The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-11-12
The Grand Trunk II. II.

have recently returned from a visit of six
weeks to Canada, during which / have had
many opportunities of becoming acquainted
with the Grand Trunk Railway. On look
ing at the map, it will be seen at a glance.
that it occupies an important and command
ing position. Running for thousand miles
through the heart of Canada, it could con-
troll the transportation of all that magnificent
country, If only it had the necessary facilities
for doing the immense business that would
inevitably fall upon its lines.
Great progress has been made in relayipg
the track with steel rails, and all the sections
that have been thus renewed, run as smooth
ly and as silently as the best roads in this or
any other country; and this work of renoya-
ton is constantly going on. The rolling
stock of whatever kind, is of the very best
and is kept up to the standard of our best
roads.
The passenger traffic on the road is yery
large, and the freight business is immense.
To this latter there is and will be no limit.
except the inability of the road to do the
work. The Grand Trunk affords one of the
best avenues ii not the very best from the
great west to the Atlantic ocean, and in anv
event, the great bulk of the Canadian trade
must take this route to the sea.
The good people of the States, are not well
informed as to the great extent of fertile soil
remaining unimproved in Canada, nor as to
the vast resources of the country in its great
agricultural products, its increasing manu-
factures, the immense forests of valuable tim
Der, and its mineral treasures In popua-
ton and wealth, 1t is not making progress so
rapidly as the States, yet its developement in
both particulars is going on quietly and stead
lily, so that the time is not very remote, when
it will be great in wealth and numbers as il
is now in extent of territory. The Canadians
have taken lesson from us, and are now ex-
tending their manufactures much more rap.
idly than we did in the earlier years of our
efforts in that direction. In a nice little Ca
madam town, where / was last wear. was
taken to see large and excellent cloth and
blanket factory, then reary finished the
town has first class water power, of almost
| any extent.
said-"Why do you not have cotton fac
tories and make your own shirts, as well
as your coats, pants and blankets: YOU will
find it to pay as well as the wooden factories.
| You have many of these up and down the
country, put no cotton factories. For want
of employment at home, your people come
over to us in great numbers and work in our
factories, and then you buy the goods of us.
We like your trade but it would be far better
for you to keep your people at home and af-
ford them employment in your own factories,
and keep your money at home at the same
! time"
visited that little town again this season,
and found the woolen mill in active operation,
making large quantities of excellent cassi-
meres and good blankets, and large addition
to the mill, was nearly ready to rdl. | saw
also, one cotton mill nearly ready for the roof,
and another OF large size, with the walls part
ly up, great many men actively at work up
on it, The Canadians it is plain to see, now
understand, that they had better do their own
| work, than to hire us to do it for them, evil
IDENTIFY they have taken leaf from our book
of political economy.
Well, now as to the Grand Trunk. 1t is
the leading road of this great country, run
ming through it like great river with many
branches, like affluents, supplying it from ev-
| cry direction, with more business than it can
accept, for wan. of ability to transact it, A
double line OF rails is a necessity to this great
thoroughfare; with that, there is hardly any
limit to the business it could execute, and all
the work it could perform, would offer. |
hope the time is not distant, when some steps
may be taken to lay down another line of
rails, and that our people may aid the project.
With double track, the Grand Trunk
would afford, not only the best route from
the great west to Portland, but all the facility
we should require for transportation in both
directions. n. ID.