The Sun. [volume] (Price, Utah) 1915-1932, 1918-01-25

Fred J. wild. Jr.. freight traffic
Grande. was the chief witness befors
the state public utilities commission
! begun last week at Salt Lake City In
the hearing OF the petition Of Utah
roads for permission TO advance coal
freight rates fifteen cents ton. Ills
cross examination by ~. w. Prickett Of
the Traffic Service Bureau OF Utah
served to bring out lot OF figures In
relation Co earnings and necessary ex-
pcnditures. coupled with stated rea-
sons by the witness why the increase
should be allowed. IL was stated By
wild that the Denver and Rio Orandc
planned Co expcnd $4,000. 900 this year
In Improvement Of It's Utah lines and
that constituted one OF It's reasons for
seeking the increase In coal freight
rates lie said that i.5O0. 900 Of the
total amount would be expended on
the Soldier Summit improvements.
over which point most OF the coal
traffic IL carried and out OF which i'm
Drovements the coal transportation
service would receive large benefit.
Wild estimated that by reason OF
breakago Of the Mammoth reservoir
dam. which washed away consider
able OF the company's trackage last
summer. business Co the amount Of
about fi.250.0OO was lost In cross
examination OF wild u was brought
out that approximately bgi.ttf tons
Of coal were carried 90 Salt Lake City
last year by the Denver and Rio
Orandc. Should the Increase be al
lowed, II was shown. the people of
Salt Lake City would be Obliged Co
pay tSI.I7i annually more than they
do now and that the state ms n whole
would pay about $4,000 more each
year for coal.
d. u. Gray. assistant general freight
agent OF the oregon Short Line. was
asked By H. w. Prickctt n he knew Of
other localities where coal freight
rates were Rs high Ne IN titan. Gray
mentioned New Mexico and Colorado.
and this brought out the question OF
density Of traffic. PricKett called at
tention 60 the fact that In Texas a haul
Of hundred and twonty-four miles
brought the railroads Si.Ob ton
freight. while from the Castle Gate
rate charged was si.60 ton
stephen ~. Love Heard.
=. u. Love. president Of the Utah
traffic bureau, gave testimony oppoH-
Ing the application Of the railroads for
an Increase OF rates on coal In Utah.
Supporting his contention that rates
are higher than they should be In this
Al
Ing the movement ~ coal between Ar
mington. Mont. and Helena. Mont, a
distance OF "A hundred and twenty.
seven miles The rate per ton ON coal
between those points. according 90 the
rate sheet. II tt.iO. while over a sim.
liar distance la Utah the rate IL tI.gO.
II believe II IN the duty OF the utilities
commission Co soc that freight rnter
on all commodities are decidedly de- /
creased" Love Informed the commits I
sion. lie stated that Utah sugar com Z
panles consumed n hundred thousand /
tons OF coal during 1917, and added
that similar Institutions south OF Salt |
Lake city received 40 per cent OF their .
coal from Wyoming mines.
with the conclusion OF testimony by .
the railroads the directors presented .
their side Of the question. with w. :.
Mccarthy opening and Love closing.
Mccarthy dealt largely with figures
showing earnings OF the Denver and
Rio Grande on coal traffic for five
years beginning with 1895. Based on
the showing OF those years. Mccarthy
concluded that there had been a cor
responding Increase Of earnings with
each successive year since. Mccarthy
declared coal rates were not only
high. but 'unreasonably" high. lie
said there was no justification Tor
present exorbitant freight charges. He
declared that ti.25 per ton was a
rate for handling coal from
the mines 10 Salt Lake city common
points To this J. G. MoMurrny. coun-
sci for the Denver and Rio Grande.
excepted. McMurray objected 10 Nc
carthy's expression OF opinion In the
hearing, but the commission held Il
admissible upon insistence Of w n.
POLAND that II should go In. Il think
that the rates have always been too
high and I see no reason for IT," Me-
carthy said.
Continuing the evidence begun sat
urday In the coal rate hearing, n. w
Priekett manager Of the state traffic
bureau, ON Monday produced more
figures, and quoted moro statistics In
support OF his contention that freight
rates In Utah are too high Coal
moved over distance OF two hundred
and sevonty-seven miles In Pennsyl- I
yania gets rate OF &l.i5 per ton.
From Castle Gate 10 Salt Lake CITY. II
a distance Of a hundred and twenty 1
Tour miles. the rate on coal Is $50"
Pickett quoted.
Ogden Men Testify.
M. l.. Jones. city commissioner nj
Ogden. declared that the freight rates
IN coal had been Injurious 10 ogden
ana had prevented lis adequate devel-
'pment and that reduction would
be necessary for the good of the CITY
> = Jensen, manager OF packing
ana provision company stated that his
company uses six 10 eight thousand \
nnH nI Gnul "A