The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1899-09-02
ng a passage-wsy from Lewiston to

ing q passage-way from Lewiston to
he sea.
THE ideas set forth by Lewiston
business men is that a portage railway
could be cheaply and rapidly con-
structed around the distractions in
the river at the dalles, and if positive
action were taken, an appropriation
could be secured from congress for i'm
mediate use. Farmers are prone to
believe that so long as they pay IA
cents for carrying a bushel Of wheat
from Lewiston to Portland, a distance
of $50 miles, they will never prosper
Such a proposition from a people
who are 80 abundantly able to help
themselves reminds one of the story
that was related in the ola school read
rrs about the farmer and the lark, in
which the farmer was depending uD-
on his neighbors and friends to har
vest the field in which the lark had
built her pest. and the friends and
neigh hbors never came, but when he
took hold of the work himself, the
grain was harvested, though the delay
caused by waiting for the neighbors
enabled the lark TO rear her young.
There is a move on foot to build a
portage road around the dalles of the
Colum bia, the Central Construction
81 Navigation Co. having completed a
survey for the proposed road, but
should this fail, our friends should not
wait for congress to move in the
matter. If they want their grain car
ried to tidewater at the minimum cost
The Dalles a few years ago, and not
walt for the general government to
come to their relief.
When The Dalles felt that IT, was
being discriminated against it hnit a
boat line of its own, and as result
freights were reduced from nine dol
lars per ton to one and two and one
half dollars, according 20 class, be
tween here and Portland. 1t is time
the state assisted in making this pos
sible, by building portage road, but
The Dalles built the boats that caused
the reduction. What few men in
The Dalles accomplished can certainly
be duplicated by thousands of inter.
ested parties in the upper country.
The farmers Of the upper country
raise at least 10000, 900 bushels of
wheat each year that must find its way
to tidewater. On this they are paying
IA cents bushel transportation for an
average haul of less than 400 miles.
If the river was open they would get
it carried for seven cents. The saving
on transportation one year would
build the portage road and line of
steamers. Then why should they ask
congress to help them?
We have suggetion to offer to the
wheat raisers and business men of the
upper country who would be benefited
by the opening of the river. 1t is this:
If the Central Construction & Naviga-
tion Co. does not begin operations at
once on their portage road. call q
meeting to be held in The Dalles this
fall, and instead of asking congress for
an appropriation, form company,
each one subscribing az amount uqual
to what he would save on freights in
one year, build and equip a portage
road, put line of steamers on the up
per river. bring your wheat to The
Dalles, and the local Transportation
company here will see to moving it on
down the river. By this method the
river can be opened in less than a
year, whereas if congress is depended
upon it will be delayed nobody knows
how long.