Arizona republican., 1921-09-18

hit as hard or harder than any other through the excessively high freight rates in effect throughout the coun- 1 try, and there has been an insistent demand from all the allied lines for relief. Some time ago the informa ton was given out that the steel trade had been promised much lower freights.
 These proposed new rates to the Pacific coast terminals are evidently the promised reductions and to the manufacturers of New England and of the entire country east of the Rocky Mountains a rate to the Pacific coast of only s1 per 100 pounds must sound mighty good. AnaIyzina the Offer
 But let us analyze this offer. No records are available of the freight tonnage into the intermountain re- zion or of that to the Pacific coast | terminals. But if we can get men, | tai picture and think in tons or car 1 loads. of the wire fencing, nails. iron, steel hardware, etc.. required to serve every ranch, blacksmith shop manu- | featuring plant. village, town and city l in the entire region served by all the transcontinental roads and branches 1 throughout the entire intermountain l territory, an area almost one-halI I that of the entire United States, then add the tremendous tonnage used by the smelters and the mines within the intermountain region, and I will ven ture the assertion that the actual tonnage of the coast terminals IS a very small fraction of this total amount, and as within this area the old excessive rates remain in effect , that instead of the railroads actually ! granting big reductions to the iron ) and steel trade, that they are ac- tually proposing to maintain the same l exorbitant1y high rates now in effect, , and perpetrating great big hoax upon that industry
 r As to the effect of these rates upon : us, no community has ever been able to develop in a big way without job ! ping; in fact, the size of a city de- Q bends upon the volume of it's jobbins : interests and the greater the amount ! of jobbing the cheaper are merchant ! disc prices to all.
 Would Kill Jobbino I These proposed rates would abso-
 lutely kill the possibility of jobbins out of this section, and the retdi
 storekeepers would have to buy from outside jobbing points, and ship II
 small lots; if from the East, paying
 the schedule of class rates showr
 here. and if from the West, equal oi
 higher laid down costs and the peo-
 pie would pay the highest prices fol
 their merchandise of any place in th'
 United States.
 Hearings on this application will bt
 held by the interstate commerce com
 mission at several points in the inter
 mountain territory. including Phoe
 nix, and on the coast. At these near | ings the railroads will be representa-
 by the best traffic experts and rat 7 jugglers in their employ. ana the.
 will present a case which they hay,
 been preparing for years and VII ] have the combined legal talent or Tn
 transcontinental railroads
 o1 Our state corporation commission r, is doing it's part in preparing TOT ln J battle, but the brunt of the fight wi
 have to be borne by the people-tn
 actual shippers-who must give tnci a whole-hearted support and come TOT
 ward and furnish the necessar V funds.
 Last June, at the meeting held = Salt Lake City, the Intermediate Ra , association was organized for tn }, purpose of defeating this and slmiia
 applications. Rotarian Amos Betts
 member of the executive commit
 tee, and Roland Johnston, traIIi
 mana.er of our bureau, is the VIC
 president for Arizona.
 What Is Beng Done
 The general line of attack is under
 stood Help is being employed an
 is gathering the data required, Ad
 ditional legal counsel has been en d gagged to handle the case through a
 the hearings and to carry it on to tn
 supreme court if it becomes neces sary. Locally a committee has bee Q appointed to gather from the peop
 of Arizona the necessary funds fc
 the fight.
 Arizona has greater natural riche
 than any other section O the work
 It has livestock interests of the high
 est order; soils that are unexceiie'
 with almost unlimited possibilities A development: it has the greate: mines in America and possibilitit of power development unequaled any
 where in the civilized world; but - we allow these rates to be put int y effect it will absolutely stop any re-