White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1923-07-29
RAIL WAY HEARING SHOWS
POLICY IsT0 REQUIRE
MEN To LIVE ON JOB

1t is the somewhat recently devel-
oped policy of the Nevada Consoli-
dated Copper Company to require al
of its employees to live 'on the job
in other words, at McGill and
Ruth. Rooming and housing quar-
ters for all of them will be provided
there and men residing in Ell. will
find no employment. and for these
reasons there will be no object in
running shift trains.
This is the substance of the de-
fense as expressed az considerable
length by General Manager c. b.
Lakenan as his company's chief wit
ness at the hearing of Anthony Ju'
.rich's petition for reinstatement OF
the shift train service for the con-
venienee of Ely men desiring such
employment. yet wishing to reside
in the only town where they may
own their homes The hearing COW
cred two days before the public SER
vice commission, represented here
by Chairman J. F. Shaughnessy and
State Engineer Robert A. Allen,
opening Thursday morning at 10
O'Clock and closing Friday evening
at 6:30.
According to these plans, mapped
out in elaborate detail by the COM
pany, the shift trains will not pay,
if they ever paid. On the question
of their paying the evidence from
company sources is conflicting. Mr..
Hickey swears that they never paid,
having lost the company $4,000,
but a posthumous letter from the
late LeGrande Cannon, general man
ager, addressed to the public SER
vice commission in 1919, admitted
that they were making expenses, and
anyway the company operated them
with one slight cessation to conserve
neoal at a brief period in the war, for
Hull thirteen years, and that without
bbeing asked or ordered so to do
Conditions now are the same as
before the war, both as to number
of men employed and production.
save for the advantage of many sub
stantial economies ot today, yet
there is the one difference, which is
that of the change of nolicy.
Upon the question Of employees be-
ing allowed to own their homes at
McGill, Mr.. Lakenan asked to be
given the responsibility or blame
personally. His reason is that the
foreman of each department must
have absolute carte blanche to hire
and fire, and if hcmcs were sold the
discharged man would call the next
morning and ask Mr. llakenan to
sell his home for him, thus devel-
oping a pretentious real estate busi-
ness for the company, which it would
not take on.
Mr.. Jurich was tho first witness
for himself, stating his desire to be
sworn. He took up the subject OF
daily trains, calling attention to his
petition asking for Sunday as we'll
as weekday trains. Only last Sat
urday, the day he came in to appear
at the hearing, the westbound South
ern Pacific train was four hours late
and twenty-five passengers coming
to Ely had to wait over at Ogden,
Wells and Cobre. The accommoda-
tions at Cobre were meager and
none whatever at Shafter. In the
express car there was perishable
fruit, so he had been told and it
came Monday in bad order.
The witness went over the familiar
history Of the relation of the shift
trains to Ely, telling of this being
the county seat since 1885, having
1000 to 5000 population, being the
business center Of the county, and
prior to 1905 McGill was merely a
ranch, fourteen miles away, Ruth
seven miles and Kimberly nine. In
1906 the Nevada Consolidated com
menced construction Of its plant.
He produced copy of Ely'a city
ordinance No. 26, adopted October
s, 1908, granting thirty-year fran
chise on Clark street to the Nevada
Northern railway The preamble sci
forth that the company purposed to
operate suburban trains, since called
shift trains. AMI agreed to receive
and discharge passengers at Clark
d Murry streets. Section set
Hrth that the company agreed to nor
discriminate against Ely in any man
ner whatever in favor of any other
city or townsite. The railway had
operated at McGill before the fran
chise was granted. earring people
and employees. the latter residing 'in
Ely, owning their homes and having
families. These homes had beer
bought IN good faith. believing the
service would continue. The service
had heen curtailed only for 4 time
during the war to conserve coal and
discontinued in 1921 after the shut
down. Conditions in Ely were bet
Ger suited for homes. especially for
women. There was more vegetation,
water and the only chance to buy