The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1881-03-24

opiu AACICooC VI pOpuidtiOu III cdSVcIu
and Oregon has greatly
increased the demand for and con-
of fuel; and this consumption
will grow to enormous proportions as
soon as trains begin to run on the va
rious railroads now being constructed.
1t says all sources of supply yet pro-
posed will be insufficient, and believes
the o. r. & N. Co. and the Oregon
Improvement Co., the one owning the
means of transportation, the other the
coal mines, should be able to furnish
Walla Walla with Puget Sound coal
at such prices that people can afford
to burn it instead of wood. It would
pay them to haul coal to Walla Walla
every fall, when large trains which 60
down loaded with wheat have to be
taken back empty.
The positive declaration that the
Northern Pacific Railroad had GER
tainly passed into the hands Of the Viii
lare pool is now reduced to a probable
ity merely, and certainty seems to
have been reduced to possibility.
The oracle on this coast, the Oregon
ian, gave yesterday on this subject the
following, but it will be observed by
our readers that it leaves out all its
former positive declarations that Viii
lard has secured control of the North
ern Pacific:
Advices from all sources leave no
doubt that the Willard party are en-
tirely confident of controlling the man.
agement of the road. For more than
a month they have anticipated this as
result Of their operations. What
the exact strength Of the two parties is
will probably not be known till the
annual meeting Of the stockholders in
September. Our dispatches have in
dictated that both parties regard the
new distribution Of stock as favorable
to the Willard combination, particu-
larly as it is known that Mr.. Willard
had bought up many of the proprie-
tary rights in advance of the issue of
the stock, SO that much Of the new is
sue goes directly into his hands.
Whether the new issue is simply re-
suit of a desire OH the part of those to
whom the stock was due to take ad-
vantage of a favorable market, or a
leading incident in and consequence
of the contest between opposing inter-
ests for control of the company, does
not yet clearly appear. Nor does 1t
clearly appear at this distance what
part President Billings is taking in
these transactions. He is very dis
Greet and able, and thoroughly devoted
to the great enterprise to which he
has given 80 many years of hard work,
and which at last he has brought to
the threshold of complete success.
Under his direction the Northern Pa
cific has been redeemed from the blight
of mis-management which formerly
fell upon it. AS he himself wrote
some monthslago when the success of
the great syndicate to furnish money
for completion of the road was an
nounced. "Anybody now can build
the Northern Pacific railroad" Mr..
Wizards plan to bring it into connec-
ton with the Oregon railway system
is one of the greatest operations ever
undertaken, il indeed tits not without
a parallel in affairs of this kind. Be-
sides Messrs. Pullman Of Chicago and
Endicott of Boston who have been
named heretofore as associated with
Mr.. Willard in his undertaking, fur
Their advices mention also Drexel,
Morgan & Co., and Winslow, Lanier &
Co., great banking firms of New York,
as lending aid in it. 1t will be re-
that this last named firm
headed the great syndicnte formed last
secure money for compile
ton of the road.