The Delta independent., 1917-08-10
Geo. Kindel Pays
Delta a Short Visit

Hon Geo. j. hlnCeI, OF Denver, pres
ident of the Kindel Bedding CO., and
erstwhile freight rate fighter, passed
through Delta Tuesday of this week,
enroute home after a trip over the
Western Slope, in search of Aspen for
ests to be utelized in the manufacture
of excelsior at his Denver plant.
Mr.. Kindel made an adress on trans
portation the night before in Grand
Junction, and would have repeated it
in Delta, but for the fact that his time
away was getting limited and he was
Obliged to pass through and get home.
There is no question but what Mr..
Kindel has done more for Colorado in
the matter of fair freight and express
rates than any other half dozen men
and he still keeps up the fight. He
has had cases in the courts since Feb
ruary, 1892, over twenty-five years and
has never lost case. True it is. that
on some occasions he gained but little
but his fights have never failed to
bring some results and many times
big results.
He is still in the game and Just as
much on the fight as ever He says
that if there is anything he can do to-
wards helping the Western Slope
towns get what is coming to them, he
is ready and willing to lend his ser
vices. We are asleep here, he says and
asks why we don't get out and make
the fight we should and get lower
rates. Show me a community whose
manufactures. business and other en-
terprises are progressing and ! will
show you community which is en-
joying reasonable transportation
rates. said the ex-congressman.
Mr.. Kindel asks why the citizens of
Western Colorado do not get busy at
this opportune time and file suit be-
fore the State Utilities Commission
againststhe railroads for lower rate
from Denver to Grand Junction, which
Of course would include all Western
Slope points. Many people do not
4 knew that the State Utilities Commis-
sion has recently gone on record as
having appealed to the Interstate
Commerce Commission to lower the
rate from Denver to Westwater, Utah
Now the rate from Denver to Grand
Junction is within the jurisdiction of
the local commission. The Interstate
/ Commerce Commission cannot fix
state rates. Mr.. Kindel wants to know
fit to make the roads lower the rates
TO Colorado points as well.
| The rate from Denver to Westwater
| Utah is now s1.54, first class and the
! Utilities Commission has asked that
it be lowered to 81 cents The rate
from Denver to Grand Junction is
S1.i0 and they ask no reduction from
the railroads Why? On shipments
TO Palisade. which is a shorter haul.
the rate is s1.47. Again Mr.. Kindel
asks why, but says so long as the peo-
pie continue to stand for it and say
nothing. so long will the railroads
make them pay these exhorbitant
rates.
/ The fights made by Mr. Kindel caus-
ed the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion to adopt a system of arriving at
express rates according TO distance.
until the express rates are fairly
reasonable. At one time they were
nearly as bad as the present freight
rates.
From Omaha and points east, the
/ freight to Salt Lake is exactly the
same as to Grand Junction. although
several hundred miles longer haul and
over another range of mountains The
express rates between these points are
proportionately less to Grand Junction
than Salt Lake. Mr.. Kindel is fight
ing to have the freight rates figured
on a reasonable basis. like the express
rates. and wants the people of West
era Colorado to help him Can any
man blame George ]. Kindel for fight
ing this sort of business for twenty
five years, single handed and alone?
It's shame he hasn't had the sup
port of the entire state all the time.
instead of having to spend his own
time and money. The people should
take up this matter at once. 1t is
of vital importance to them and one
that If remedied will aid the welfare
and stimulate the growth of the COM
munity Why look on with indiffer-
ence?