The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-05-05
RAILROADS. SIDE
OF QUESTION GIVEN
w. ]. JORDAN TELLS OF ABUSES
RAILROADS HAVE ENDURED
SINCE WAR BEGAN.

! That number of changes and in
creases DIN passenger rates on the
| Northern Pacific railroads branch
between Spkane and Grangeville are
! to be made soon, including an In
crease of As cents in the fare between
Moscow and Spokane, was made
known today by w. j. Jordan general
agent for the Northern Pacific at
Lewiston. The question of the treat
ment the Northern Pacific has given
Moscow was billed for discussion by
the chamber of commerce at its reg
ular weekly luncheon and Mr.. Jordan
was invited to present the railroads
side of the case. He did so. He said
has been meeting the passenger rate
made between Moscow and Spokane
by the Inland Electric railroad, which
is many miles shorter. A reduction
of As cents was made in the large be-
tween Moscow and Spokane.
Mr.. Jordan said: "We had covered
it up and forgotten it but it has be-
come resurrected by the action of the
Moscow chamber of commerce and
publication in the press. You have no
idea how many of our passengers
from Grangeville and other points
south of Moscow buy tickets to Mos
cow and then get off the train and
buy tickets from Moscow to Spokane.
That means loss of As cents to the
Northern Pacific on a mileage basis
and the loss is much larger than you
think. We are going to raise the
rate. We will gain more by selling
tickets from points south of Moscow
to Spokane at the regular rate, than
we will lose in trade from Moscow.
u b1,t ~ ic 1att nf
revenue"
Concerning the complaint that
freight crews have been taken from
Moscow where they have had their
homes and moved to Pullman, Mr..
Jordan said that, too, was a matter
of revenue and economy. He said:
"Ten years ago three freight crews
handled all the freight business be-
tween Spokane and Lewiston and un-
loaded more freight than any 10
crews on any road are handling now.
-Ihay had not the equipment nor con-
veniences then that we have now.
Yet they did all of this work in short
er time than more crews are doing it
now. The crew that left Spokane in
the morning during the past months
would reach Pullman about 6 or 6:30
p. M and get their dinner 1t would
take about three hours between Pull
man and Moscow, a distance of 10
miles, with only one station, Sunshine
at which not car month was un-
loaded.
"We had an engine tied up here at
night and we had to have two men to
watch it. They only watched it, mind
you. They did not wipe it. We had
to have wipers. And the watchmen
1snf11cad n choxra1 ooo1
and we had to have coal HEAVIER to
shovel the coal into the engine so the
watchman could keep up he fires. 1t
cost us about $400 per month to do
this. We sent the engine over to
Pullman where we have a night
who can watch 10 engines,
if necessary. By the change we have
made recently and are making we are
saving S100 a day or more on this
Palouse branch alone The situation
had grown desperate. We had to do
and we have taken this
step, not against Moscow but for
economy"
The chamber of commerce passed
The following resolution addressed to
the National Chamber of Commerce,
Washington, D. G. Resolved That the
national agreement constituted dur
ng the war between the railroad car
riers and their employees, be abroga-
ed and that each railroad be permit
ed to supervise its own operation
n order to better serve the public"
w. S. Shearer, head of the Idaho
State Farm Bureau, was introduced
and spoke at some length on the
work the farm bureau is doing for
agricultural interstate. Mr.. Shearer
lad addressed the assembly of the
of Idaho just prior to the
luncheon and was brought to the
luncheon by Dean E. J. Iddings, head
# the agricultural college,