Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-11-24

which seem to be based on personal knowl-
edge, were made to the chamber of com.
merce before it sent it's committee to the
governor. 1t should also be noted that the
report of an immigrant family having per-
ished because of not having fuel is not stated
| as fact but as rumor only.
Noting that all the dispatches were from
places in the prairie region along the main
| line of the St. Paul i Manitoba company,
between Willmar and Breckinridgs, and re-
membering that the railroad company had
we'll established plan for supplying that
region with fuel, the GLOBES representative
called on
GENERAL MANAGER HILL
and stated to him the ;enor of the dispatches
received by the governor.
Mr.. Hill said he thought
there must be mistake in the representa-
tions of extreme scarcity of fuel at any of
the points named. The railroad company,
he said, had the greatest interest in prevent
ing any calamity to the country along its
line and this question of fuel supply had
been studied and acted upon with ell the
power at his command. The company was
Introducing coal burning locomotives to
hauling wood for them from near Pembina
and from the forests east of Willmar. 1t
had contracted with land owners and wood
choppers aud had arbitrarily taken control
| of the supplying of wood to make sure that
it was supplied to farmers and villagers in
the prairie country at reasonable prices. In
supplying wood dealers it had by contract linn
tied them as to profits and thereby establish
to<1o kon noSo
enridge uniform retail prices-$4 per cord
for mixed or soft woods, $3.50 per cord and
$5 per cord for maple. 1t had
been prepared to fill orders of
dealers or from consumers who would take
wood by the carload, but the orders were de-
layed until winter suddenly set in, when all
at once ordered. At this time of year the
company has the greatest difficulty in fur
nishing enough cars, but the preference: was,
as far as possible, gwen to these wood Or
ders, especially from places where scant
supply was reported. Monday night the
company was behind only eighty-fve cars on
orders amounting to four hundred cars, and
had no untitled order on hand of earlier date
than the 18th inst. To-day forty-four car
loads of wood will be delivered on those Or
ders at prairie stations and by Friday or Sat-
urdry night all the orders now on hand will
be filed. This, Mr.. Hill thought, was doing
we'll, considering the scarcity of cars and
would compare favorably with the doings of
the local wood dealers of st. Paul, who, un-
der similar pressure of orders immediately
following the coming of winter weather are
still five to ten days behind their town deliv-
cries. He could not believe there was any
dangerous scarcity of wood on the main line
nor did he anticipate fuel famine this win
ter. With favorable weather for operating
the road the winters supply will soon be de-
livered at the prairie stations, and further
time would be afforded for consideration of
the future of the country and how they are
to be supplied.
Mr.. Hill regretted that so much should be
said about scarcity of fuel, fearing that it
would operate to the serious disadvantage of
the people on the prairies and in the cities
by inducing owners of wood lots to advance
their prices of wood and stumpage. He ap-
preciated, however, the fact that the time is
not many years away when other and larger
provision will have to be made for supply
ing fuel. The wood is fast being cut away
from near the railroads, and woodmen are
beginning to complain that they must have
higher prices for longer hauls. In anticipa-
ton of the coming need he was not only in
| Producing coal burning locomotives in pl llce
of wood burners, but he had bought coal
mine for the company, which is being
worked by and for the company.
But just at this time it is
not easy to get coal. The
railroad lines south of US are all short OF
fuel, and his company's cars, loaded with
coal in Iowa, where emptied in transit and
the cars sent home empty. One company
he mentioned, was not undertaking to move
any save perishable freight, solely because i,
couldn't get coal enough to fully operate its
lines. In conclusion, Mr.. Hill remarked that
since the 10th of October his company had
filled wood orders for the people along its
line amounting to over 1000 cords. That
might seem light thing for great railroad
company to do, but it amounted to this, that
the company had transported, generally long
distances, an amount of wood, which corded
would make continuous pile over six miles
long; and last year its deliveries for the
people along its line amounted to over thirty
nine miles of corded wood No deprivation
of wood on account of delayed trsnsp TIA
ton had been reported to him, except from
mill-men who wanted large quantities fo
running their engines. These necessarily
| muSt WALL uuIN the mora numerous
smaller consumers are supplied
He believed the fuel question
was in better shape for this winte
than it was for last winter. The complaint
now were certainly less than they were TO
a short time after the first cold snap O las
winter.
Forty Millions for the Northern Pacitic.
New YORK, Nov. 23.-Graphn Philadelphi
special: Charles B. Wright, one of the director
of the Northern Pacific railway company, VIII
returned from New York late Saturday an
has been interviewed by Times reporter
} speaking of the negotiations closed Tuesda
night between the company and the syndicat
of American and European bankers, unde
which the syndicate is to furnish $4,000 90
for the completion Of the road, Mr. Wrgt
says that the names of the banE
ers composing the syndicate woul
, be nnhlished from the oomnanu,s efH.