The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1922-10-07
Ogden Gateway and Central Pacific Lines Dis
eliminated Against By Southern Pacific


Out of its own mouth the Southern Pacific is con-
vcted of discriminating against the Ogden gateway and
Central Pacific lines. Here is the testimony of L. j..
Spence Director of Traffic of the Southern Pacific sys-
tenn, given before the Interstate Commerce COMMISSION
in February 1916 and in April 1922. Mr. Spence is the
chief of the traffic of the Southern Pacific Company
and is counted among the pemiers of traffic men in the
United States He does not hesitate to say:
"The record is clear that we freely eoncede tha Tor
example, our lines to Ogden for 800 miles, and series
of connecting rail lines from there to New York, form
through route with which Gulf route in active COM
petition. We concede that
In other words under Mr.. Spence's own statement
the Southern Pacific is operating its Sunset Gulf
Route in active competition to the Central Pacific lines
and divertng every pound CT traffic that it can from the
short haul-oyer the Central Pacific through oacra-
nature entitled to handle this rafcto the Sunset Gulf
Route, thereby building up its Southern line as against
the territory served by the Central Pacific How this Is
done and why it is done so well told IN the words OF
Mr.. Spence that quote them verbatim
"The Steamship fleet of the Southern Pacific Com
pany consists OF seven passengers and freight steam
ers fifteen freight steamers and oil tank steamer, to
gether with fleet of lighters and tugs the total invest
ment therein having been S1405O3S2OO as of December
81, 1916
maximum possibilities of these steamship lines, first by
promoting rate adjustments which would bring to them
all the traffic within their reach by the inauguration and
continued improvement of service to the same end and b.
the solicitation the part of the entire Southern Pacific
organization of all traffic that could possibly be secures
for these steamship lines"
"The Southern Pacific rail lines are parties to through
routes in connection with other lines under which traffic
is interchanged at New Orleans Shreveport, Denson
Dallas, Fort Worth, Beaumont Houston, San Antonio
Alpine and Ell Paso Texas, Deming New Mexico, Tue
son. Arizona Ogden and Portland, as we'll as California
functions of interchange"
20. What has been the solicitation policy of the
Southern Pacific Company with respect to the Gulf
route?
ga All traffic in which the steamship lines are ply
sically able to engage whether it be ranscontinenta
traffic. business between Arizona and New Mexico to and
from Texas and Louisiana points served by rails
or traffic to and from Arkansas Oklahoma and Colorado
served by connecting rail lines policy has been tC
solicit for the Gulf route without any restrictions The
entire organization of the Company has been employed
in the active and preferential solicitation for the Gulf
route and that included not only large organization
the lines of the rails but in the principal cities of the
country not reached by our rail- such as New York Bos
ton, Buffalo, Baltimore Philadelphia, Psburg Detroit
Cincinnati, Chicago Birmingham Atlanta, st. Louis
Kansas City, and Denver where agencies are maintained
by the Southern Pacific Company And it might be ex-
planned that the mention of the agencies outside of what
known the Atlantic seaboard territory is controlled
by people in Chicago or ST. Louis Kansas City, that
the agencies in these other cities actively engaged
in soliciting that traffic for the mixed rail and water
route of the Southern Pacific the other agencies and
as the entire organization of the Company.
90 Summed up in few words, what has been the
constant attitude and effort of the Southern Pacific to-
ward the Gulf route and the steamship lines?
GA By its rate adjustment, its solicitation policy
and its service the effort of the Southern Pacific Com
pdIy DeeIl, anu always Will De TO
the maximum volume of traffic for those steamship lines
simply because is obviously to the interest of the South
ern Pacific Company to pursue that policy and greater
incentive than self-ntereSt cannot be suggested"
"The opening of the Sunset Route rail and steamship
under common control and management, resulted in
Inauguration of service and methods The time at
once for the Sunset Route became Is to 20 days. through
billing established both overcharge and loss and
damage claims paid upon presentation, as soon
as the loss established without waiting determine
what part of the line responsible These methods
of the all-rail routes"
The purpose of the construction of steamers of faster
speed from time to time has been entirely to facilitate the
transportation of through traffic which, of course the
competition from year to year became keener and it is the
traffic between the most distant sections for which this
mixed rail and water route reached out has necesstated
our bringing this steamship service up to the highest
efficiency"
20. And observe that of all traffic 65 per cent was
to from points in the interior in 1914 and ~ per cent
IN 1915 without any allowance whatever for that which is
to- alu md