Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1921-02-23
Report FayOrS Ore
Rate Reduction

A partial biennial report of the Ne
vada Public Service Commission has
been received at this Office. Among
other matters is the commissioner re-
port of past action and present status
of the matter of the railroad rates on
ores from Plumas county, California,
to the Wabuska smelter. The final
adjustment of this matter affects Yer
ington and Lyon county more vitality
than any other subject that is up for
immediate consideration
During the year 1919 the CommYs-
sion joined the Mason Valley Mines
Company in all effort to secure from
the Railroad Administration reduc-
ton in the rates covering ores and
concentrates from Plumas county,
California. points on the Western Pa
cifE and Indian Valley Railroads to
Wabuska, Nevada, on the lines of the
Southern Pacific Company. Hearing
was held before the Traffic Commit
tee at San Francisco, California, and
it made a recommendation to the Fed
eral Director of Traffic at Washing
ton, D. c., providing for schedule
OF through joint rates form said Plu-
mas county points to Wabuska.
At the time the recommendation in
question was made to the Director Of
Traffic at Washington, D. c., by the
Traffic Committee at San Francisco.
the period of government control and
regulation was rapidly nearing its
closet the expectancy being that the
lines would be. turned back to private
ownership and operation on January
/, 1920 and thereafter the Railroad
Administration at Washington failed
and refused to put into effect the
through joint rates i'll question The
railroads were returned to private
ownership on Mach 1920. and conf
plant was promptly filed by the Ma
son Valley Mines Company, asking
for the establishment of just and rea-
sonable through rates from the afore-
said California points to the Wabuska
shelter. Hearing was held before the
Interstate Commerce Commission En-
aminer K K Gartner, at Reno, Ne
vada, on July 20, 1920. At the hear
ing strong testimony was submitted on
behalf of the Mason Valley Company,
the Public Service Commission and
by Governor Emmet d. Boyle, on the
ground that the establishment of the
through point rates in question was
necessary to enable the Mason Valley
Mines Company to not only reopen
its mines and smelling facilities and
resume operations, but also it was
clearly shown that the company would
expend in excess of $500,000 for new
reverberatories by which it could
open and maintain custom or COM
mercial smelter for the treatment OF
all characters of ores except lead, and
that this action would have the effect
of reopening large number of mines
now closed and unable to operate un-
der the high cost OF transportation,
materials and supplies 1t may be
stated that Examiner Gartner has re-
Gently rendered his opinion favorable
to the Mason Valley Mines Company,
and recommends that the Interstate
Commerce Commission adopt the
through joint rates which he has pro-
posed from said Plumas County
points to Wabuska. We believe that
the report will not only meet the ap-
prova of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, but that the Interstate
Commerce Commission will iron out
and rearrange the divisions between
the participating carriers i'll such
manner as to make it possible for the
Mason Valley Mines Company to go
forward at once in making the afore-
said expenditure of $500000 or more
for new reverberatories and the re-
opening OF the smelter on a custom
basis.
The opinions and the orders cover
ing cases decided during the past
two years and the statistics covering
the operations of the railroads and the
public utilities will be submitted at a
later date, and combined with these
advance sheets of the report.