The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-08-15
CITY INJURED BY SHORT SIGHT
ED POLICY.
KNEW NOT THEIR FRIENDS
Business Man Tells What Would Have
Been Avoided by Bette.
Judgment.
From Tuesdays Daily Gazette.

From Tuesdays Daily Gazette.
'"The mischief has been wrought,
and wrought beyond repair, so there
is no use Of complaining, but for all
that one cannot but regret the, short
sightedness responsible for it, espec-
tally as the effects n becoming con-,
stantly more apparent"
n The speaker was a we'll known bus
mess man Of the city, who for reasons
known best to himself does not desire
to have his name published. Thensub-
ject to which he referred was the re-
fusal of a former city council to grant
the petition of the Burlington to close
North Twenty-eighth street for the
purpose of giving it more ground SO
that the company could enlarge it's
wool warehouse.
Instead OF 10000 900 pounds of wool
having found it's way to the Cody
warehouse this season." he continued,
"if the exact figures could be obtained
it would be found that it was nearer
5000, 900 pounds. Taking it iii round
numbers this has made a difference of
at least 100000 in the amount of
money that woIld have folui its way
into the different financial channels
of the city. OF coarse, | do not mean
by this that all would have remained
here, but I mean that it would have
passed through the banks in payment
of the wool that would have been sold
here, but now has gone to Cody. Some
of it would have remained. The sell
ers would have come to the city and
they could not have done so without
spending some of it for hotel bills, in
cidenta1s etc, not to say anything
of the possible purchases they would
have made. Then there would have
been the added prestage the city
would have received as a wool market.
This is no little consideration ,es-
pecially as we are aspiring to be
known as the greatest initial wool
market in the country, if not in the
world.
cit is my firm opinion that the Bur
lington road has not received the
treatment it deserved from the people
OF Billings. 1t was the advent Of that
road that gave us the prominence as
a commercial and shipping center we
enjoy and it was also it's advent that
gave us the growth we boast of. In
fact, it was the Burlington that made
a city of Billings and raised it from
the status of a mere station on a sin.
gle line of railroad to- a position CT
commanding Importance and n of
the best cities in the state and one Of
the most promising places in the
northwest. All this was brought about
by competition for the new road came
here to do business and offered ev-
cry possible and consistent induce
ment to the public to give, it a share
of it's business. It was competition
that caused the Northern Pacific to
build its new brick freight depot and
it was competition that forced 1t to
provide an adequate warehouse for
the receipt and shipment of wool. Had
lington the old frame shack would
still be inu. Sc as a freight depot and
instead of a warehouse in which to
store their wool the growers would
still be in s as a freight depot and
pile it upon platforms, exposed to all
kinds of weather and the sampling
would have to be done in the open air.
"When too late it was realized that
a mistake had been made and q cor
rection was attempted by granting the
Northern Pacific's petition for closing
a street in the heart of the city. But
this does not alter matters so far as
they pertain to the Burlington and
the wool that goes to Cody is not
brought here. Had the request Of the
Burlington not been denied we would
still be receiving the. northern Wyo-
ming wool and there would be nc COM
peting market to the south Of us. I
know whereof / speak when / say that
Notwithstanding the Burlington would
have had a double haul arrangements
had been made to Offset this in the
way of reduction on the combined
haul that would have mere than even
ed the apparent disadvantage to the
grower because of the additional haul
from the initial points.
The trouble is that we have not
recognized our friends and did not
know enough to grasp the cpportun,
tiles that were presented to us. Now
we are paying the penalty"
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