The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-07-11
Excursionists on the Way to
Butte and Anaconda.
FIRST PARTY NEXT FRIDAY
A New Record in Land Sales Estab-
lished by the Northern Pacific.
The Republic Branch May
Not Be Built.

special trains over the Northern Pacific
The first party announced will arrive
in Butte next Friday morning and will
be in charge of c. w. Gates. ticket
agent of the Lake Shore G. Michigan
Southern at Toledo. Ohio. There are
100 in the party. The train will reach
the city at $3.50 in the morning and after
spending about four hours in Butte the
excursionists will go to Anaconda. City
Ticket Agent Mccormick is preparing
to make the stay of the visitors in
Butte pleasant one
The Northern Pacific land department
has established new record in it's land
sales for the fiscal year just ended, one
which may never again be reached. The
fiscai2 year ending June 80, 1898, had
lifted the record notch, the sale for that
year being greater than for the six pre-
vious years aggregated. The sales en-
brace the two districts composed of
Minnesota, North Dakota and Montana,
and of Washington, Idaho and Oregon.
Frederick w. Wilsey, Northern Pa
cific land agent for the eastern dis
tricr announced the figures for his ter
as follows: Minnesota, 223,000 acres;
North Dakota, $4,000 acres; Montana,
396, 900 acres. The totalized sales were
"a, 800. Up to the close Of the present
fiscal year the sales for the year end
ing June 30, 1898, stood as a record
breaker both in the eastern and west
ern division. In the former during 1898
there was sold $4,000 acres.
The report of Thomas Cooper. land
agent for the western division, for the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1899, by
states is as follows: Washington, 51S,-
224 acres; Oregon. 81 ,266 acres: Idaho,
So, 42O, a total of 62S, 10 acres, the num-
Der of purchasers being 2,122. The sales
for the same district for 1898 aggregated
616679 acres, the number Of purchasers
being 2,519.
In speaking of the sales in his dis
trict, Land Agent Wilsey said to a re-
porter for the Minneapolis Times:
Land sold in years past was mostly for
preferred stock. 1t is significant that
the sales for the fiscal year just closed
were for cash. The class of people
which went into this new country dur
ing the IL months past was one to be
welcomed. They will make prudent
settlers and surpass any before re-
ceived, comprising farmers principally
from Iowa, Illinois and southern Min
nesota, where land has increased in
value so rapidly as to make 1t unpro-
fitable to be used for farming purposes.
The outlook for this falls business is
unquestionably brighter than it has
ever been before"
The Great Northern may not build
it's branch to Republic this year. says
the Spokesman Review. The construc-
ton may be postponed until next year,
not from desire of the officials of the
road, but from necessity. 1t is said it
will be impossible to secure the neces-
sary laborers. Railroad contractors
now in the city say positively that the
necessary men cannot be gathered to-
gether to complete the work this year.
The unusual demand for railroad la
borerS has practically cleaned out the
supply, and nearly all the lines now un-
der construction have calls out for more
men. The harvest season is coming on,
and this is expected to take many men
from the grading crews, who find 1t
pays them better to work in the grain
fields.
The farmers of the surrounding dis
triets are becoming even, more, anxious
over the lack of labor than the railroad
contractors. Railroad construction in
many instances may be delayed with
out material loss. but grain must be
harvested when ripe. There is reason
to fear the farmers will experience con-
siderable difficulty in securing sufficient
harvest hands. j
The Northern Pacific will oppose ev-
cry effort of the Great Northern to ac-
quire control of the st. Paul & Duluth,
according to the Minneapolis Times.
The Northern Pacific is convinced that
it cannot afford to allow the Great
Northern the advantages which the alb
sorption of the Duluth would give, es-
pecially in view of present uncertainty
balanced conditions at the head of the
lakes.
The attitude of the Northern Pacific
was developed yesterday by renewed
rumors from New York to the effect
that the Great Northern would shortly
absorb the Duluth, or, if not absorb, at
least secure a controlling influence in
its management. The officials of the
Great Northern met the story with
prompt denial, but that counts for little
with railroad men acquainted with j.
]. Hills methods.
Nevertheless, Northern Pacific Off
Gals are intensely interested and will
energetically combat any move made
by the Great Northern to the end in
question. They doubt if such action
could be taken by Mr. Hill. There is a
Minnesota law providing against the
consolidation of parallel roads, said
one of the higher Northern Pacific Off
Gals. II remember it in connection
with the reports which were current at
supposed to be negotiating for the con-
troll of the Northern Pacific"
The statement of gross earnings of
the Oregon Short Line for the month of
May, 1899, shows an increase of s1S5, 701
over the corresponding month of last
year. The earnings for the II months
ending May 81, show the wonderful
gain of 81, $50, III. 80 over the. same period
of the last fiscal year. The earnings
for May, 1899, We're $500, 013.53, against
$3.50, 312.0s for the same month last year.
For the II months ending May 81. 1899,
the earnings We're $6,S65, $3.50, against
IS, 715, 1880 for the same period last
year. The earnings for June will be
about the same as those of May and
this will bring the gross earnings up
over S7,500,000, which is considered
remarkable showing, as 1t means an in
crease over last year of nearly 1880, 900.
Previous to July l an agreement was
in erect in accordance with which pas
sengers for the Kootenai country by
the way of the Canadian Pacific and