Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-07-02

danger of damage and loss is being sus-
tanned in net pushing the work more
Irapiiiy TO completion. The improve !.
men: u he i,arbor at Yaquina bay, ly-
ing 45 miles west of Hs, is much needed
and desired by the people OF this valley.
The money appropriated through Con-
gress and expended on the Yaquina har-
bor was saved three or four times to the
producers of the Willamette Valley in
reduced rates of freight. Had the ap-
propriations been continued on this har-
Dor, the amounts expended would soon
have been returned to the producers in
reduced freights.
When it was urged during the discus.
sions in congress against aid to con
tinue this work, ''that the traffic had so
largely decreased that necessity for the
improvement no longer existed" this
objection was certainly not understood at
that time by congress or the committee.
That the traffic decreased was fact, but
the conditions which led to this decrease
was the strongest and best reason which
could possibly be urged in favor of con
tinuing the improvement. The traffic
had assumed such proportions through
Yaquina bay that on the side tracks
along the railroad line stood all of the
available freight cars for months and the
large ware house at Yaquina City and
those along the line of road were filled
with outgoing produce and freights wait
ing for shipment; being behind the ca,
pacity of the steamship line for two or
three months.
Finally the gold excitement i'll Alaska
created such large demand for steam
much larger sums were paid for charters
than could possibly be paid in any es-
tablished trade sailing out of Oregon
ports, that all Of the steamers were
drawn off Of the Yaquina trade and put
on the trade to Alaska. When those inter-
ested in maintaining the Yaquina trade
learned of this and made an attempt to
supply other steamers it was found that
all other available steamships on this
coast suitable for the Yaquina trade had
also been chartered for Alaskan ports.
The people of the Willamette Valley
soon realized that the traffic through va
quina bay had fallen off. In other
words 1t was forced off. The owners of
the accumulated freight were compelled
to and did return all of that freight oyer
the same road which previously carried
it westward; then down through this
| valley and out over the Columbia bar by
way of Portland. But ii was not the
fault of Yaquina harbor or the people
who prior to that time found saving in
shipping oyer the Yaquina bar, that it
did not go that way. mention this so
that if the question of aid is again asked
in congress for improving Yaquina har-
bor you will know that while the asser-
ton that the trade declined is true in
fact, yet the circumstance which forced
the decline is the most substantial and
strongest reason why the appropriation
should be granted and the improvement
completed.
We do not ask for aid for these rivers
and harbors as a convenience only to
special localities, but for reasons of pub
| lie policy-it is necessary to improve these
rivers and harbors to afford means of
maintaining competing systems Of trans
portation reducing heIghts and leading
to greater development of the country.
Fhe improvement of Yaquina harbor
affords means of competition with lines
transporting freight by way of the Col
umbia river and the railroads snd vice
versa. There was a time, when the sys-
TENS Of transportation shrough Yaquina
bay and by way of the Columbia river
were in active operation, that wheat was
worth in Corvallis within two or three
cents as much as in Portland. Now we
have to pay from nine to ten cents per
/ bushel to ship wheat to Portland
Think of the great saving this would be
Ito this country when applied to all o
the freight disbursed and received
Freight was then carried by way of va
lquina bay to Portland and also to the
southern part Of the state.
/ We regret very much that your stay
/ with us is such that we cannot show
| you personally and in detail these sev.
eral places needing improvement. Your
tour through this country, however, will
! enable yon to realize the large undevel
/ oped natural resources of this country
our splendid climate, the rich lands
abundant haryests, the vast extent o
our timber lands and our industrious ane
enterprising people. You will then un-
derstand how important it is to the de-
velopment of this csuntry, to have thes,
rivers and harbors improved. for withou
! the competition afforded by the rivers
harbors and ocean in transporting th'
results of our labor to market, complet
5 and satisfactory development of tn i
& country is impossible.
s; The details of pressing the needs o.
: these several localities on your attention
we will leave to our able and eficien
, senators and representatives in congress
, The people of this country with mucf
5 satisfaction realize that they have beer
: fortunate in being ably represented i
: congress.
al W. rooIi1e that thia toilr iS not helm