The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1898-11-26
Portland 70 Unlted KlnKdom-.


Now. Il 10 TO be carefully noted tbas
these cheaper charters at the Sound ara
In the face Of two most important AIs.
advantages: The commerce OF the Sound
(as We love to boast) is greatly inferior
10 ours and the distance 10 Taoopna frorn
the ocean is nearly twice as great as
from Portland to tho high seas. II theee
conditions were reversed. Puget sound
charters would BE- le per cent. instead
Of per cent. cheaper than ours.
But all these conditions would be re-
yersed, revoiuuonized, with Astoria as
our seaport. She would
Astoria il have the benefit OF all
Peerle our commerce and ex-
ports. with large acces-
sions from those Of Puget sound. She
would be within an hour Of the high seas.
She would have the same fresh water
advantages that Portland now enjoys.
She would be the peerless port OF the
Pacific Northwest-0f the old Oregon
In It's larger sense as used IN the earlier
days, so graphically portrayed by the
oregonian In 1891. when no Jim" Hlll. as
Puget sounds friend. and no wheat pool
as its own selfish friend. paid tribute 20
that papers influence In public opinion.
Astoria would be the natural seaport be-
cause she would add more value 10 our
products than any other port in the
Pacific Northwest. She would do this
because the expense Of transit between
tho wheat fields and Liverpool would be
at the minimum II our products should
be shipped foreign from Astoria Bay.
Not only SO. but furthermore. Astoria
Bay meets all the requirements Of an
other vital feature OF
Rapid ocean traffic, foreign
Transit. and coastwise, especially
the latter. That feature
Is RAPID transit. The long and wearisome
delay Of a lO0-mile trip up the Columbia
Is natal to this important requisite Of
modern commerce. Take an ocean
steamship. for instance. plying between
San Francisco and the Columbia. Say
her net profits each trip were 1900. II
she ran TO Astoria only. and received her
cargo from the railroad. she could make
four traps IS against three II Portland
were her place Of meeting the railway
trafiic. Her profits would be increased
8 per cent by having Astoria for the
seaport. Naturally this fact enllsts all
steamship owners In favor OF that port
and adds to the general wealth.
Rapid transit. too, is especially an I'M
portani feature with tramp ocean steam
Tn fhana 80
Tramp fierce competition, not
Steamers. only days. but hours and
even minutes are becom-
ing important in the great trade centers.
The port that is nearest the ocean and
can afford the Sest facilities for rapid
transit is the one that win be preferred
by those tramp steamers. And thus As
toria's superior location and advantages
Will center trade at that point with the
effect of still further cheapening char
ters TO the benefit Of the producers Of the
Columbia basin.
Some people rejoice that our Portland
-four mills are able TO undersell sun
Fransisco and drive her
Flour mills out OF the China
60 Ch ma. market for -four. That,
however, Is q sad object
lesson Of the truth that Portland, as the
exporting point, cheapens our wheat far
below that OF California. 1t forces our
farmers to sell their wheat and -four at
China prices instead Of Liverpool prices.
It means loss annually of more than
TWO million dollars Of the ''yellow boys"
oor the benefit OF the yellow men Of the
Orient.
In my next letter, with your permis-
sion, Mr.. Editor, will give two of the
greatest object lessons in modern history
to disprove by actual experience the an
,ient claim that ocean ships must so
inland as far as possible to meet the
Of the country, In the mean
line, let not our people lament the
>lainest economic truth of western con- |
its future does not depend
Ipon its being the chief seaport of the
basin. Let our citizens rejoice |
With exceeding Joy that we have Astoria
IS the handmaiden of our future great
commerce. and the agency for giving our
larmers Liverpool prices instead of China |
prices for their wheat and hour. Let our
dtlzens study to realize the inestimable |
ralue to us of Astoria as the great port |
# the Pacific coast 1t win relieve us
# the useless burdens of the Port of
Portland commissioned bauble Of the
wheat pool invented upon a foolish hope
md maintained to amuse thoughtless
people with the aspiration for seaport SUI
premacy while it casts thousands Of their
lard earned money into willamette mud
t will induce us, too, to refrain from
'urther annoyance of Col ]. B. Mont
yomery while he builds castle for stor-
lge OF vanishing wheat.
PORTLAND BUSINESS MAN.
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