The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-09-29
RsIknap street over rae yard a, west

done during tbs year and will be eonsln-
ued.
Much other work has beer done in r~,-
vlalnE facilities for the increase OF trzsle
present. and prospective.
ali improvements. Fepls cerneats and re-
iae14ss Are Being made 81 the most per-
rnansnt manner. with a view TO avoiding
further expenditures in that regard. and
se 1,.,rsa. lover cost q operati ION.
vita earth as follows:
Linea!
Feet.
Great Northern sTq
Eastern Pathway OF Minnesota .rr 4
Montana Central railway .... lei
Duluth. Hatsrtown Il Pacific railway. as
Total ....,.......... ...................7-7as
Iron pipe culverts have been provided
FOR waterways IN cases where larger
structures are not required. Tire cost OF
expense.
The plan OF filing wooden bridges ana
tsestlss with earth. instead OF renewing
thsfn IL being followed except when steel
- Used Tor larger structures. Much work
Or this kind Is nov In progress All OF sha
tfesIiss and bridges on the Montana Cen
frai hne hetween Helena and Butte are
being filled or replaced with steel
ne pheHoEnensilg abundant crops with
wnlca the territory served by tha Great
Northern system was blessed IN the year
IE'9. necessarily added muca 20 the vol.
usne o. tue traffic moved over its lines
Nearly H.eaes bushels OF swhea. alone
covered by this report Still the progress
OF tire traffic OF the system toward great
er diversity IN the articles comprising /,
Was never more marked The percentage
OF earnings from hauling OF grain to the
tofai freight earnings ts year by year de-
creasiug, white the income from other
tranic shows ? reiatfye Increase
Tie progress % rates ana OF amounts
PAID by the public for transportation per
yfii % traffic stu maintain a steady
downward course. II cannot be disputed
thar during the past twenty years tho
price o. no commodity bought and sold in
TIE markets or the country has fallen so
ton.
The articles carried BY the Great North
efn system. while considerably more III
SerAified in ls1 than in f<sf are sub
sfant.ally % the same description as then:
yet IN Iss9-sf the average charge Der ton
per ton per miles % the year isso-1 been
II had fallen to a1s-I9A OF cent. or 10
only little more than one-third of the
former rate. Has the price OF any other
commodity. or the rate OF pay for any
ofilsF class or service. fallen euuaily1
In 1865 the revenue fon-niisage OF the
system was l.bs2:s .ags and the cost OF x
to the public 81. s3s 81. q. Had the rate
charged, the earnings would have amount
ed TO sis. rs. $50 y. or s3n s-s5. 10 81 more
thaa the companies actually collected. and
during the same time the rates OF wages
paid by this company have advanced to
an average OF - per cent. higher than the
average OF iss0-Si
IA me course o. fFdn>r1T'a-
ton rates, a point is always reached when
the decrease ceases To go TO the benefit
OF the producer hy being added 10 tha
market price at the point 90 production
bur all goes to the baneit os the co-~m-
er by being deducted from he market
price a. me point Of consumption 4 sur
vey OF the course OF prices Of the great
staples OF the world Will not fail 10 con-
vince the most casual observer that this
point has been reached and passed long
ago. and that no o, her cause has so much
operated TO depress prices AZ cheap trans
portation.
Nearly eighteen thousand new settlers.
an unusually large number have located
along the line during the year. and the
settlement Of new country ~ going On
more rapidly than for several years past