The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1905-11-17
THE PORTLAND EXCURSION

Il HE fIN LINN L<<AN C4NsO4
Portland business men are tour
ing the interior to arrive at a better
understanding of the interests, con-
ditions and influences that prevail
among the men with whom they
have dealt fifty odd years. The
idea is to unite the business inter-
ests of the state into harmonious
whole in the hope that the concord
may contrive for a better Oregon.
1t is we'll, for it gives Portland
business men an opportunity to ex-i
plain why,it is thatlying at the gate
way of an immense productive en-
pire, where it has no competitor in
the race of destiny, Portland has
not outgrown the other cities OF the
Northwest. Has the lack Of push
of Portland businessmen had any
thing to do with it? Whether true
or untrue, it is the popular impress
sion that Portlanders are less alert,
less driving and less given to doing
things than are the men in other
cities, yea even less than In some
of the interior towns of Oregon.
When they go home. the excur-
sionists can, if they try, prove this
impression to be false. They can
show why it is that Corvallis ships
great quantities of hardwood to
California to be manufactured into
furniture, cars, agricultural imple
ments, which Oregon, Portland
and Corvallis buys back in the fin
ished state, paying unnecessary toll
to railroad, employing the labor of
other regions and losing the incre-,
ment for Oregon, all while Portland
capital lies and waits for six per
cent or some other unproductive
form of investment.
Apropos of the tour, it might al
so be explained why it is that Iowa
produces MANIFOLD more hundred
weight of livestock per acre than
does the Willamette Valley though
the latter, with its perennial grass,
its salubrious climate is as many
fold more fitted for the purpose
than is Iowa. Is it because the
Willamette valley farmer gets but
60 per cent of the value of his pro-
duct, while a 40 per cent diferential
for the Portland dealer stands be.
tween him and the Portland con-
sumer?
And there are other things that
the interior would be glad to have
explained. Why, for instance, is
it that the party Of distinguished
visitors is always taken on an ex-
cursion up the Columbia when a
trip up the Westside and down the
Eastside would show them broad
acres of pasture land, fertile field,
flower, valley, wood and mountain
in grand repose quite as refresh
ino and far more edifying than the
du1l-hued rocks of the Columbia!
Why, again, have Portlanders de.
voted all effort to The Dalles and
Cello enterprises, when but small
fraction of that effort devoted to
the Willamette locks at Oregon
City, would increase by half a dol
lar ton every bushe1 of wheat and
In the same ratio the value of every
other product grown in the William.
cite valley?
Why, too, are there not enough
cars to haul the products of the
Willamette Valley to market?
How can state grow or com.
munity flourish if there Is no means
of transportation at hand, whenev.
er required to hurry things produc-
ed into the markets when the price
Is right, and profit within reach!
These are things that Portland bus.
mess interests can we'll afford to
consider, if their errand is comfy
and If their idea is that state wide
rather than local development is
paramount.
The tour of the business men
should be potential for comfy, con-
cord and bettered conditions, and il
doubtless will be.