The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-05-24
GREAT TRAFFIC CONTEST
TO BE FOUGHT ON The SEA
James Hill Says It the Pacific on the One Hand
and the Suez Canal and Cape Horn the Other.

your question regarding the Burlington
and the resources of the Burlington ter
ritory. The Burlington has food and
fuel to degree not possessed by any
other transportation system Reaching
from Chicago to Denver, and from the
Twin Cities to ST. Louis and Kansas
City, 1t covers the richest and most d.
versified zone in the world in the pro-
duction of grain and provisions and fuel.
NOW, what do these central praIries of
Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska
require in return? They need lumber.
From where is the lumber to come?
From Washington and British Column
Dia. That Is the only region with Il
heavy lumber surplus. Now look at
the volume of this traffic. The great
central belt between the AIleghenies and
and the Rockies consumes something like
III, OOO, 0CO, 900 feet of lumber annually, and
produces perhaps half of that Some Of
this will come from the South, but the
bulk from the Puget Sound country
+ Thus, on the one hand, we have a
vast surplus volume of grain, provisions
and fuel in the Mississippi and Missouri
valleys seeking Eastern and Western
outlets, and similar large surplus prod
uct OF lumber in the Puget sound coun-
try likewise pushing for markets, and
especially for the tTeeless prairies Of the
Mississippi and Missouri. Now, grain,
provisions, fuel and lumber constitute
the principal heavy staples which gov
ern traffic and make traffic routes What,
then, have we reached? We Rave a ire
mendous volume of traffic across the
Northwest between Puget sound and the
Mississippi valley. The Northern roads
Will carry westward the meat and corn
and coal. together with the raw cotton
originating within Burlington territory at
st. Louis and will place these products
on the Pacific docks for export to Asia.
and for the return trip the freight
trains will bring back lumber for the
Central West and East. Nature and
her products govern transportation
routes and traffic; we railway men can
simply get in line or fall out by the way
Now, these facts, which 1 have gone
into farther than 1 intended, demon
strate the future of a great Northwest
ern traffic, do they not?'
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES PACIFIC
STATUS.
What is the status of the Burlington
deal, Mr.. HIP" was asked
The purchase of the Burlington by
the Northern roads is accomplished The
condition that two-thirds OF the Burling-
ton shares be deposited for exchange for
Great Northern-Northern Pacific bonds
on or before May 20, has been more than
met. In fact, 95 per cent of the shares
had been deposited with the directors
on May IS, when 1 left New York"
How about the control of the North
ern Pacific? Have the Union Pacific in
terests bought the road. as claimed?"
''The Northern Pacific" sail Mr.. Hill,
with smile, has not changed hands 1t
as In the same control that it was and
under the same traffic policy
Does the purchase of the Burlington
hV the Northern roads than no
the Burlington will handle Great North
ern and Northern Pacific freight east
and south of the Twin Cities?"
THE Burlington, of course, along with
the other Chicago roads. There are six
good Chicago roads, and they must al
ways interchange their traffic"
but it is claimed Mr.. Hill, that in
order to make good the guarantee of S
per cent on the Burlington shares which
the basis of exchange implies. the
Northern roads will have to give the
Burlington a largely increased slice of
their traffic volume, for Burlington stock
now is earning only per cent"
NATURE AND THE SHIPPER CON
troll.
cit is too early now to talk of trans
portation economics and traffic manage
ment, and 1 do not propose to Go so
simply to satisfy the critics. But let me
ask this: Who is the man who says by
what road a certain lot of freight Shall
be hauled? The shipper has the say, not
l. How can I dictate to you what road
shall haul your goods? That is your af-
fair And what VIII govern you in your
choice OF road? Two things-the direct
ness Of the route and the rate. But
these, again, are governed by the fact
as to which road is built and run most
closely in accord with nature and COM
merce; in other words, IS the shortest
cut between the sources Of supply and
demand, possesses the easiest grades,
has the most economical and scientific
methods, has in its territory the greatest
volume Of the staple articles Of traffic.
and has laid its rails along the natural
trade highways OF present AMI future
generations.
after all Is said we railway mana
gers are largely automatons in the shut
tie. We must move as nature and com
merce dictate. We succeed only as we
obey the great natural laws. and the pup
lie interest. AS between roads and
magnates, it is a case Of survival of the
fittest. Who is the fttest; which road.
what route? That which geography,
gravitation. climate, production, popu-
lation, commerce and progress select.
control and support. The others must
pass from view