The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-11-26

boat rates TO Portland and steamship
rates from Portland together have
not exceeded $3.50 per ton during
the present shipping season." Had
"Examiner' been really anxious to
tell the truth he would have read the
Daily Oregonian containing his re
view, and there found the rates of
the "Independent (cbeap, line" 2. J.
Hatch, agent, to be 1925 per ton
from CorvdlHs to Portland, and it is
as well understood that steamship
rates from Portland to s. +. are $500
per ton, with the privilege and dan
gerous opportunity of increasing said
rates at any time. He was very care
full not to mention that the eastside
road costs the farmer 40 cents per
ton to transfer freight from the east
to the westside, and he was equally
guarded in not saying the narrow
guage lines had one extra handling
from cars TO steamer at Dayton, and
SO cents per ton to pass the locks,
all of which will be saved by the
Oregon Pacific's route. Nothing
short OF experience will teach, such
one sided narrow-minded mortals as
"Examiner" that the travelling public
will prefer to ride in a comfortable
car in the DIRECTION OF San Francisco
to Yaquina Bay, from which point
they can reach that city by steamer
in another 36 hours. This will be
done; every line of established road
running north and south will connect
with the Oregon Pacific, and every
mile south of Portland is in the direc-
ton Of San Francisco. Can as much
be said for the FIRST 10 miles on the
present route from Portland. In
admitting l6 feet of water on va.
qnina bar the writer only missed the
truth by two feet, his attention is
called to the FACT that ocean steam
ers of 220O tons burden enter and
depart regularly, loaded, from ports
on the Southern Coast where the best
depth Of water is only IL feet But
Yaquina bar can be improved, 'it is
a reef, not shifting sand bar and
has a harbor inside five miles long
with better water for commercial
purposes thames be found along the
city front Of Portland. The real ami
mus of the review crops out in this:
'sIndependent of the momentum
/ given to traffic in northward direc.
ton by the course OF the Willamette
river, and the existing four railroads
within the limits of its valley, the
proposed undertaking of the Oregon
Pacific will also imply the necnssity
of overcoming the controlling infiu,
ence Of the city of Portland, the
commercial emporium of the whole
State, where all the large banks and
| all the leading commercial firms III
every branch of trade are concentrat
ed. Every bushel of wheat and other
products growing in the State is
bought and sold and shipped by
! Portland merchants"
The Controlling influence of the
city of Portland?'' Thank God and
the wisdom of the capitalists who
have studied Oregon geography TO
some purpose, this influence is no
longer thing to dread or fear. Fo;
I6 years this influence has stood
armed against the development OF
any interest not Immediately con.
nected with the Commercial empo-
rium.' And such an 'sinhuence;'
who was it fought Foulweatiler as a
site for the Harbor of Refuge? and
when Port Oxford was selected,
undertook by representing the shoal-
ing of Columbia Bar, to obtain the
appropriation, and by so doing raised
the rates of insurance, and caused a
scarcity of shipping, thus making a
serious hardship on the whole State ?
Who was it that sent press dispatch
to S. F. after the Mary S. Ames re.
turned to Astoria, that she had been
ordered back to "enter Yaquina even
if lost in the attempt" it was some
of the desperate work Of that icon.
trolling influence examiner" SO
kindly intimates as a serious thing to
overcome. The people of Oregon
have probably been here as long as
you have '.Examiner," aud you can
tell them nothing concerning an Sin
flnence" they have seen, heard, felt
and tasted 10, these many years.
every bushel of wheat. he says.
sis bought and sold by Portland
meAhants;' true, and curse on the
thrift of the State that it is trne,
wheat being the great staple crop oil
Oregon. Even the limited senses Of
EXAMINER will admit it were better
to have competition in trade oil
such vast importance; better to have
two ports than one TO ship fiom.
Examiner" will wake up to the
fact some day in the near future
that "banks and healthy CONNER
cial firms can do a fair and re.
munerative business and reside out
side of the corporate limits of the
commercial emporium of the whole
State" r. A. BENsELL.
| Newport, Oregon, Nov. IA, 1880.
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