en- its investment The reason It is
not making more is because 1t does
not have the rollins stock to handle
the business that Is being offered. Its
greatest investment Is in tracks, de-
posits. bridges and tunnels. II II
would invest little more in cars 1t
would be able to earn a bigger rate
OF interest on its entire investment
and tremendous rate of interest on
its additional investment in cars.
The shortage is growing more acute
every day. And disaster is following
In its wake The GumbeT industry
has been the hardest hit, but now the
shortage is menacing practically all
other Industries in the western part
of the state. Reports from the
Southern Pacific to the public service
commission placed the shortage yes
terday at 1850 cars.
Mr. Miller said the commission is
the railroad company to come to the
relief OF the shippers and he thought
he saw a ray of hope ahead
Rolling stock inadequate.
| He pointed out tnat the Southern
Pacific has less rolling stock per OPP
Grating mile than any other trans
continental railroad reaching the Pa
cific coast
The Southern Paciric has about sew
en- cars per mile of road, while other
| lines reaching the Pacific coast have
as high as IA cars per mile. Mr. Mil
Ter said. Considering that the COM
pany is operating ABOUT 1000 miles
of road, the 5000 cars 1t is reported
to have ordered vii ioe but drop in
the bucket
The farmer, the rruit grower and
| the Livestock men are all being hit as
well as the lumbermen," said Mr..
Miller. The industrial life Of the
state is being almost paralyZed"
The Southern Pacific company re-
ported that 1t received at Ashland to-
day 36 cars with wnictr to help re-
lieve the car shortage. OF these,
three were open, under load; 19 we're
open empties and IL closed empties.
Reported on hand today were 1873
closed cars under load and awaiting
delivery, 6s open cars also under
load. making a total, including those
received at Ashland of 2s7.
Orders for cars this morning total
ed 1418, 1873 closed and 3S5 open.
This makes the theoretical shortage
1871 cars in the oregon divisions.