The Coconino sun., 1925-08-14
PLEA FOR INTERIOR WEST

We. haveYfrequently expressed the
belief that if the transcontinental
railroads should join in a systematic
development of the west, that is, of
the inter-mountain region instead of
exploiting it by discriminatory freight
rates. they would secure a volume of
traffic which would be much more
profitable to them than the higher
rates they now charge. The traffic
which they would thus develop would
be one that could not be water borne
traffic. They would have a field into
which the sea carriers couldnot enter.
The railroads, it is true, have done
a good deal toward the development
of this region. Without them it would
not be developed But what they have
done has been largely isolated and in
cidental. There has been no sys-
tematic development.
A day or two ago Senator Frank r.
Gooding. of Idaho, the author of the
Gooding bill to strengthen the fourth
section of the transportation ac., de-
livered an address at meet of
the chamber of commerce at Sp .ane
on this subject He spoke but briefly
of his bill. which almost became a
law in the last congress, or of the at
tempted discrimination by the trans
continental carriers by means Of
through west-bound rates to the Pa
Icific terminals. The Interstate Com
merce commission twice in four years
has prevented that discrimination, and
it is not likely that it will be permit
ted until the Gooding bill shall became
a law and prevent it from ever being
effected.
The senator addressed himself
chiefly to the other discrimination
which denies to the interior west an
enjoyment Of rates out of it, east and
west, that would encourage inter
mountain development Said he: "If
the railroads would develop the in
terror west as they have the interior
least, they would have to double-track
their lines to tidewater to take care
of the business they would create. All
VS.. want in the west is a square deal
freight rates without discrimination.
There is no reason why we should not
have Pittsburghs in the west, if the
government wiz give US the same OPP
portunities given east of Chicago,
where some Of the greatest industrial
sections ever known have been built
Iup."
Here is the situation Of which the
senator spoke All of the precious
metals are found in the interior west
and very little in any other part of the
country except in narroW strip adj
iacent to the Pacific coast terminals.
I. Il. - lno1
tically all of the copper. Arizona alone
produces more than half the copper
i'm the United States. Most of the
standing timber in the United States
lis in the inter-mountain region. Ari-
Izona claims the distinction of having
| the largest unbroken forest in Ameria
lea. The state of Utah has more coal
than Pennsylvania. All through this
region there are great deposits of
iron and great quantities of oil. There
lis no other section of the country
that has so great hydro-electric pos
sibilities.
With this abundance of raw ma
terial, we pay q freight rate to the
east equal to the Pacific coast rate
over a haul from 800 to 500 miles
shorter, and we pay the full Pacific
coast rate all commodities from the
east shipped into this region.
This is a situation that is not
touched in our fight against fourth
section violation, and from which the
Gooding bill would not relieve us. Re
| lief can come only from the railroads
themselves or from special orders of
| the commission, which must come, II
at all, long time in the future.
| The transcontinental roads are en-
gagged in fight with the water car
| riers for volume of traffic along the
Pacific coast, already developed, prac-
| tically to its fullest extent. In this
fight they are proposing to take losses
for a share of this traffic, in the hope
that the water carriers will be per
lmanently driven out of the field. Yet
this traffic is small in comparison
with the potential volume Of business
which awaits them in field into
which the water carriers could not
enter
1t is, therefore, no wonder that Mr..
Gooding said: "1he transcontinental
railroads are standing in their own
light. 1t is to their interest to de-
velop industry in the interior and SO
create business for themselves.
Spokane is nearer to tidewater at
Seattle than Columbus, Ohio, is to
New York. The state of Idaho is
nearer tidewater at Portland than the
great state of Ohio is to New York. /"
What would be the present situation
in the region between Chicago and
New York, Mr. Gooding inquiries, if it
should have been permitted to be the
theater of fourth section relief viola
tio7 to n'oat or destroy water compe-
tition, and what if there had been
practlced in that region the discrim-
llnation that is practised against the
interior west Phoenix Republican.