The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-06-18
NORTHERN PACIFIC PLANS.
General Manager Melien Talks of Lowe
Grain Rates and New Lines.


General Manager MeIien Talks of Lower
Grain Rates and New Lines.
The party of Northern Pacific railroad officials
arrived in the city last evening on their special
train and are at the Rainier They are I. +. Cakes,
president: C. II. Prescott, of Portland, second
vice president, W. 6. Mellen, general manager;
&. b. lamborn, land commissioner: y. C.
Thrall. assistant 10 the president J. A. Barker,
general auditor; Paul Schultz, general land
agent. lanes Mcknight. general counsel NJ.
Bacon. secretary TO the general manager; 5. g.
Fulton, lsst assistant general freight agent.
In an interview with a OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
reporter Mr.. Mcknight said ave went through
the Grays harbor and Wiliapa harbor country,
and then went 20 Portland We .hen came
back to the Sound by way of Olympia, through
the Olympia tunnel, ours being the first train
which came TO the sound by this route. To-
morrow we shall examine the Belt line.
'Work on the Green River & Northern rail-
road 10 connection with the Lake shore will
probably be resumed this year. When COM
pleted, this road will shorten the distance to
Seattle about twenty miles.
1.-THE elevator matter at Anaeortes will prob
ably be settled before we return East The
plans for the coal bunkers are completed, and
they will be constructed as soon we are
ready to ship coal from the Blue Canyon mine.
The branch to the Blue canyon will be CON
sfructed."
When Mr.. Cakes approached by PosT
INTELLlGEScEn reporter he requested Mr. Mel
leu TO talk in his place. Mr.. Mellen said:
"We are making our regular annual inspec-
ton OF all the roads OF the company. We so to
Tacoma tomorrow, and, after inspecting the ter
nlinals there, shall return East and so over the
branches in the Palouse country
somebody has been misrepresenting us i'm re-
gard TO the arrangement for running through
Canadian Pacific trains over the Lake Shore
road. We had arranged contract by which the
Canadian Pacific was allowed to run 1t cars on
trains through to any point OH the Lake
Shore road and the Canadian Pacific has
accepted 1t with the exception of one point
The Canadian Pacific wants us to allow
deferential on through business because it is
an inferior line to ours We do not consider
that II Is entitled to any diferential but are
willing to agree to equal rates. III the Canadian
Pacific insists on this provision, and the ar
rangement is not concluded, we shall arrange
our schedules so that our trains will connect as
nearly as possible with it at the boundary, I'M
less the Canadian Pacific contrives to prevent
US from doing so.
1--WE are going to complete the South Bend
branch this summer, and have the Grays Har.
Dor road partly constructed to Hoquaim on the
north side, and to Ocosta, on the south side We
shall go on with these roads, but how soon they
will be completed depends on the money mar
ket cannot say anything as to the extension
OF the Washington Central, for the same reason
lit depends on the money market. The float
Ing OF bonds is such a difficult matter at present
that We cannot be sure of what new construc-
ton we can undertake, and We do not like to
announce our plans until they are a certainty.
"oi one point yon can be sure. The policy of
the Northern Pacific will continue TO be. as IL
always has been, to go in advance of the de-
velopment of the country. The Northern Pacific
is the leading railroad of Washington, and be-
lieve 1t will remain so. No railroad has the
mileage in this state that we have, and is not
likely to have as much. The construction OF
the Great Northern is good thing for the state.
as II will open an undeveloped section, and we
realize that more than one railroad is necessary.
So long ms new roads develop an undeveloped
section of the state they need not come into
competition with us, and the time has not come
for roads to be built in the same section for the
purpose oil competition with existing roads
That will be another question.
81 look forward TO the time when this state
will be g-idironed with railroads The nature
OF the country makes IL probable. Unlike the
prairie country. il is divided into great valleys
by mountain ranges and is heavily wooded so
that cattle or produce cannot be carried or
driven across the divides or for any considerable
distance, as they can in an open country. Thus
every considerable valley will need its railroad
connecting with the general system
AhcNNAeNtutbtNu VI new EOduS AtSp 0enen0s
largely ON the grain crop. A good crop for this
year is now practically assured Your wheat
growing section differs from those OF states fur
Their east, for they are never sure of a crop until
II is harvested. There are so many dangers
such as hot winds which may come when the
grain is in the milk and dry Il up, blight storms
aud rain. You have none OF these and 10 vo,,
have the needed amount OF rain at the begin
ming OF the season, your harvest is assured
1.-The promised reduction of grain rate. will
be made. approved the schedules TODAY and
the only cause of delay is the fact that we hsvo
90 arrange them with the Union Pacific fo-
points at which our roads come into comment.
ton. The reduction viii not be quite 80 Cres,
as that provided in the WATSON bill, hut il win
be rate which viii give us a fair return and no
more.
I've have made considerable additional pro.
vision FOR handling the wheat business this fall.
We have put in many new sidings in the Palouse
country, and shall have forty-eight new loco.
motives of q heavier and more powerful tyne in
the service. We have also ordered 600 new
freight cars-enough equipment for a small rail.
road OF itself. There are also more warehou
and elevators in the wheat belt than q
year ago, We hope that the farmers
viii also be in a better position than
last year. Many of them had sold their
crop in advance and wanted 20 get their money
50 that they clRmcred for us 20 move the whole
crop IN thirty Gays. The PalouSe country differs
from the states further east in that the croDs are
all ready to market together, while in the East
they stretch over longer period Moreover IN
new country the farmers are no. usually in As
good financial circumstances as they are in the
East and have not large barns Tor storing their
crops.
I'VE did the best we could last year and. ~ we
had moved the grain much faster when We fairly
Got II moving, We should have crowded opr
terminals so that il could not have been hsndled
a. fast as IL came in and there would have bsen
q blockade there, as there was a. first nt tina
shipping points, Many OF the cornplaint, last
wear were due TO a mIsunderxt.nafn.
as 10 the rates 20 Duluth. The west
bound traffic 10 so much hesvier
than the eastbound that there In a constant
tendency for cars 10 accumulate in the West
IL we were 10 haul the cars back empty there
would be dead loss on hauling 5000 to $500
pounds Of dead weight in each car. while, by
hauling them back loaded with S0,0o pounds
OF grain st rate a little in excess
Of the cost of hauling the empty cars we incur
only little extra expense for coal and oil.
as the trains are the same length ard the same
number of men can handle them This also re-
lieves the Western terminals which could not