Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-05-09
DAILY POST INTElLIGfNCER.
SOME srGGE.Tres..

Operation of the railroad between
this city and the Puyallup VALLEY. VIII
opeu to the enterprises OF our nercaniiie
eomt.nni,, control Of the trade of sec
tion of country containing a population
of not far FROM l0,000. Some OF
this trade Low comes TO this city. Much
more should, and with on" rp-fie ac1los'
combined with such Inducements AZ the
snecialIy favored situation IT this city
enables our merchants to offer. may he
obtained. Residents of Forter's Prairie,
for instance. who now obtain their Hnp-
niles in Seattle, are compelled to ship
,hsm via Tacoma, up the Pusaiiup val
lev. and thence by wagon seven or eight
miles across the country 10 their dssii'
nation. A wagon road from there
to the White river. would enable
direct shipments TO be made BY mach
shorter route, and would secure beyond
question all this valuable ard constant
ly increasing trade to our community
The County Commissioners VIII IN
doubleday set apart due proportion o.
the county fund in aid Of this needed
road. II should be supplemented o,
private enterprise among those most di
rectlv interested in the control OF thu
trade Of that section.
The trade of the White river VALLEY
haa a,wsys mainly centered IN this city
Il will continue to do so II our mer
chants are wide awake and avail them
selves of their manifest advantages
There is, however, no other way to 70
tain il. Already considerable portion
of the supplies for that region Is Oh
tanned direct from Portland and saI
Francisco. IL 10 claim ID that THEREBY
better terms are obtained by Purchasers
This state of affairs certainly sfouis
not be permitted to continue. Ii We ar
correctly informed, Seattle merchant
get through freight from the East OF
the same terms al those OF Portland
Certainly it is true that freights iron
San Francisco to this city are lowe
than to Portland. Not only have W
. superior steamer facilities, bat com
psting line of sailing vessels, oarryinI
freights at very low rates. The distanc
from Portland TO the White river coun
try ia, under circumstances otherwis
equal, an absolute bar TO any competl
ton with our merchants from that city
The Duwamish and White rivers AZ
navigabls for forty miles, and there
no apparent reason why every dollar
worth OF supplies consumed in that set
ton should not be sent there from ID
wholesale houses of Seattle. With 10
opening of the section of railroad d
fore mentioned, competition with For
land dealers will become even more d
rect. Purchasers retail merchants an
consumers will then be enabled to OF
tain supplies by rail from that city, an
il Portland merchants can sell at rate
sufficiently low to offset the ditferenc
In cost of transportation, they will 500
monopolize the major portion OF tn
trade. This should not, and must nc
be permitted. Merchants are general
supposed to know their own bushes
best. II Ia possible, however, that the
are not fully alive to the changed. an
changing conditions Of trade in an
around Puget Sound. The time hs
gone by when ii must come TO any give
point. nor will il do so unless such piat
offers superior Inducements. As faci
tiles for transportation multiply, an
rates cheaper, competition will increas
and the wide awake and enterprisin
will control business.