Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-08
settlement q
Of THE WEST
ST. PAUL PAPER SAYS HILL
SHOWED FORESIGHT IN RE-
i DUCING SETTLERS RATES.
Intended TO INCREASE
FUTURE TRAFFIC OF ROAD.
Time Extended Long Enough to Per-
NIT Intending Settlers to Make
q Calculations.

The action OF the Great northern
Railway company in establishing low
rates for homeseekers until May l, Is
causing a good deal of discussion in the
middle west. 1t is generally believed
that this move. cannot but be OF I'M
mense benefit to the country tapped by
the company's lines, n this IS especlai-
ly true of Montana.
Al idea of the opinion prevalent IN
Minnesota regarding the innovation may
be gathered from the following, taken
from the st. Paul Pioneer Press:
The action of the Great Northern in
putting in effect a very low homeseek-
ers' rate and extending the time until
May 1 next is a legitimate and business
like move. 1t could not be so if adopted
by many other roads Of the country,
for the conditions are not similar. The
northern roads hav seen business that
had been worked up by them for the
settlement of the country diverted to
the southwest because the rates were
made lower. The making of rates to
the intending settler is an important
factor, as experience has demonstrated.
Again, the object in placing the limit
for these excursions so far ahead is that
the homeseeker may make his calcula-
tons in advance, knowing that when he
is ready to move the low rates will be
in force.
The homeseekers going to the far west
are really in search of homes. For two
years little other travel has taken adj
vantage of these rates. This would not
be true of eastern roads If such rates
were adopted. The travelling public
would monopolize such reduction, and
perhaps the broker might benefit.
AS a business proposition !, is but in
line with j. J. Hills shrewd foresight.
His road differs materially from others.
1t is operated and controlled largely by
one man, and is conducted as he would
conduct a private business. He knows
that when the country along his road Is
settled up he will lave more business.
If no inducements were offered to the
settlement of the millions of acres of
land along the Great Northern it might
be a great many years before the traffic
Of the road would equal its facilities.
The only way to max any business
pay is to work it to it's full capacity,
and nowhere is this more apparent than
in railroading. If twenty trains can find
work where now only n Is operated
the proportionate increase in revenue
will be more thar twenty times as great,
and the production Of revenue is the
fundamental and final object in operat-
ing a railroad. All the traffic it can
handle is none too much.
This is evidently Mr.. Hills object in
settling up the vacant lands. He is
long-headed enough to see that by sac
rificing a few dollars in railroad fares
now he will reap thousands in the near
future through the industry of these
same homeseekers in the development of
the country.
Ordinary methods would be too slow.
There are long stretches on the Great
Northern, as there are on all of the
transcontinental roads, where there Is no
business whatever for the road. There
are sections where, if they could be sep
arated from the system, would show
great loss. Many miles Of Improbable
trackage is often reprtD anted in a dis
trict which as a whole returns a profit,
n there is no way to make every mile
profitable except by increasing the traf-
fic. The traffic can only be increased
by settlement and development.
The growth of the great west may SO
on for a century. It's vacant lands may
all be taken up in twenty years, Or they
may be absorbed in five years, depending
upon the energy displayed in settlement,
but If the land is brought under cultiva-
ton in five years instead of twenty years
it is quite apparent that the railroads
will have the advantage of fifteen years
Of increased traffic, every year increas-
ing over the other, and, with the d.
versity of interests represented, d%ecreas-
ing the liability to crop failures.
This iC what the Great N0rtharr nrn.
poses to do. INC this is what other roads
will do if the management can ever see
beyond the immediate returns of revenue
and admit a rora 1iharal noIicv