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Show SstTng letters concerning ms traffic between zion and coast MTaiTiliat tba public may bo IVCd concerning the viewpoint lKdr3 on tho question of re-mWSSSls re-mWSSSls fares l)Ctu-ocn Salt Bif&dXos Angles, recently ro-BR,Vi? ro-BR,Vi? follow nig verv interesting fc om Gcnoraf Traffic Mnnager i Gcncrfil Passenger Agent m f hc San Pedro, L09 Angeles 'I railroad arc offered to the r-tb the hope Hint they may Krtfccd in fi'l'j particularly since named deal with tho sub-IKtha sub-IKtha deliberate and thoughtful Hu5ual to mosfc bifib-class traf-FvV traf-FvV 0f (ho country, even if no Kiof reducing the fares in qucs-utiounced qucs-utiounced therein: ifr Wann's Letter. jn,to, Angeles & Salt I.alco Hall-fHh, Hall-fHh, I'3 Angeles, Cat, April 1, IfKfcn In Rates Commercial Club H9 ffi.Babcock, Commissioner of longer routes (which aro mentioned by mm) via which the faro yields less than thrw cents per mile. For example; Tho milcTiKC, Butte to Portland via Northern Pacific to Wallace, thence O. U. and N. although not a ilckctlns route, Is 725 miles. Over this route tho rnlo would figure ...13 cents per mile, Uutte to Portland. Port-land. , In, or5ler. ' !lko a fair comparison as Ip air. Bahcock'K proposition, an examination examina-tion should he made Into the population, relative wealth and character of the respective re-spective districts with regard to the productiveness pro-ductiveness of the soil, mines, factories, etc. And most important of all we should look Into the volume of passenger traffic In each district as Indicated by passenger train earnings and the retatlve reduced excursion faros and reduced one-way round-trip fares authorized respectively as Indicated by tho rato per passenger per mile. Figures for 1906. Permit mo to call your attention to tho following figures for the year ending Juno 30, 190(1: , n 2. c o .f7T X fi : 2 g i k 3 " w s w 3 ETs o n i . i i i a -s - pi , Railway (Between MInot, N.D.,1 i i i v;vvi $l,S10,202f 2.5101 2,23!.G72f ?1.SC468 Ky. (West of Montana)........ 1.3S0.Q.18 2.302 1,707,451 2.11117 , Ry. (Total for lino west of j' ' . 'li'Ry.' (In Idaho and Montana)' 4fl(:',12i F.030' V,93i'.555 i'.MUC, cBy. (VVost of Idaho) 5,101,229 2.124 5.S53.252 1.97001 Ic Uy. (Total for line west of ) 9,257,353 2.0S1 it Northern and rsorlhcrn Pa- I inndwest ...I 12.4-17.S931 .....I . 1 I 1.723.S17) 2 0191 1.S43.354 1.1S423 JvBl- Sslt Iake City. Utah: Dear Sir rSJHr, or 0f jinrch 25 relative to pas-!SKr.te3 pas-!SKr.te3 on this railway was received VKftrrcd 10 our 5cnoral Passenger S. K jir Peck, for Ills consideration. u.,K us. pleasure In enclosing his ro-,'!tm ro-,'!tm will "oto that ho covers the ftaBgvery fully, and I trust to your iiKfgavijcd that you publish all com-ivjKuoj, com-ivjKuoj, which wo do not object to, JKri aro a great many pcoplo who ftE& to be misled unless both sides ?KkMTr better than you do that, in th.Tt) make a railroad a success, It ,j"B'b! fair to the public, and at the $JwKlte an officer of tho railway must , to tho interests he represents; ' -WW. as representing tho people, can iMm-i, to create a friendly feeling be- t'K tie railroad and its patrons. This lK IfCOglllZC. IBtfecal passenger rates of this com-illKW com-illKW from 3 to C cents per mile, r 'lB(cr avcraeo fare on our local traffic 'lBi( rwt "three years has averaged wta 5J cento per mile per passen- , ilK'millng tlio Interstate commerce iLHlon's twenty-second annual re- fer the year ending Juno 30. 190S. suiH"e f0mc vcry mlcrcslmFr flsrurcs liiiBiloUl mileage 734 railroads re-ilRBlf19 re-ilRBlf19 the commission during the year (HcUR,&6 miles. Thr avoj-ago cx-'cf cx-'cf operating, maintaining, etc., SfcafBf '9,,0n' Pf-rmllo. WilBsir.M of way ?1.407.nS MffVi l l.i . of equipnicnt l.iMH.ll M&teM expenses 3,S90.i5 31 expenses 24S.0i dBk ptncs 214. Cm lc" yotl that this foinpany has ' 'mfo H000 per mile slnco the lino Iwi, J think you will agree with -iKco traffic man could see his way " -Hfa aaklni; the startling reduction in By:fcr(arcfl that you suggest. I nB m willing to meet any reason-1 reason-1 B:i uiiide upon us, and' ft will m Bit our aim to he fair to all our 1 (Hrasnc you arc aware of tho fact .1 tasteni trunk lines earn two y fcrt times the amount per mile Bi company does for example: Per-miic. Btle Shore railroad in 1907 ,Vd over , 520,000 Yorl Central In 1907 M B over 24.000 i railroad In i;i0S earned nn i'ork'cViitni'l & St.' V.oii'ls mi In 1007 earned over.... 20,000 HIL. !: W. R K. In 190S (U Valley railroad In 190S iti ''K.t0 have tlio pleasure of calling .(? Ho first time that I am in Salt T'MF''- Yours vcrv truly, jVB FRED A. WANN. RSIr. Peck's Oortunuiiication. Ml H'BC 's letter addrosseu to ly T. ( Peck, ceneral pas- tti!Kmi i0T th S:,lt' Lu;o Jlou(i: A- Wann, (Jciicrol Traffic Man- iKsir-P.etumlng you herowlth let-iBSnK" let-iBSnK" bcoek of the Commercial M B?C? bureau of Salt Lake City, and .Sl.w'BTJou noUition on .same, beg ilf3vlso tllilt wnllo Mr. Babcock ;l0,r)'HS? our attention to several Indl-. Indl-. Kr'f larcs which am on a 1$ M Per. mil than oir fares from 'Bh C",y t0 'Os Angeles, ho has , w wilder certain important fnc- 05S ufC 'ho comparison. For In- ?P wer. between Butte. Spokane Mvni cltC(I n Mr. Babcock, are .'kfci? t(limc ro,uo ' bjisls of three iE mle then applied via sonio 1 Wliat Statistics Say. Wc liave no llgurcs covering tho Northern North-ern Pacific and Great Northern later than June, 190C. but in my opinion tho period shown Is an excellent one for tlio purpose of comparison. At that time business was gootF everywhere, and there were no local conditions in either district to restrict re-strict or increase tho normal posunger traffic. These statistics show: First We do about 51 per cent tho amount of passenger business done by tho Great Northern and about 18 per cent of that done by the Northern Pacific, and about 14 per cent of that done by the two lines in the territory outlined In the table. ; The passenger train earnings per mile of the two roads is from 57.5 per cent to 78,3 per cent larger than ours. In other words, the volume of passenger traffic is immensely larger between Butlo and the Paclllc coast and Intermediate points than between Salt Lake City and the Paclllc coast and Intermediate points. Second We authorize a great many more special excursion and rcdticed round-trip round-trip and one-way fares than aro authorized author-ized by the Northern Pacific and Great Northern, as our rale per mile per passenger passen-ger is Invariably less. In other words, wo are much mori' liberal than thoso lines In authorizing tho character of fares that will induce people to travel to Salt Lake City, and in authorizing such fares as will sthuul.'ito travel between Utah and the Pacific coasst, which latter purpose is one of the results aimed at by Mr. Babcock's proposition. Third At present wc arc earning but approximately two cents per mile per passenger, pas-senger, and our passenger trains aro operated op-erated at the veil lowest possible margin mar-gin of profit. Fourth Our rate, Salt Lake City to Los Angeles Is relatively lower than the rates of the Great Northern and Northern North-ern Pacific cited by Mr. Babcock, everything every-thing taken into consideration. To Eucourago Traffic. It Is our desire, as you know, to encourage en-courage passenger traffic In every reasonable reason-able manner and promote in every way within our power closer commercial and social relations between Utah and the Ta-clllc Ta-clllc coast cities. Furthermore, If It were posslblo to operate our trains at a profit under the rate proposed by Mr. Babcock. it Is my opinion that our present system of passenger fares does more to accomplish accom-plish the ends desired by Mr. Babcock than a Hat reduction. I am advised that it was the experience of tho lines In tho thickly populated states adopting the 2-cent-per-miIo passenger faro that passenger traffic was somewhat stimulated at ilrsl, so that an Increase above- 'tho normal was shown, but after tho poople bncamp accustomed to the fares the business dropped back to about Iho old basis. Tho t-hn meter of the territory between Butte and the Pacific coast is much better bet-ter than that between Salt Lako City and the Paclllc const, so far as present productiveness pro-ductiveness and possibilities arc concerned. con-cerned. Thero Is some mountainous country coun-try along tho Great Northern and Northern North-ern Paclllc. but by far tho greater portion por-tion of I heir territory Is rich agricultural land and splendid grazing land. Further, the government Is spending millions of dollars in Irrigation projects along both tho Great Northern and Northern Paclllc, which will have the effect of turning many, at present, unsettled or sparsely settled tracts of land Into rich farming communities. With the exception of about seventy-five miles In southern California, Cali-fornia, all tho territory traversed by our lino between Salt I-ako City and tho Pacific Pa-cific const is a dry, barren country, cut bv rough, bleak mountain ranges, and, with the exception of a modest area In Utah nnd a few small oases further west, Is up to tho present time absolutely unproductive un-productive from an agricultural or horticultural hor-ticultural standpoint. Tho population is probably less per square mile than anywhere any-where else in the United Stales. The wealth produced by the territory along our lino Is von small when compared with that produced by Montana, Idaho, "Washington and Oregon. For your Information, I dcslro to state that wo have, at present, on sale In Utah a 590 scrip book. In connection with which our into from Salt Lako City to Ixjs Angeles will be JlO.on, as soon as our tariff, which is now in the hands of tho printer, is tiled with tho Interstate commerce com-merce commission. On thirty-nine days this summer wc will have a reduced round-trip fare of S30. Salt Iako City to Iyos Angclos. On 103 days this summer wc will havo a reduced round-trip fare of $40. Salt Iake City to L,os Angeles: on August -1 to 9, inclusive, 1909. wo will havo a reduced round-trip faro of $30, Los Angeles to Salt Lako City. The abovo are merely examples given to show that we havo In mind the desirability de-sirability of frequent travel, between Utah and tho coast. Wo have dono. and aro doing, everything wo consistently can to promote such travel, with 4ts resulting interchange of Ideas, and. as stated by Mr. Babcock. closer commercial and so-cial so-cial relations. ' As far as passenger traffic Js concerned, con-cerned, I believe tho interests of Utah will bo best served by maintaining, first, superior and efficient train service Into and through that state; and. second, authorizing at tho proper intervals. 10-duccd 10-duccd round-trip fares which will bo an Incentive to travel. Yours very truly, T. C. PECK. General Passenger Agent. |
