The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-07
RAILROADS.
HAMILTON BACKERS
G. S. Mellen, One of Those Associa-
ted With Him in Manitoba
Railroad Plans. >~ I: ~.
Premier Greenway Shows Lack of
z Faith in the Bill for New
Road. i:
Special to The Journal.


Winnipeg. Man. March 7.-What prom
ised to be a routine session of the legis-
lature yesterday developed into one of
much interest. arising out of the second
reading of the bill to incorporate the
Midland Railway Of Manitoba, for which
an application has been made by c. e.
Hamilton on behalf of himself. G.. S. Mel
len. president Of the Northern Pacific;
Henry P. Upham of ST. Paul and John S.
Ewart and James Fisher of Winnipeg
This is the bill which Mr.. Hamilton says
the Northern Pacific is-behind
Premier Greenway said he had little
faith in this application and thought it,
a big bluff. He thought it would be ad-
visable to refuse the application. From
this the discussion drifted to the appli-
cation at the last session of the Mani
toba Midland & Western railway for an
extension Of time on which the commit
tee on private bills reported adversely.
Mr.. Young, member for Deloraine.
charged Mr.. Johnson with having last
session "bucked' the application Of the
Northern Pacific.
Mr.. Johnson showed that the applca
tion was not that Of the Northern Pa
cif1c, and that no assurance Of any kind
had been given the committee on private
bills that it was. He challenged any men,
Der to say that Mr.. Ewart had ever said
he appeared as solicitor for the Northern
Pacific, or that Mr.. Ewart had ever said
-
plication. No took up the challenge.
DR.. McInns asked Mr.. Young if he had
any guarantee that the Northern Pacific
was behind last years appica ton. and
the reply was that he had Mr.. Ewart' S
word. DR.. McInnis also asked why it was
If the Northern Pacific was so anxious to
come in last year, it did not build under
the charter of the Manitoba Central rail-
way. which it held and which covered
the ground as the charter of the
Manitoba Western & Midland railway.
Mr.. Mackenzie Talks.
William Mackenzie. president of the Ca :
madam Northern, who arrived in Winni
peg yesterday, reiterates the statement
that neither the Northern Pacific nor the
Great Northern was behind G. E. Hamil-
toms railroad scheme. ''All that I can
lear1l,' he said, lis that it is simply a
number OF private individuals not backed
by any railroad corporation. who are try
ing to get charter which will give them
the right to build roads in this province.
Mr.. Hill was emphatic in his denial to
me that neither the Northern Pacific nor
the Great Northern had anything to dc
with the application. and he said further
that it was not the intention of either
of these companies to extend its line tC
Manitoba.
Il am told that there is Il feeling in this
country that charters should be granted
to any parties or corporations that ask
for them. I think this is mistaken idea
1t would not be for the best interests OF
the people Of Manitoba to have more rail
s roads than there was traffic for. The
more the traffic is divided up between
different companies the greater is the cx
pense of hauling and the less the prospec
of reduction in the rates.
Mackenzie added that the roads in Man
itoba and the northwest would be able
to handle all the grain crop of this yea
easily.