Red Lodge daily news combined with Carbon County news., 1934-05-16
SHOW RESENTMENT
TOWARDS RAILWAY
CHANGE AT meet
Proposed Discontinuance of
Train Service
Opposed

The Northern Pacific railways
proposed discontinuance of the
Red Lodge-Billings freight ant
passenger train service, as de-
clared here by railway officials
last Wednesday, met with EN-.
phatic opposition when the sub
subject was brought up for dis.
cussion by members of the Rec
Lodge Business and professional
Mems club meeting at the court
house here Friday night.
The meeting, which was called
for the purpose of hearing plans
of w. w. Gail, we'll known Bill.
lings advertising man, for the
publication of his Golden Guide
advertising the merits of the
Beartooth vacation area, was at
tended by the Northern Pacific Of
ficials. The railways representa-
ton included D. M. Driscoll, di-
v~isional superintendent; L. R.
Challoner, assistant general
freight and passenger agent; j,
w. Overman, district freight and
passenger agent, and J. E. Sperl-
ing, retired divisional agent.
In view of the fact that the pro-
posed discontinuance of the local
train service had been made
known here, the railway officials
were invited to present their
views on the matter to the club.
Mr.. Challoner acted as the rail-
ways spokesman and declared
that lack of business on the line
had moved the railroad to con-
template the change.
Motor buses, he said, would re-
place the train IN providing
freight and passenger service to
this city under the present plans
of his company. His presentation
of the company's views were fol-
lowed by a number of questions
from the listeners and a general
round-table discussion took place.
1t was intimated that the rail-
ways business decline on the To-
cal system was in part due to it's
own negligence in not providing
this city with service approaching
a reasonably high standard.
Views of the opposition to the
proposed change were effectively
presented by o. H. P. Shelley, ed
itor of The News and secretary of
the Beartooth Boosters club. Red
Lodge is on the increase, Mr..
Shelley pointed out, and is now
preparing for an era of prosperity
greater than any in its history.
Any change now on the part of
the railway company to disrupt
the local train service would prove
disastrous to the towns morale,
he said.
That a prosperous future for
Red Lodge was assured and that
a daily train service would be
needed here more than ever, was
contained in Mr.. Shelley's talk in
outlining the new era. Red Lodge
is soon to become the most popu-
lar of all entrances to Yellowstone
National park, The News editor
pointed out. The mineral re-
sources of the area are now
reaching a high stage of develop
ment and the town will, in the
near future, boast a booming
ferro-chrome manufacturing in
dustry; a liquor distilling plant
and is to become the rail head of
the vast gold mining operations
in the Cooke City area.
The applause that followed the
conclusion of Mr.. Shelley's adj
dress proved conclusively to the
railway officials that they could
expect serious opposition to the
change. t was further borne out
with the B and P club going on
record as unanimously opposed to
the discontinuance of the train
service.
A special committee was APP
pointed by the club to lead the OPP
position against the change. It's
members are MI. Shelley, City
Attorney John G. Skinner and
Mayor G. A. Jeffrey. The COM
mittee's duties will be to draw up
a resolution and plan the cam
paign against the proposed
change.