Show 1 ON I II I COAL General Manager of the Short Line Replies to Communication tion of Boise Councilmen Councilman SEES NO CAUSE FOR ALARM RAILROAD DOING ALL IT POS POSSIBLY POSSIBLY SIBLY SIBL Y CAN Special to The Herald Boise Idaho Aug 29 Recently the city council here sent Councilman Carl Carlson Carlson Carlson son and M L Alexander former mayor maor to Salt Lake to Investigate and report In Inthe Inthe Inthe the coal situation Their report was pub published published published here on August 14 A communication tion has been received by Mayor Haines from General Manager Bancroft of the Oregon Short Line which is In the nature of a reply to statements contained In the committees report This reply is not written In a spirit of antagonism On the contrary contraro Mr Bancroft thanks the com corn committee committee and the body It represented for their cooperation and adds When these difficulties arise the combined wisdom of all aU Is required and with producers and consumers the public and the car carrIers carriers all working together In a spirit of harmony and mutual helpfulness rather than embarrassing each others efforts with criticism often unfair because based on information more or less Incomplete I have no fear nor I think have you ou of a final satisfactory solution of our troubles These words reflect the spirit In which the reply is made Railroads and Distribution Perhaps the tha most Important portion of Mr communication deals with the subject of coal distribution and the influence of railroads In connection therewith The Boise committee while conceding that the railroad company owned no mines and was not a producer of coal pointed out that the railroad might exercise a predominating Influence on the distribution of coal not by force but simply by reason of the relationship that exists between the producer and the carrier The committee also admitted I that the railroad company had urged the mine owners to hasten shipments to threatened points and that the Short Line had frequently diverted Its own coal even to the extent of almost crippling se seriously seriously Its service in order to relieve dis die distress distress dietress tress and to prevent disaster as In the Ute case of wheat threshing the operation of creameries and of city water plants etc ete etc Touching on these matters Mr Bancroft says Can Go No N Further These things we have done and must continue to t do as the situation warrants yet et It was stated to your committee and andI I state to you ou that further than that we cannot go Ultimately the producers of coal will direct Its distribution They have shown no disposition within our knowledge to be anything but fair to all allbut allbut i but It was pointed out to the commit committee tee that we are ae transporters not pro producers producers producers of and that a car of that commodity generally speaking like any an another other will necessarily be hauled to tie destination to which It Is billed by the shipper Therefore It was an further ex explained exI I to the committee quite properly I I 1 feel you will agree that while glad to f 4 cooperate and lend our influence in the I direction of any Improvement In methods which might be suggested still sun our sphere of action has reasonable reas and necessary necessary necessary essary limits and the discussion of any an improved plan of coal distribution of wider scope than th m n that should be had with the coal coat producers and shippers rather than with us Utah Mines Insufficient In response to the claim of the commit committee tee that coal for Idaho could be secured along the line Une of the Denver Rio Grande in Utah if it were not for tor the lack of a through rate which it attributed to the Jealousies of two competing lines Mr Bancroft says sas that H G Williams general manner manier of the Utah Fuel com corn company company pany had advised him Aug 20 by letter lettera a copy of or which was attached to Mr Ban crofts communication that thit his com corn mines lave ave not been able for a along along along long period and are not able now to pro produce duco duce sufficient coal for tor the requirements of their local territory and regardless of rates could not accept orders for ship shipments ments to Idaho Mr lIr Bancroft also re relates relates lates latee the experiences of or a committee from Weser lr Idaho which visited SuIt Salt Lake Lakein in fn quest of or coal from the mines along th the Denver Rio KIo Grande railroad In a com corn communication written after they the had return returned ed home they stated with relation to their Inquiries as to coal from the sources named We e were unable to got get the tho prom of a single ton of coal oal regardless lU of eiler elLer rates or the price asked aske I for the coal at the mines Offered Through Rate Proceeding Mr Bancroft says that tho the Short Line LIM tad had repeatedly offered to put ut utIn In a through rate rato on coal originating in Denver Rio Grande territory and on a amore amore amore more liberal basis than an now exists from Vo tto Rock Springs mines with the Union Pacific connections The Denver I Rio Hio Grande Grade had refused fused and ani still refuses to jon join in a through rate Notwithstanding tt the tho e attitude of f that road Mr Bancroft states the Oregon Short Line traffic de tIe department e was arranging to publish ef et e c as soon as It can legally be done donea a proportional rate on coal originating on the Denver Rio Grande Granda railroad 75 cents a ton lower from Ogden than apply from mines on the Oregon Short Line Lino or r the tho Union Ullon Pacific This wilt will not produce the same through rate as from the tho other mines sas Mr Bancroft for forthe forthe forthe the full local rate of or the Denver Rio RI BI Grande up to Ogden must be paid We have no faith that any 31 coal will be moved on this or any other tariff but the rate will be published as an evidence nce of this t ls a desire to promote such move movement movement ment Corporations lons Crippled Taking up the committees assertion that no railroad smelter sugar factory or other large corporation had suffered or was likely to suffer from a coal shortage Mr Ir Bancroft states that last winter the fhe Short Line had on hand on several occa occasions less Jess than hours hors sup suj supply ply a highly dangerous situation for the railroad and for tor the people It served Smelters sugar factories and similar In Institutions Institutions institutions had suffered because of fuel Continued on Page Pago 2 BANCROFT ON COA TIN Continued from Page 1 shortage despite the fact that they were manage by men of keen business fore foresight foresight sight fight and who fortify themselves in ev every ever cry ery er possible way wayby by making of ot long longtime lon longtime time by the purchase outright of coal mines as the Anaconda Smelter company compan had done in the case CaO of or the mines and as the Amalga Amalgamated Amalgamated mated Sugar Company had done In Wyo Wyoming Wyoming V o ming These large arge corporations had been dangerously near a general shutdown wn which in its effect on the people would have hae proven pren quite as disastrous if It not more so than the temporary closing of schools and churches churche Continuing Mr Bancroft states that whether an equitable ble distribution as a between Industries and schools and churches and private con consumers consumers I sumers actually occurs or whether some believe beleve there are inequalities that might be h corrected corrected such discussion does not properly corns come under the head of trans transportation What the Short Line Has Done Doner Mr r Bancroft a general stat stata ment of the measures undertaken by bythe bythe bythe the transportation lines hi Irl an endeavor to perform their duty and fulfill fuli their obligations to the public He recites the enormously enormous expensive expense undertakings of the Oregon Short Line in securing 20 tons of coal In Australia a portion porton of which has ha already arrived and the extensive purchases purchase by b the Short Line and Union Pacific of coal In Colorado Illinois and the southeast which will wi greatly relieve the strain He declares positively that the railroads are doing doln everything possible to foster taster and encourage the development of ot new properties Two new mines recently opened at Kemmerer will wi short shortly shortly shortly ly produce 1000 10 to 1500 1600 15 tons of coal daily daly The old Almy mines recently reopened and equipped with new machinery machiner by b the owners and with by the Union Pacific are now producing ten to twelve tons a day and expect by Oct Oct 1 to In Increase Increase increase crease to or thirty tons a aday ada aday day da Capacity Doubled Colvie and Grass Creek properties had been enabled to double their capacity within the past sixty days The latter later mines being in Utah on n the Union Pa have through h rates to Oregon Short Line stations and the coal will wi help relieve relee the situation In Utah The mines owned by the Union Pacific Coal company at Pleasant Valley Vale Utah on the D R H G C have hae been reopened and andare andare andare are loading from 3 to 4 tons a day They hope to t increase this output by Oct Oct 1 I to 70 to 00 8 tons ons dally daily daly That coal goes to the Southern Pacific and to the extent that it i supplies that demand it releases Wyoming coal al for commercial use The Wyoming Coal Coke company at Rock RockSprings RockSprings RockSprings Springs would shortly produce tons ton of or coal a day which would gO KO to the Amalgamated Sugar company owner ower of the thc mines thus decreasing the demand of sugar factories on commercial coal coal Mr Bancroft cannot agree in view of this development that the railroads are in interfering interfering with the output of coaL coal No Cause for Alarm In closing he says sas Bettor Better Deter equipped as 55 we WO are with a large number of ot new cars I feel fel that we can say today not notwithstanding notwithstanding notwithstanding withstanding the beet season eason which Js is s close upon us that the situation need not give cause came for serious anxiety He ex expresses presses presle the belief belef that the settlement of the labor troubles In the Wyoming mines with the possibility of ot an augmented la Ia bor supply from the harvest harest fields and other summer employment will wi make it Jt possible for Cor the mines to fully man their output properties insuring a heavy hev and ad steady |