The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-08-25
THEY MAY Be RETAINED
Japanese Satisfactory to Great
Northern Contractors.
BETTER THAN THE WHITES
That, at Least, Is the Opinion OF One
Man Who Has Seen Them
Work-What Is Going On
In Railroad Circles.

The discharge of the Japanese la
borers of the Great Northern in Mon
tana, which the Butte labor unions had
been led to hope for, has not yet taken
place, and is not so imminent as was
represented some time ago. Accord
ing to the latest reports from the COM
pany headquarters at St. Paul it is
not at all certain that a change will be
made. A well-known railroad con-
tractor of the Great Northern who re-
Gently made a study of the japanese
and looked over their work argues
strongly in favor of their retention. He
says that for the work they are en-
ployed to do they are in many ways
superior to white men. They do as
much work, are sober and always to
be depended upon, which is more than
can be said for the white labor en-
ployed with them. They do not select
the smallest or lghtest load to- be
carried says the contractor, put
grab up the heaviest article with as
good grace as though it was the easl-
est labor, l noticed this particularly
in one instance where bridge mad
been washed away and baggage and
hail had to be transferred. There We're
half a dozen Japs in the crowd of Ia
borers and about 40 white men. In
every instance the white laborers sort
ed over the packages, and picked out
the light ones, while the Japs grabbed
the first thing they came to, and If
they could carry more than one package
they did so. / also noticed that the
Japs made two trips where the white
men made one. do not blame J. J. Hill
for employing these men. They are
really valuable, if for no other reason
than that they can be depended upon
The great objection to their employment
comes from the merchants and saloon
men, who complain that they save
tLeir money and do not spend it as the
white laborers do"
The work on the Pacific g. Idaho
Northern which has been going ON
since last July, will now be rushed
vigorously. Wilkinson & Thompson,
the railroad contractors of Ogden. VINO
have had the construction work IN
hand, have been seriously handicapped
by a series of misfortunes, chief among
which is the big advance in the price
of steel and construction materlals
since the original contract was signed
last March. The contract was origin
ally taken on a mileage basis, and Tor
the past two months the operations
have hung fire because the contractors
could not see their way clear TO suplet
sections to other parties at prices con-
siderably in excess of what they thein-
selves expected to receive from the
railroad company. The railroad cor
nora ton realized the changed condlton
of affairs since the signing of the orig
inal contract, and very generously
agreed to a readjustment with Messrs.
Wilkinson & Thompson.
Friday night the old contract was
annulled and a new one on yardage
basis substituted, so as to enable the
contractors to get some equity out OF
the construction operation.
/ Under the new contract the work
will be contracted for by sections.
| Wilkinson & Thompson will get large
piece, and Omar & Cook good-slzed
section Contracts were signed yes.el-
dav with ]. w. Smith of Provo for an
other large section. These three con.
| tractors will build a good portion OF
| the 1O2 miles as originally laid out, and
the balance will be done by other part
! les.
omar & Cook had 100 teams waiting
| near Weiser Friday night, and ten MN
| utes after the new contract was iiiaue
| started for the scene of operations.
| They reached there late Friday night
| and started to push things to finish
early Saturday morning. All of the
| contractors will employ large gangs OF
! men and teams. and the road Will De
| completed to Seven Devils ana the
Meadows by Dec 15 One hundred ana
fiftv men are now cutting ties in Idaho
| and contracts for large quantities OF
| ties are held by Oregon firms. Inc
| company has a surveying party IN the
! field. with the view, OF selecting
route to Buffalo Hump but nothing
| definite will be done in that direction
| this year.
The building of the p. & l. n. has in
| creased tremendously the business of
| the Oregon Short Line in the vicinity
| of Welser, and as soon as the ore IN
| the Seven Devils country begins to
| move new impetus will be given 10
short Line traffic 1t Is expected that
| the road will be completed for trafhc
as far as Salubria by Oct !.
Some discussion has occurred in rail-
| road circles during the past Few Gays
| over the determination of the southern
| Pacific in insisting that no more imam
! 10 per cent of the returning volunteers
| may be taken over the Northern routes
| from San Francisco. THE Southern Pa
CHIC owns the line oul of San Fran
| cisco and some trouble may be ex-
| pected from this source. The Southern
| Pacific has not figured with the North-
| ern Pacific or Great Northern on bring
| ing the Western troops nome, anu they
are likely to refuse to sell tlckets VIA
aitbar Of these routes from San Fran
| cisco. Arrangements that may AVOID
trouble with the Southern Pacific are
| being made now which contem-
| plate the landing of the volunteers at
| Portland or Seattle after they are mus
| tered out in San Francisco and thus
| take them out of the territory of the
| Southern Pacific The North Dakota,
| south Dakota and Minnesota volunteers
are affected by the action OF the san
| Francisco road.
C. s. Fee, general passenger agent OF
the Northern Pacific, has returned
| after a six weeks trip on the Pacihc
coast, says the Pioneer Press. He Is
very enthusiastic over the prosperity of
the West, and says that business has
never been so good there as 1t is now
Everybody is busy and all are making
| money. Grain is fair crop, hops ana
| fruit are excellent and the mining IN