The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1960-08-12


a nickel of his. This always seemed
rather humorous to me until the hear
ing held before Interstate Commerce
Commissions examiner John L. Brad
ford in Helena last week. The Swedish
immigrant who homesteaded and
mined coal in the Belt area had a
point that is we'll taken even today.
The Great Northern Railway doesn't
give damn about what they do to
the people, or for serving them other
than getting the money out of them.
This fact was most amply demon
strated by railway witnesses and ex-
hibits. The only thing in the English
language Great Northern cared about
was sputtering out Arabic numerals
in an attempt to delude in order to
advance GINS desire for profit.
The very first exhibit, a map of
the route taken by the goose" from
Great Falls to Butte, exhibited a
careless disregard for the true ma
ture of the route. Arabic numerals
on the map were supposed to show
the recent increase of automobile
traffic along the route but to their
surprise. highway official Paul De-
vine, who prepared the figures, said
under oath that they only represented
an increase in suburban travel near
the cities.
The first exhibit was not the only
one at fault. Attorneys Pat Gilfeath-
err, for the Farmers Union; Charles
Huppe, Mine-Mill international, John
Funk and Ray Graham; William P.
Muffich, Helena; L. R. Bretz, Cas-
cade County Brakemen and Firemen;
James B. Freebourn, Fay Egge of
the Trainmen and Laborers, and E. F.
English of the Brotherhoods Joint
Legislative Board; B. G. Hanscom,
Dorothy Patch of Basin, and Marshall
Nelson of the Firemen; and Dave
Holland, Maurice Hennessey and Dan
Harrington, Butte Citizens Project,
all formed team under C. J. Hansen
Especially hired by the Railroad and
Public Service Commission) to blast
away at the IS other exhibits.
The barrage was devastating de-
spite the fact the R.R.&P.S. employees
were unable to present records to |
show how much profit GIN was really |
making off the operations of the line |
and the enormous tax relief given to
the GIN recently by the Board of
Equalization. Commission staffers
Harry Larson and William johnson
were muzzled by mystic rulings of
the ICC in Washington, d. c.
1t doesn't matter too much what |
the poor people of Montana do to
try to get along with the transconti-
mental railroad for historically the
ICC has knocked out state commits
sion rulings just to show the locals
out in the states who is running the
country. Have a little hearing in
August, file the briefs in September
and give the ruling in January, that's
the story on ICC docket number
21O63.
When the "galloping goose which
has been laying the golden public
relations egg for GIN in Montana is
lead new burdens will rest upon
persons less able to bear them.
Strong wil1ed men such as my
grandfather was, can. count the
les" and his grandson can lightly
pass off the discontinuance of the
service as public rela-
ions faux pas, butt what of the
people? What of the system of money
is we know it in the United States?
Why do individuals pay tax dollars
% keep Washington officials in the {
lyle they have become accustomed
o.
Along the discontinued line we
hall see It
1. Extreme personal anxiety-Hel-
m Lucking of Helena, widow with t
wo children left without vacation {
transport because of a real fear of
highway transportation.
Ed Cartwright. Boulder carpenter 9
nd Jefferson county commissioner,
viii be held up for construction ma I
erials delivery.
Elaine Hoover. superintendent of
he Girls Vocational School in Hell
ma, will have no means to send her !
iris to eastern Montana without
,xy owens ~, o;+.ac in hatxuaar Hal