Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-04-15
Governor Alexander Dele
gates Member of His Staff
to Make an Investigation
and File Report on Situa-
tion.
WILL CONFER WITH
RAILROAD OFFICERS
Joel L. Priest to Visit Salt
Lake and Seek Coop
GRAFTON of the Roads in
Carrying Out Plans to
Prevent Shortage Next
Winter.

The storage Of coal in Idaho for flu
ture use and to meet the emergency
that arises due to the existence Of a
state of war, is to be iyorked out by
the state and railroads. Governor Alex
ander made the first move to bring
coal storage about when, in letter
Issued Saturday to Joel L. Priest, Idaho
agent for the Oregon Short Line rail-
road. he commissions him to proceed
to Salt Lake and confer with rail-
road officials. The letter is as follows:
Colonel Joel L. Priest, Boise, Idaho
Dear Sir: As a member Of the gov
errors staff. kindly mako request Of
you to repair to Salt Lake at the gov
ernors expense for the purpose of in
terviewing the officials OF the Oregon
Short line and the Denver & Rio
Grande railways and report to me the
true and actual condition that exists
at present relative to the interchange
Of cars between the said roads for the
purpose of hauling coal to the state of
idaho.
1T is my desire to make arrange
ments. through you. with said roads so
that reasonable amount of coal may
be stored for future use in the state
during the months of May, June and
July, so in case your road will be &C.
cupied in moving war equipment at a
later date, the coal supply will be, to
a certain extent, relegated to the flu
ture.
COAL IS ESSENTIAL.
AT different times complaints have
been made to this department against
the common carriers, coal miners and
dealers, some for not furnishing equip
ment, others for diverting the coal to
other points and such, so I am endeav-
oring to ascertain the true state Of at
fairs and am asking you to make this
investigation impartially and fairly
while in Salt Lake and If possible get
an agreement from the Oregon Short
Line and Denver & Ro Grande roads
that they will furnish cars to haul coal
Into Idaho to various points SO that
we may be able to put our energies
In another direction in the future II
necessity demands.
Coal is one Of the essential things to
run our state in certain seasons of the
year and the Oregon Short Line lie the
key to the situation. and while you
may be interested in the management
Of the line, have full confidence in
your integrity to know that your re-
port on this matter will be fair and i'm
partial from every standpoint, and that
you will endeavor to find q remedy for
the problem that occurs annually in
this regard and try and find a prompt
and speedy relief so that coal may
be procured and stored for all those
who want to lay in a supply.
WILL NOTIFY PEOPLE.
"As soon as / receive your report, I
will notify the people of the state to
make the necessary arrangements
financially and otherwise to prepare
themselves for the emergency that
might arise later on in the season when
there is a car shortage.
Il want you to convey to the rail-
road officials that am not looking for
any legal or technical consideration In
the premises. but am asking them to
receive you in the spirit in which you
are sent. to relieve the situation at
once and thereby allow us to put our
attention to raising the biggest crop
that has ever been raised in the state.
Yours very truly,
IN. ALEXANDER,
Governor"