The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-11-26

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dairying and the establishment Of
creameries: by preaching and fostering
irrigation of arid tracts: by cooper
ating with the settlers in the drainage
of wet tracts; by establishing and ad-
vertising summer resorts; by cooper
alton with agricultural colleges and ex-
pertinent stations in the development
of scientific farming; by pushing the
good roads, cause and inaugurating
a good roads" train; by introducing
blooded stock, and distributing tons
of literature annually to present to
the popu.ous East the resources and
opportunities of the West.
For twenty years the one cardinal
article oc the Hill creed has been:
Develop the northwest"
Sjx-Tenths of a Cent.
= When he found Scent rate per ton
per mile on all Minnesota roads in
sufficient to develop Minnesota re-
sources he introduced a 2-cent rate
and at length q 1-cent rate. Finally,
finding that the high rail rates from
Minnesota to the Atlantic still Grip
pied. northwestern development, and
foreseetng that the Great Lakes Of
fered the northwest cheap trans
portation outlet, he established in 1887
the Eastern Railway Of Minnesota,
from the twin cities to Duluth-Su-
y,cr ro,, 10
greatest freight channels on the globe
by rate which during the past six
years has averaged six-tenths Of / cent
per ton per mile, or, in other words, a
rate about one-halfg that which pre-
walls In New England or in the south
west.
When the northwest, during the
past winter and following the coal
strike, was threatened with fuel fam
Inc, he secured thru the Burlington
daily volume of coal sufficient to
supply the state at rate which av-
cent per ton per mile from the H.
linois coal mines to the twin city mar
ket.
Hill Out It In Two.
When the Great Northern, In 1898,
reached the Pacific. Mr.. Hill found
that the giant forests of Puget sound
were rendered unavailable to the pop
ulous Mississippi valley and the east
by reason Of an 80-cent rate from the
Pacific to the Mississippi. He asked
Puget sound lumbermen what rate
would satisfy their condition and give
them access to eastern markets.
The Puget sound lumbermen an
swered: 1--WE will be satisfied with a
reduction of 20 per cent, or a eo-cent
rate to the Mississippi"
Mr.. Hill replied: Gentlemen, that
reduction Is not enough; we will cut
the present rate in two and make It
40 cents to the Mississippi"
First U. S. Rail Export.
When Japan set about to install a
railway system for the development Of
the empire Of 1.-THE Yankees Of the Pa
cifc" and advertised for steel rails,
and the transportation rate from
American rolling mills to Yokohama
was prohibitive, John W. Gates, the
steel magnate of Chicago, came to St.
Paul to see Mr.. Hill and ask what
could be done to prevent British man
ufacturers from getting the Japan con-
tract at their own figures. AS told by
Gates in speech last April at New
London, on the event Of the launching
of the steamship Minnesota, Mr..
Hill answered.:
Il will make you a rate of SO per
ton from Chicago or Pittsburg to
Yokohama If that is too much, I
will carry 1t for the axle grease used
on the locomotives and freight cars;
nnd If You can't stand that, will
carry your freight for nothing"
AS the raie named was only a frac-
ton of the existing rate and was low
err than. the rate from England to the
Orient, the American manufacturer
was enabled to secure the contract,
and American rails secured their first
conquest over European competition
in the Orient.
Minnesota Flour to the Orient.
Within the present year a similar
rate was made on Minneapolis -four
to the Philippines and on Minnesota
produce Of the farms. and Minnesota
millers and farmers surprised the
shipping world by shipping within a
single month this year upwards of
$4,000 tons of freight via the Great
Northern to Manila.
When the grain rates and lake and
elevator charges from the farms of
Minnesota and the Dakotas handi-
capped farm production and stood as
an obstruction between the farm and
| the Liverpool market, Mr.. Hill built ele-
vators at Duluth-Superior and Buffalo,
! tho largest in the world, and estab-
lished tho Northern Steamship COM
pany, with fleet of grain-carriers and
palace passenger vessels. thereby not
only incidentally making the Great
Lakes routes the most popular sum-
mer tourist trip in the country, but
what was Of deep import to North
western development, cutting In two
elevator and lake charges on the prod
ucts of Minnesota and Dakota farms
| Introducing Blooded Stock.
When careless farming Of the pio-
neer kind with a single staple crop
| Threatened the exhaustion Of aoi1