The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1920-12-11
RAILROAD
INCOMPETENCE

hearings In Reno are simply disgust
ing. The railroad argument, fatty,
is that because the railroads did not
make as much profit as n of their
employees had estimated they should
make on Nevada traffic, therefore the
railroads had lost that amount by
reason of operation of their lines
across this state; and they appeal to
a Federal commission to make citi-
TENS of Nevada behave, and pay the
desired profit.
Adding insult to attempted injury,
a railroad employe named Adams
declared that in his expert" opinion
1t made no difference if the rates
demanded proved destructive to Ne
vada industry; that, in other words,
the welfare of Nevada is secondary
to hat of those who want dividends
on what probably is watered stock.
And from fragments of the testimony
which p~ercolate this far inland it
seems as though Examiner Healy was
inclined to agree with the carriers.
1t makes no difference, it seems,
that 1t has been shown that Nevada
rates already are higher, for carrier
service, than those OF any other part
of the Union. 1t is not to be consid-
cred that Nevada has but a fraction
of the population of other Western
states through which these railroads
operate. The fact appears not to have
been brought out that Nevada ship
ments from the East are hauled five
hundred miles to San Francisco. and
back again, for the purpose Of ex-
tracing money from those Of the
Sagebrush State who are struggling
against giant odds in a pioneers ef-
fort to make productive a vast area
of barren waste. The railroads are
not receiving enough money from
Nevada. They will go to extremes in
order to exact more, and refuse to
even consider the possibility of stop
ping all, or a great part, of the pres
emit income, through ordaining rates
which Nevada cannot pay.
1t is another Of the all too frequent
cases of ~endeavoring to make Wash
law apply to the desert
as it applies to Ohio. Charge all the
traffic will bearl" is a bit of railroad
wisdom ascribed to the late James j.
Hill. Perhaps it, is good stuff from
the railroad point of view. But Jim"
Hill never pursued the policy Of be-
ing willing to crush struggling COM
covnttiae uic yuac cnn ct rr1ctiVQ
thought, like that of Cecil Rhoades.
Instead of greedily endeavoring to
rob a beggar, Hill helped the poor to
acquire a competency and to become
prosperous, thereby forming commu-
which could and would furnish
profitable business to his Great North
ern lines.
We cannot imagine that such a man
President Sproule, for instance,
would pursue the policy of coercion
being exhibited at Reno, were
he directly in charge of matters here.
We believe that Sproule, if he thinks
Of Nevada at all, considers it and its
business of too slight Importance for
his distinguished consideration, and
leaves the matter of present negotia-
ton to efficiency" men-whose job.
be it known, is merely to show more
profit than the next last fellow who
held the job was able to exhibit
Railroads have come to be stock
jobbing enterprises. Inefficiency in
the carrier business is glazing. Rail-
road men (practical men, who u
trains and build track point out
countless ways in which money is
wasted and poor service is rendered.
But it behooves them to keep their
mouths shut, or some efficiency engi-
neer will have 'em fired. And mark
this-inefficiency always leads direct
ly to intolerance, the sort of public
be-damned spirit which is now being
shown at Reno by the railroad ex-
perts. 1t Is something for every citi-
zen of Nevada to resent.
Chairman Shaughnessy of the Ne
vada Public Service Commission is
making a fight for the rights of this
state which looks good to Nevadans.
They will mo- forget. Despite the big
club which is being constantly held
over him, In the form of what Federal
commissioners will do to US, If they
van to. he stands up like a man and
declares that Nevada has some rights
as a sovereign state which she will
o exercise without paying much
regard to what the common carriers
think about 1t.
Nevada is, always has been, infest-
ed with a horde of petty Office holders
who have inundated the populace
with yelled threats of what the rail-
roads were likely to do in the way of
non-payment of taxes and other
things. IL they were thwarted. Let
Nevada say in reply that the railroads
will pay taxes just as any other COR
poration or individual pays them.
They will furnish carrier service
within the state at reasonable rates
fixed by the state. for the privilege
OF operating within the state.