Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1934-10-24
THE TRAIN

l. In the hearing before the railroad nd)public service
commission, held at the courthouse last Thursday, it
was developed without a question of a doubt that the
train as now run between Billings and Red Lodge is a
revenue producer for the railroad. professionally
there is some Interior motive of the officials Of the rail
road other than the lack of revenue to operate the train.
The railroad officials failed completely to establish the
essential point to- justify the discrimination of the
train, to wit, public necessity and convenience.
Almost 100 per cent of the citizens of Red Lodge
showed that they were unquaGfiedly opposed to estab-
fishing a truck and bus service between Billings and
Red Lodge, and were opposed to disseminating the
present train service. 1t was shown without a question
of a doubt that the proposed change service would be
very detrimental to Red Lodge as a whole, and would
mean positive ruination for many industries in this
vicinity and irreparable injury to other towns along the
line.
The unfair presentation of the railroads side of the
case was demonstrated when they wanted to include all
the cost of operating the train from Billings to Red
Lodge, and attempted to include only revenue from
Silesia to Red Lodge. Taking their own figures for the
change service, the savings to the railroad company
would be so small as to be negligible. 1t was shown
that this branch line is a revenue producer. If the main
line of the Northern Pacific produced as much revenue
per mile as the Red Lodge-Binings branch line pro-
duces, the railroad would not only pay the interest on
their bonds, but also handsome dividends on their
stock. There must be some motive other than economy.
Is it their well defined plan to take the traffic off the
rails and onto the highways, built and maintained by
the gas tax paid by private automobile owners and
tourists, or Is it for the purpose of destroyiag the indie
pendent truck lines that are now giving store-door de-
livery, with the view of ultimately eliminating compe-
tition and putting the public at the mercy of the rail
road as to rates and service?
Something must be done to get at the bottom of this
program and to prevent the railroads from outraging
the public highways. 1t is not too soon to lay plans for
legislative action, not only as to rates and service, but
also to prohibit the railroads from putting on buses
and trucks on the highways paralleing their own lines.
If they would give the service on the rails with a pick
up and store delivery, there is no doubt but what they
would make additional revenue for their stockholders.
What can their motive be?
1t was clearly shown by Mr.. Sloan, general manager
of the Northern Pacific, that the railroad officials, who
spent a week in Red Lodge in advance Of the hearing,
making all kinds of promises to the people, fooliing
them as to the kind of service they would give during
the park season, had no authority for making such
promises.
We have a right to feel proud of the way the business
men and citizens of Red Lodge responded in opposition
to this change service. There were only a very few who
were embarrassing the community, and we need not
tell you who they are. Some people have the happy
faculty of getting on the wrong side of every question
when the best interests of Red Lodge are at stake.