The Delta independent., 1923-06-29

service to meet the requirements of the peo-
pie for local service.
1t is shown that during the year 1922
The Motor Transportation Company carried
between Grand Junction and Montrose 1903
passengers. The receipts therefrom, incud-
ing revenue from express shipments, was a.
bout $17, 10000; the fare charged is as fol
lows: Grand Junction to Delta, $2.75; tol
Olathe, 1925; to Montrose, 1915; Delta to|
Montrose, $125; Delta to Hotchkiss, $125 Il
Delta to Paonia, $1.75; Delta to Austin Isl
cents; Paonia to Hotchkiss, Is cents; Hotch-
kiss to Austin, $1.0O. These fares were and
are higher in every instance than those
charged by the railroad company. This COM
pany also hauls hand baggage free but makes
a charge of $1.OO for trunks weighing 150l
pounds, and excess for all over $50 pounds.
Regarding the freight proposition this
applicant estimates that there will be avail
able for hauling from fifteen to twenty tons
of freight each day and they propose to op-I
crate daily, except Sunday, service the
year around for the haulage of passengers,
freight and express between Grand junction,
Whitewater, Hannah, Greek, Olathe, Delta
Montrose, Hotchkiss, Paonia, and other in
tervening points. They have at present five
cars, four seven passenger and one twelve
passenger car. They operate three of these
daily, but hold two in reserve to take care of
their peak business and to provide for other
contingencies 1t was testified to that this
company had no accidents during the past
year, and that they carry $1O,0OOOO liability
insurance for each car used in its passenger
and express business. This company pro-
poses to put in the freight service five or six
trucks of from two to three tons each capac-
ity, and that their charges will be somewhat
higher than corresponding railroad charges
for all classes of freight.
Touching on the convenience and neces-
sity for truck haulage, Edward Mahannah,
a merchant of Whitewater, testified that if
trucks were not allowed to operate as COM
mon carriers, then in that case he would be
compelled to buy truck and operate same
for his own convenience. He also averred
that the railroad only furnished tri weekly
local freight service and that when he wished
to ship carload he had to go twelve miles
to Grand Junction to bill the car out; that
the rail service was poor, and that frequently
his freight was carried by and sometimes put
off at Delta and that it has lain there some
times two weeks before being returned to
him.
H. A. Forcum, Mayor of Paonia, engag-
ed in the wholesale fruit business, testified
that his association shipped out from 100 to
$50 carloads of fruit per year by rail; that
it was convenience and necessity to have
the auto truck to ship cherries and apricots
to the canning factories at Delta and Grand
Junction, and that if it were not for thel
trucks the larger portion of these crops
could not be handled to advantage He also
affirmed that local freight shipments by
rail from Grand Junction to Paonia take or
dinarily from three to ten days for distance
of only IS miles, while those shipped by
truck are usually received in one day and
never exceed two days.
In relation to the passenger bus service,
Mr.. Forcum testified that by using this serv-
ice he could leave Paonia at 500 O'Clock a.
m and go to Delta, the county seat, and re-
turn at noon; or he could leave Paonia at
/ 90 'clock p. m and go to Delta and return
to his home at 4 80 p. m. I; whereas, if he used
the train service it would practically take the
entire day to make the same trip, as he could
not return until :18 p. m. This witness tes-
timony also showed that the bus line wasl
more of convenience than necessity, butt
that taking the two together he would say it