The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1920-04-22

0MNt1E IlNAJlDl4f4M Oh QUICK anu
adequate transportation be-
tween Wallace and Burke. a
system that will permit married
men to retain employment in the
mines and maintain homes in this
city where living conditions are more
desirable. is again pressing for solu-
ton. Its discussion occupied prac-
ticany the entire time of the business
session of the board of trade last
Monday, and its Importance is ndi-
Gated by the appointment of spe-
cial committee of 20 business men 10
consider the subject in conjunction
with the publicity committee and
submit report at the earliest prac-
tical date. 1t developed in the course
of the discussion that mining com
panies are now giving preference to
married men in the hope that it viii be
the means Of securing more perman-
ent employees, but unfavorable living
conditions in the canyon has proved a
serious obstacle to the success of this
plan For this reason and as a means
of increasing the population of Wal
lace the board of trade has tackled
the transportation problem with the
view to enabling married employees of
the mines to make their homes in this
city The discussion last Monday
drew out variety of opinions regard
ing what is best to do not alone to
attract families to Wallace but sin
gle men as we'll, and stress was plac
ed upon the necessity of providing
forms of amusement and entertain
ment as a means of making the city
more inviting. The large special COM
mitee appointed is expected to go in
to the subject thoroughly and if pos
sible find a practical answer to the
question, whats the matter with
Wallace?" The discussion followed
the report by c. H. Craig, chairman
Of the publicity committee, in which |
he stated that his committee did not /
feel warranted in undertaking an adj /
vertising campaign for the purpose of |
inducing married men to seek en-
plovment in the mines without some /
assurance that satisfactory transpor-
tation could be provided which would /
enable them to live in Wallace. Among 4
those who participated in the discus
sion were J. J. Murphy E. r. Denny
E. F. Mackey, Platt Morrow, f. J.
Rossi, L. E. Hanley Frederick Bur
bidge and probably others
EIectrify the Railroad.
so far as the transportation ques-
ton is concerned, the Miner believes
the best answer is to be found in pro-
viding electric service between
wallace and Burke. with the
possibility Of extending it in some
other directions when its success /
has been demonstrated. There are .
two railroads connecting Wallace and
Burke, and even in the days before
the jitney became an active competi-
tor. the passenger traffic was not an
important source Of revenue, while at
the present time it is almost negligible.
The freight business, the hauling of
ore out and supplies in, was the in
ducement that built the railroads up
the canyon and must always be the
only reliance for profitable operation.
As a matter of fact it is believed
that both railroad companies would
be glad to be relieved of the neces- /
sity to maintain passenger service,
and there is a way that this could be
and at the same time
derive a profit from the passenger
business. Let the two companies en-
ter into an agreement by which all the
freight traffic will be handled over {
one road. say the Northern Pacific, ]
and electrify the O.-W. R. & N. and
use it exclusively for passenger bust
ness. Run electric trains every hour Z
between Wallace and Burke from 7
O'Clock in the morning until II in the s
evening. This service would soon de- {
velop a monopoly Of the passenger
traffic create new business by max
ing it possible to go back and forth
at any hour, and would make it pos
sible for married men to have their
homes in Wallace while employed in
the mines without being subjected to Il
delays in going to and from their
work The cost Of electrifying this s
short line would not be excessive and q
the business that would come to II
would certainly justify the expense, 7
particularly since the Northern Paci-
fic which has the big end Of the pas
senger business now has repeatedly Y
stated that It operates the Burke pas