White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-04
COAL FREIGHT RATES
TO ELY ARE EXCESSIVE

Attorney Examiner NJ. A. Pattison
has submitted a finding that rates
covering the movement OF coal from
Utah and Wyoming fields to points in
Nevada are unreasonable The find
ing of the attorney examiner follows
upon complaint of the public service
commission of Nevada. the Reno
Chamber of Commerce and the Ne
vada Consolidated Copper Company,
il.tervenors, and the hearing was held
before Examiner Pattison at Reno
April 27 and % last Official Loti-
fication of the report to be submitted
by the attorney examiner has been
sent to the law firm of Chandler &
Cuayle, attorneys for the Nevada
Consolidated Copper Company. and
to the press of Ely.
IT is understood that the report is
tentative and will be subject to ex-
cepti0ns by the railroads and the
cOmplainants and the case will be
finally submitted on argument before
the interstate commerce commission
and decided at later date by that
body.
II this is a straw that may lie
taken to indicate lower price per
ton, or even no increase over former
rates, it will be welcome news to
local consumers, especially to heads
of families who are compelled to buy
coal in small quantities at an exorbi.
tant price. 1t has been hard to un-
derstand why coal has gone steadily
upward in price year by year, and the
various explanations given have
failed to satisfy the consumers. 1t
seems like paying out lot of hard
earned money and getting nightly
little in return. In this climate of
long, hard winters coal is pretty near
ly necessity, unless one is so situ-
ated that he can go out into the hills
and bring in wood supply sufficient
for the winter, and during the pres.
ent period of industrial idleness a
good many family men out of regular
employment are doing it.
Attorney Examiner Pattison, after
reviewing the evidence in detail, rec
onmends that the present rate OF
$637R covering the movement of
lump coal blanketed to all points be-
tween Tecoma, New, and Tule (near
Winnemucca), on the Southern Pa
cific, and between Ola and Golconda
on the Western Pacific, be reduced to
$3.50 per ton: that the present rate
of $6.75 to Winnemucca be reduced
to s5.SC per ton, and that the rate
of $712s between Benin and Reno
inclusive, on the Southern Pacific,
and between Krum and Reno, inclus-
i've. on the Western Pacific. be re-
duced to 1925 per ton; that the pres
ent ton rate of $3.50 to McGill and
Ely be reduced to $5.65. and that
the rate covering the movement of
slack. run of mine and nut coal from
the mines TO McGill be reduced from
S5.25 to $3.50.
No reductions have been made in
rates to southern Nevada points on
the Los Angeles & Salt Lake railroad.
On the contrary, Examiner Pattison
finds that while the rates appear
high. when consideration is given to
the light traffce and the unfavorabie
operating conditions along this por-
i:on of the Los Angeles & Salt Lake
they cannot be said to be unreason-
able"
He also fails to recommend specific
reductions in the rates covering the
movement of coal to branch line and
short line railway points other than
to McGill and Ely on the Nevada
Northern railway, although in this
connection the points served by
branch line and short line railways
will secure the benefit of the reduc-
tions purpossd to respective main
line junction points where connec-
tons are made with the Southern Pa
cific line. and thus such points will.
receive corresponding reductions. For
example. where the rate at present to
Carson City is 50 per ton, under the
examiners recommendations it will
be $S.l2k per ton.
This relief Is substantial said
Commissioner j. F. Shaugnessy, al
though not as large as might fairly
have been expected in view of the
downward trend in the cost of COM
modities and labor all along the line.
Neither has the discrimination been
removed for comparable distance
from the Utah and Wyoming fields to
Nevada points as compared with those
in southern and western Idaho,
where the rates are somewhat lower
than those recommended by the ex-
aminer. Nor. for example, Is the rate
OF 1926 to Mill City. Inlay. Lovelock
and Reno fairly to be compared in
point of reasonableness from a serv-
ACC otouuPOAnL Win tuS rate Oh $l.ZD
to Auburn, Sacramento, San Francis
ca and other northern California
points.
Neither can the rate Of S7.85h
from the cQalfields to Caliente. Pr
oche, Las Vegas, Jean and Adren,
New, on the Los Angeles & Salt Lake
road, be accepted as reasonable under
any conditions when 1t is considered
that several hundred miles of addi-
tional service is performed to Los
Angeles at the same rate. This is the
highest rate in the state and is mani
festly unjust and discriminatory
First Snow Of Season on Mountains
A heavy rain early Friday morning
came up from the southwest and con-
tinuing for several hours gave Ely
and vicinity thorough drenching.
The storm was followed !,y partially
clearing weather with fall in tenn
perature, and when the clouds lifted
the tops Of the surrounding noun
tains on both sides of the valley were
white with snow. September seems
an early date for a snowy reminder