Salt Lake Times | 1890-06-13 | Page 4 | Railroad Discrimination

I , ItAlI.KOAD DISCRIMINATION. I Salt Lake needs more jobbing houses. It is admirably located for doing n big jobbing trade, as it commands a large and rich field, embracing Utah, Idaho and Montana. The trouble is, however, that jobbers Sn Salt Sake do business under very discouraging circumstances owing to railroad discriminations. If this city were treated fairly by tho railroads its wholesale trade would be immediately increased. The trade of the old houses would he more than doubled, and new firms would locate here, What Salt Lake needs in her . wholesale trade is a greater variety in her mercantile mer-cantile houses. All the staple lines of trado should each be represented by two or threo houses, thus affording afford-ing competition to buyers. Owing to this lack of variety Salt Lake loses a vast volume of trade. All this would bo remedied,; however, if fair treatment could bo obtained from tho railroads. This is a matter that properly pro-perly comes within the jurisdiction of tho chamber of commerce. That body should at least make some effort to secure for Salt Lake such railroad rates as will euable her merchants to at least compete with those of Chicago, Kansas City, Omaha and St. Paul. These four cities are uow able through the favorable rates grauted ' thcra to capture , an enormous trade throughout tho territory naturally natur-ally tributary to Salt Lake. There is a goneral complaint concerning this discrimination,' dis-crimination,' and it strikes us that if the complaint is well founded a vigorous vigor-ous appeal to the inter-state commerce commission might bring about a more favorable condition of affairs.