The Sun. [volume] (Price, Utah) 1915-1932, 1917-10-19
SUDDEN CLOSE OF
THE RAILROAD
CASES
LOCAL LINE ~ CHARGED WITH
GROSS DISCRIMINATE
Examinations Enli,cncd Bi Tart Pas
sagcs Between WItncsscs aud Attor-
Bc,t For the observation-disclosures
Gus Local PrOiuccrs Mir Troubles
Before Interstate Commissioner

the ear shortage hearing nt Salt Lake
city before g. ". Marshall interstate
commerce commission examiner. that
discrimination is being exercised by
the Denver and iiip grandc and COM
Meeting lines w tho distribution "
ears for tho transportation Of cont
from the mines In Utah In favor Of
one Of the local companies and also
81 the mines In the Rock Springs dis
trict In wyoming During the hear
Ing the proceedings were resolved o.
periods of argument between wit
ncsHcs and examining counsel and the
progress was slow and frequently
punctuatod by darts Ut sarcaam. Every
point that the complainant coal COM
panics sought h. establish is being Bit
terry contested.
In reply a. the question ~ a. whc-
tier or not " IL necessary for the
Denver and Rio grandc or the oregon
short Line to guarantee a regular
movement at coke from the plant uf
the Utah Fuel company at sunnyside
before the latter can secure the bust
ncHs. 4. -. pivrHon. general sales agent
of the Utah Fuel company. refused 90
answer. Tie raid that certain cars are
maintained IN the coke service IN
Montana under arrangement between
tho Denver aud Rio urandc and tho
oregon Short Line, 10 witch tho rtnh
Fuel company was not q party
Evidence T. Offc,d.
william uorton. traffic manager Tor
Independent Coal and coke company
described the property and equipment
81 that company as representing an
investment 1T about ti.3Oe. 600. Dur
ing an the time that u has been IN
business. uorton mid. his company
has had difficulty In shipping coal o.
desired territory ON the Southern
Pacific he was unable Ca gct EARS for
q the territory Of that system. ana that
no had the same difficulty on the
Denver and Ito Grando lines Dur
ing the past four or five years there
has been NO abnormal increase IN coal
production In Utah. ana there has
mover been an extraordinary time
when the railroads could not nntici.
pate the needs ~ the various com
panien for ears.
dorton said that he was present nt
a meeting OF tho coal operators with
A. n. Sweet. vice president Of the Den.
yer and Rio Grandc. Ia Drcssnher.
1915. when the matter of ear shortage
said that he would take the matter up
az Denver. 60 SEQ II something could
not be done 10 give the coal mines af
Utah a more liberal and regular sup.
ply OF ears. hut that he did not expect
TO accomplish anything az Tar az the
Utah Copper company was concerned.
oortonf said that the indeicndrnt
Coal and Coke company was compel
led. because of ear shortage o. refuse
orders for coal Co be- shipped over the
oregon short Line and connections In
Idaho. Washington ana oregon. N
was stated by oorton that the Acnrr
1915 and 1915 constituted the least re-
muncratiye period Ia the history 1T
the Independent Coal aud coke com.
pany. hut hv admitted that the mines
were never - prosperous ~ during
1915 and particularly 1917, because
OF the higher prices ON coal
storrs Man Tcstifics.
The testimony of .. n Smith. man
agcr OF Spring Canyon Coal company.
was TO the effect that while th. metal
mines OF the Tintic district. with which
he said he was familiar, enjoyed 100
per cent service, the coal mines sui.
fered shortage OF cars.
a. w. Prickctt. manager OF Utah
Traffic Service bureau. introduced an
exhibit To show that the reports OF the
Denver and Rio urandr proved that
the tonnage of 1913 over the previous
year amounted Co 3Gh per cent ON
orei S.t per cent ON coke and SOS per I
cent on bituminous coal and that the |
total tonnage had shown AN Increase |
81 2,bab.GS7 tons. Prlckett maintain 1
"a AaV
given their proportlonato number of 4
ears 90 permit them % share In the
general Increase In trade, This was
objected 10 by u, A. scandrett, attor-
ney for the oregon Short Line, ON the
ground that there Is no provision la
the law requiring tho Union Pacific
to furnish ears for Utah loading.
More than three-quarters of an hour
was consumed In an argument be-
tween Prickett and }. q. McMurruy.
counsel Tor the Denver ana no
Grandc. In AN effort on the part NJ
McMurray % secure from Prickctt an
explanation OF the lattor's theory of
the proper disposition of ears 80 as 10
equalize service at an points. Prickett
maintained that the disposition should
be fair,
Nohft iAoohi iN1lafttN. II
You are an expert and have tray-
eled all over, and are accepted AS "A
prophet by the public utilities COM
mission. and when | ask you 20 lead ,
US out of the wilderness" said Nc. ,
Murray, you say, he fair.
During the past year you have nc- ,
cepted all the grain. wool aud stock
offered 20 YOU" said Priokett. "and
why do you not accept AN of our
foal?"
"Oh. / know you are daffy ON coal % Z
replied McMurray hut why don't | /.
you tell Us how 90 bring about tho car !
equalization according 10 your the
,ry?"
The matter h nov being taken
are OF by the war shipping bureau"
eplied Priekett, and the discussion
nded.
IL was admitted By Fred J. wild. D