The San Francisco call., 1899-09-24
ASTOR|ANS WANT
BETTER RATES
The Vanderbilt System
Brings Hope.
QUESTION OF THE TERMINAL
WOULD BE A VAST SAVING TO
AGRICULTURISTS.
QUESTION OF THE TERMINAL
Special Dispatch to The Call.

ASTORIA, Sept. 23-Whether or not the
Vanderbilt ocean-to-ocean system is to
terminate at Astoria Is a question that
Is being anxiously discussed in North
west railroad circles The fact that the
Astoria and Columbia River Railroad Is
owned or controlled by men who are in
terested in the Vanderbilt system gives
rise to the belief that this city will be
made the Western terminal of the new
transcontinenta4, and that in the near
future all the products of the Columbian
basin will be shipped from this port.
The Astoria and Columbia River Rail
road runs to Portland, where 1t connects
with the transcontinentals. Thus far the
latter roads have refused to grant COM
mon point rates to Astoria except on lum-
Der and wheat is still shipped from Port
land. The common point question has
been agttated for several months past and
plan Is now on foot to make 1t po-
litical issue in the next State election.
Advocates Of the Astoria proposition
contend that the granting Of common
point rates to this port means a saving
Of over three millions of dollars annually
to the farmers Of the inland empire At
the present time the Oregon Railway and
Navigation Company, Great Northern and
Northern Pactlc are under agreement to
maintain certain rates. The Oregon road
has a great advantage over the lines ter
minating on Puget Sound in a fine down
grade, and 1t has been estimated that
where the cost to the Oregon Railway and
Navigation Company of hauling ton of
wheat from points in the Columbian basin
to Portland is but 25 cents the cost to
the Northern Pacific and Great Northern
Is 81 20
Owing to Portland's limited harbor IA
cilities the cosI Of exporting wheat from
that place is very great, and it is mathe-
matically demonstrated that the granting
of common point rates on grain to Astoria
81 80 ton, the greater tonnage possIole
at this port being one of the principal
reasons for this great difference. The
railroads and wheat pool stand In on the
deal, however, and over So 900 900 annually
is mulcted from the wheat growers. The
farmers are now taking up the agitation
and it is understood that an effort will
be made to have the next State Legis-
lature bring down to q reasonable figure
the exorbitant rate now charged for haul
ing wheat to Portland.
OF course, If the Vanderbilts have de-
cided on Astoria as the terminal for their
line, no other railroad combination could
prevent the exporting of wheat from As
toria. This is why officials Of the rail-
road combine are worrying, and why the
farmers of the inland empire and the peo-
pie Of Astoria are on the anxious seat.
Recently there was formed in New Jer-
sey. the Astoria Company, with capital
| ization OF $40, 900 900. This company is at
present secretly buying up immense tim
Der tracts near, this city and gathering
ators are ]. Pierpont Morgan. John Clat-
lin, Coils P. Huntington and Andrew B.
Hammond, the latter president and pro-
poter Of the Astoria and and g Solumbia Riyer
| mond is president of the salmon can
ners combine is evidence that the AS
| toria company means to corral the fish
ing industry as well as the timber of the
country near here, and that 1t is behind
| the movement to amalgamate all the sal
mon fisheries of the Pacific Coast into
| nra erip which
made In The Call some time ago.
That no effort will be made to open UP
| the Astoria proposition until all the good
! things" have been scooped in is regarded
| people may yet force action by popular
| agitation. Excepting San Francisco, AS
| toria is the cheapest port on the Pacific
| Coast, and the unnatural condition OF
| wheat being exported from Portland can
| not long exist
| There is perhaps more money in the
! good things" in this section than there
| is in railroading, so, even though the Van
| derbilts mean to come here, it would pay
| those interested to hold off for a year.
| This is believed to be the plan. The As
monthly, yet the officials absolutely de-
| cline to assist the people in getting com
mon point rates, which would mean an
| immense increase in traffic, but on the
! contrary down every effort SO directed
| 1t is very evident that the apparently
| chaotic railroad situation is clear to AS
toria railroad owners, and that the Local
! line is we'll provided for in the arrange
ments which are supposed to have been
made.
! Meantime the farmers are losing mil
| lions Of dollars annually, and the men
! who own vast tracts near the city are
! slowly being forced to the wall. their
! property to fall into the hands of the
| Astoria company.
An artesian well in Missouri has been
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