The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1920-11-10
MOSCOW MAY HAVE
A MORMON CHURCH
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ASK
ED TO ASSIST IN GETTING
MORE STUDENTS HERE

A Mormon church for Moscow is
within the range of possibilities il
the plea of L. A. Thomas, student
of the University of Idaho, who has
taught several years in southeastern
Idaho and is now the head of the stu
dents organization to secure more
students from that part of the state
is effectual. Mr.. Thomas addressed
the chamber of commerce at it's week
ly luncheon today, on the proposed
bill to remit to all students attend
ing the university, all railroad fare
above SIS. This bill, fashioned after
the Montana law, will be presented to
the next session of the legislature
and he asked the support of the Mos
COW chamber of commerce for it.
Mr.. Thomas says that there are
two main reasons why the enrolment
in the state university is not larger
from the southeastern part of the
state. One is that students can go
from home to the University of Utah,
at Salt Lake, for from 81 to So, while
it costs from $25 to $50 to come to
their own university here. This is a
handicap to the student who is
naturally short of funds to get thru
term of school.
Another reason why students go
from Idaho to Utah, he said, is that
southeastern Idaho, where a large
majority of the people are Mormons,
that there is an unfriendly feeling to-
ward Mormons in Moscow. He sug-
gested that if the Mormon students
could have a church of their own in
Moscow and get the reduced railroad
fair the University of Idaho might
have several hundred students enroll
ed from the southeastern counties of
Idaho, who otherwise would go TO
Utah. The enrolment from that sec
tion of the state, while larger this
year than ever before, is much small
er, proportionately, than from any
other section of the state.
The support of the chamber was
pledged to the student organization
in its efforts to secure the passage
Of the railroad fare refunding bill.
The chamber went on record, after
a brief talk by Mac P. Bailey, repre-
senting Mason-Ehrman & Co., as
favoring an application for a dis
rate from Moscow, equal to
that enjoyed from Lewiston and
Spokane. Mr.. Bailey said that Lewis
ton has first class rate of 81 cents |
for 81 miles, while the rate for So
miles from Moscow is sc cents. He
that there are several
wholesale houses in Moscow that
should have this distributing rate.
The chamber will ask the railroads
and the public utilities commission to
grant it.
To Mine Idaho Coal
H. c. Sampson, of Spokane, one of
pany with properties near briggs, !
Idaho, gave very interesting talk
IN the prospects of getting Idaho coal |
sor Moscow people at a reduced
rate. He stated that with the pres
ent freight rate this coal, which he
declared is better than Rock Spring
coal, can be delivered to Moscow for
about So per ton, and profit of So |
Der ton be made on it at that. He
old of the discovery of this coal by
Mr. Talbot, of Spokane, who built |
he Spokane paper mills at Millwood I
md has been prominent in promoting
)ther industries in the northwest, /
when he was searching for coal
# exceptionally good quality He said
here are 18 veins of which nine have
'een developed and that expert engi- I
leers have pronounced the coal of /
ligh quality. He quoted Governor
5ooding, who was fuel administrator
or Idaho during the war, as saying
hat che expects this to become the
most important single industry in the .
tate of Idaho" Mr. Sampson gave
much interesting, detailed informa-
ion on the mines, the railroad built
Q them by the federal government,
he enormous supply of coal now
,nown to exist, there, which he
'laced at hundreds of millions of
ons, and of the cheapness with which
could be developed, mined and dis
ributed throughout Idaho and the
orthwest. He predicted 1900 to
900 tons day would be taken from
he mine within year and said
here $4,000 tons now ready for ship