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Show RAIL MERGER IS GIVEflAPPROIAL UTAH GOVERNOR AND PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION FAVOR PLAN indorsement of Amalgamating Three Railroads Under One System Sys-tem Is Wired to Washington Salt Lake Merger of the Denver & Rio Grande Western, the Western Pacific and the Missouri Pacific has been indorsed by the state of Utah, in dispatc hes transmitted to Washington Washing-ton by Governor Charles R. Mabey and tiie state public utilities commission. commis-sion. This action was determined upon after several days' conference between railway official, officers of the big coal companies, the Traffic Service Bureau of Utah, and t'ae governor gov-ernor and public utilities commission, the conclusion being that the best interests in-terests of Utah would be served by the consolidation and that it would give the state another transconlinenal line, which would bring about competition com-petition and would inure to the benefit bene-fit of the entire people of the state Efforts and talk in the East have been to the effect that the Santa Fe wanted the Denver & Rio Grande Western, but the conclusion of those best posted in the railroad world is that, were the Santa Fe to obtain the control, it would mean that the intermountain country would be absolutely ab-solutely shut out from benefit in any way. The message of the public utilities commission to the chairman of the interstate commerce commission follows fol-lows "In relation to finance docket No. 3160, the public utilities commission of Utah lias given consideration to the plan for the reorganization of the Denver & Rio Grande Western railroad. rail-road. "This commission understands the present plan to be the only definite, tangible plan for reorganization of this property that has been definitely presented, and believes that its adoption adop-tion will result in the betterment of the physical property and service in the state of Utah. "Unless your commission has before be-fore it some other plan which carries car-ries stronger financial ,arrangements, we recommend the adoption by your commission of the reorganization plan and ask that our recommendation be made part of the bearing in the above case." Governor Mabey's" telegram is as follows : "In the matter of Denver & Rio Grande Western railroad reorganization, reorganiza-tion, the state of Utah, has a vital interest, inasmuch as one-third, and that the most productive third of the entire mileage of the said system, is located in this state. "It serves large agricultural, livestock, live-stock, coal mining, metal mining, manufacturing, and other producting interests, wholly dependent upon it for transportation service. "I have been assured that the property has entirely passed from control of the destructive financial interests which for years have exploited ex-ploited it, and that prospective purchasers pur-chasers have ample funds which they will use for improvement and development de-velopment of the property, making it a much more effective transportation agency. "I consider the early rehabilitation of the system of vital importance to this state. Therefore I indorse the findings of your financial division and strongly urge that they receive your early approval." |