The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-06-07
lis Importance to Oregon as an
Educational institution.
WASHINGTON JOINS HANDS
The Benefits to be Derived From the
Building of the Dalles.celilo Railroad
on the Commerce of the Columbia
River and the Two States.

The Seattle Post lnteligencer is more
of worker for the Comercial interests
of the Columbia river than Is the Ore,
gonian, the selfish interests characteristic
of the latter being eliminated by the
former In discussing the good roads con.
vention and the completion Of the Dalles.
Cello road it says;
The executive committee of the Wash
ington Good Roads Association is 10 meet
in Portland on June q, the last day Of
the session of the national association al
that place, The Washington members
will certainly return from the convention
with enlarged ideas upon the subject If
the proposed programme is carried into
effect II is the purpose, among other
things, to have practical demonstration
by engineers OF national reputation and
yb expert road builders, of modern
methods OF road building, utilizing the
material likely to be nearest at hand and
best adapted to local conditions in each
locality. II is proposed further to formu
late the legislation which will be asked in
each of the states which will have repre-
sentatives at the convention, with the
idea OF having uniform state laws on the
subject.
The gospel of good roads is gaining con
verts every day, although there ~ still
an enormous amount OF inertia to be over
come before there will be any general re-
form. Bad roads impose the heaviest
burden on the country producer which he
has to carry. Besides their cost to him
his tax payments are trihe. Nor does
the city dweller escape by any means.
Delivery Of bulkey articles, at any dis.
tance from the railroad station, costs
him more by the ton than would pay for
hauling them by railroad a hundred
miles, and large share Of this extra
cost may be fairly placed at the door OF
bad highways.
The last spike has been driven on the
Dalles. Cello railroad, and a new route |
has been opened on the Columbia for the
trade Of the Inland Empire. 1t is now
possible for any company which can com
mand capital enough to purchase and
operate two steamboats-On on the up.
per and the other on the lower river
TO compete with the railroads in carry.
ing grain from Eastern Washington and
Eastern Oregon and in carrying return
merchandise into that region. To all in
tents and purposes there is the open
river, so long looked forward to, as a
,orrector Of railroad charges.
II is quite safe TO say that the open
river will not divert any large share OF
business from the railroads. They will
meet any rates which may be made by
he water routes or a new chapter in
abroad history will have TO be written.
or the railroads have always met water
elsewhere. Railroads still
AIRY much more of the freight down the
he steamboats, and barges; the water
cute simply regulating the railroad rate
automatically.
This will be the purpose Of the new
quite down the Columbia. II will find
business in handling products grown in
he country Immediately adjacent to the
'nver, where there is the advantage OF a
hort haul TO the river down grade, but
he railroads will handle the bulk OF the
business of the country in the future, as
n the past.
As an automatic regulator of railroad
rates the open river will be more ef.
iective agency than the railroad commits.
sion; and it will be worth to the states OF
Oregon and Washington a great deal for
this purpose alone.