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Show D. & R. G. SACRIFICES TIME FOR TONNAGEWITNESS SAYS Former Chief Dispatcher Declares Railroad Company Com-pany Uses Its Freight Cars as Traction Store Houses. -ACUIFICING of time for tonnage, usiiiff cars as traction storage houses, lack of engines to move KS trains and having movement of Denver & Rio Grande freight In Utah controlled by men in Denver or elsewhere else-where were given as some of the important impor-tant elements entering into tile coal shortage at the hearing last night before the joint legislative committee investigating investigat-ing the fuel situation. Argyle T. Miller, formerly chief train dispatcher of the Rio Grande, was the star witness of the evening and in his testimony he emphatically placed the blame for the coal sltortiige upon the railroad. rail-road. Me admitted that the last time lie worked for the Rio Grande he was discharged dis-charged for insubordination for refusing to let the superintendent enter the dispatcher's dispatch-er's office "lo bother the dispatchers," but he held no grudge against the company com-pany for "tiring" him. Jle declared the company had done him a favor. Miller declared that it had been demon-si demon-si rated in all railroading t-hat the essential essen-tial element of successful freight handling han-dling is to make time and handle the tonnage ton-nage at the name lime, lie declared that when there is a sacrifice of lime for tonnage ton-nage thai the ruad loses profits and the public suffers. Schedule Fails. The witness declared that the Denver & lilo Grande is and has been sacrificing time for tonnagf, that it has been endeavoring en-deavoring to handle the largest possible tonnage per train, but has failed to keep up ils time schedule. Mr. Miller also declared that the Rio Grande lias a habit of 'buying cars and using them as traction storage places that Is. that they oad them and let them stand for Indefinite periods on the rails without turning a wheel. He testified that the average movement of freight cars on the road was six miles a day and coal cars was about twenty-five miles a day. From the statements of F. R. Rockwell that the company's equipment was in good shape, the witness declared that the coal shortage was undoubtedly due to improper im-proper handling of the trains. He declared de-clared that it was essential for cars to be at the mines dally for loading and that they be delivered full promptly; that it was just as important to keep empties moving in the right direction rapidly as it was to keep loaded cars moving. This, he indicated, the Rio Grande was evidently evi-dently not doing. What Is a Railroad Man? Witness declared that more trains of less cars would help the situation. He was asked about the statement of a former for-mer witness that shorter and more trains would cause congestion of traffic. "It wasn't a railroad man who said that," replied Miller. "It was a railroad official," said Examiner Ex-aminer J. H. Wolfe. "I said lie wasn't a railroad man," replied re-plied Miller. The witness then declared that it is Impossible Im-possible for someone in Denver or some place else to direct the operation of trains in the freight business in Utah ; that fur successful handling of the freight traffic here it is necessary that the man on the job have the authority to do as he sees should be done at t lie time. This, he declared, the man on the job has no authority to do, but must consult someone some-one In Denver before he can do anything, with resultant loss of time and delays in moving of traffic. F. E. Clarity, at present superintendent of transportation of the Rio Grande, asked Miller if it were not true he had been "fired" from the Rio Grande. Why He Was "Fired." "Witness explained he retired on his own accord first to go to farming; that Vice President Brown had asked him to come back, in 1 HI 2, "because they were not moving the trains six miles a day"; that he worked twenty days and was "fired." He was asked if it were not for insubordination. insubor-dination. "Yes," replied the witness, "It was because be-cause I refused to let the superintendent enter the di spa tellers' room and bother the dispatchers." He added that he had done so because he had instructions to that effect from the vice president. "And he got tired also later," said Miller. "Yes, and the superintendent who fired me got tired, too," he added. Walter J. Lemon, a freight conductor for the Rio Grande, said that there was much delay from handling long trains, setting out cars, and slow movement, which caused tie-ups frequently on account ac-count of the sixtoen-hour law. He declared de-clared that the Rio Grande was handling as long loads as possible for Its own profit at the sacrifice of time, then when the coal shortage came it had loaded cars of coal sitting all along its lines and when the agitation over the shortage started It began moving these cars in an effort to head off the agitation. Would Reduce Trains. TV. A. Perkins, another freight conductor, conduc-tor, testified along the same line as did Lemon. He thought the average time for getting a coal train into Salt Lake was about forty hours and that the time would be reduced by cutting the trains to forty or forty-five cars. The witness declared that one of the great troubles in operation is that the operating op-erating is done from the east and that the officials here "do nothing but bow in humble submission and do as they are told." He declared there are not enough engines en-gines to handle the cars and not enough cars to handle the coal -business. Witness said that when the shortage came the company asked for more cars and got them from foreign lines, but didn't have the motive power to move them. He declared de-clared that similar shortage of equipment had existed for the past five or six years. The committee expects to conclude its hearings with the next meeting, but whether this will be held tonight or at a later date was not decided last night. It is expected that some more Ogden men want to be heard and the next meeting meet-ing of the committee will depend upon when the Ogden contingent may be on hand. |