Union gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1899-1900, 1900-01-05
FRIDAY. JAN. 5, 1900.
A MATERIAL REASON.

lation to the efforts to get the board
of engineers and congress to con
tinue the work of improving the
ship canal at Yaquina bay. The
blame has been laid first by one
and then another to various causes.
Those who could not rise above the
habit of at all times of belittleilg
a political opponent have en-
deavored to attach the whole blame
to lack of effort in congress on the
part of Representative Thomas
Tongue, while at the same time
they say nothing against our other
representative and members of
the senate for the falling off of the
support which the improvem ent of
the harbor once had. This sus-
gests that the thrusts at Mr..
Tongue are simply for political
reasons. It is wonderful that some
of them do not attribute the bad
luck to Yaquina bay to the expan-
sion policy and charge it up against
President Mckinley. This phase
of the subject may develop when
all other pretenses are exhausted
against our president.
The failure to secure support to
push the improvement of Yaquina
harbor is due no doubt to several
causes which can be mentioned,
and possibly others which have
not been noticed. Prior to the
time when the improvement of
Yaquina harbor began, it was
claimed by newspapers and s.others
whose efforts were strong to con-
denim it, that it was mere moth
ing and could not be developed to
admit of seagoing trade, but the
efforts of the Hogs, while they
were in management of the Oregon
Pacific railroad to Yaquina bay
disproved that theory and estab-
lished the fact that quite u large
trade could be carried on through
that channel. It served so largely
as regulator of freights, that for
several years wheat, oats and other
articles of produce were about the
same price at Corvallis and other
neighboring towns as the Portland
market afforded. AS regulator
to keep down high freights the va
quina bay saved to Western Oregon
people thousands of dollars every
year. On the other hand mer-
chandise at low rates of freight was
shipped through Yaquina harbor
for all points in Southern Oregon
and the Willamette valley and con-
siderable freight which came
through that way was delivered to
shippers in Portland, The very
large shipping business done dur
ing those times through Yaquina
bay demonstrated that those who
condemned it as a practical harbor
were mistaken. This trade through
Yaquina harbor would no doubt
have continued and increased, but
for the fact that the Hcgg manage
ment of the Oregon Pacific railroad
was extravagant and unusually
expensive. It became SO involved
that its affairs were placed in the
hands of a receiver. Under the re-
ceiver's management tine Yaquina
trade could not be built up, but
necessarily declined, for the reason
that after the Hogg management
ceased adequate facilities for ocean
shipment was not provided, and |
the trade was in that manner
drawn away to other channels of
commerce. After the receivership
terminated the railroad which sup
piled the traffic to and from va
quina harbor fell into hands which
preferred te allow the trade to run
down and permit the system to be
managed so as not to take any
trade away from the Southern Pa
cific, but to protect and built up
the Southern Pacific system of
traffic rather than to build up its
own. To build up the Columbia
river traffic by trying to discourage
and tear down every other source
of ingress and egress, has been the
constant effort of a very large and
influential contingent. The Hogg
management was able to overcome
that influence, but the present
managers prefer to float along with
that tendency rather than oppose
it. The report of the United States
engineers adversely to the improve
ment of Yaquina harbor is no
new condition. A very large con-
tingent of those distinguished gem
tlemen of much red tape, large
salaries and little results have fire.
quartly reported adversely during
the progress of the work, but the
Hogg management was powerful
and influential enough to overcome