Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-11-21
PORTLAND BUSINESS MEN.
Things Corvallis Did not Mention
to the Guests.

At five minutes after I2 O'Clock
Friday, the special train bearing
the business men of Portland on
their tour through Western and
Southern Oregon pulled into
Corvallis. The train was on
schedule time to the minute and
stopped on College street, where
the excursionists alighted.
The weather was acting some
what unrulv. but a good dele
CATION from OAC and the city
met the party. A procession was
formed, headed by the cadet
band, and the military body OF
OAC, and was led off by Lieut..
Ouinlan for a short march about
town, shortly to arrive at the city
hall.
The stop-over Of the party in
this city was so brief that no pre-
parations had been made for en-
tertainment nor program of any
nature. There was simply sort
of free-for-all pitch in and each
person was allowed to shift for
himself. 1t it generally recogniz-
ed that, while the trip had its
p1easureable features, the main
object of the Portland brethren
was business.
Our visitors have been literally
patronized in the past and they
desire a continuation of this pa
tronage. There is no secret
about the fact that the question
uppermost in their minds is how
best to retain the trade of rural
communities. They will not
deny this, nor is there anything
improper in such desire.
Many things have worked to
the detriment of Oregon in the
past and Portland has not done
as she might have in the matter.
Her business men do not furnish
the market that they should. Il
they happen to want certain
amount of country produce they
will accept it-seldom, how
ever, at top market prices as
compared with other cities. This
policy is not a good one-they
should air, to provide a market
for everything the country pro.
duces and pay as much for it as
can be secured in any other
market in the land. When they
work on this basis then Portland
will take the place she is entitlee
to among cities and Oregon will
develop with leaps and bounds.
There is proviso even to tht
above-next to first class mar
ket we must have facilities un
surpassed tor the transportation o
the products of the country, els
we remain in our present condi
ton. No matter what the mark
ct is if transportation facilitie
are not adequate and reasonabl
in price we are doomed 10 bust
ness stagnatien-country and cit
alike.
Not many days ago writer i
the Oregonian asserted that tn
Southern Pacific had not added
car in four years and yet th
complaint of scarcity of cars fo
freight service is one commonl
heard.
While here there was som
mention made by the Portland
ers of Yaquina Bay and its poss
bilities, its need of improvement
andso forth. This is we'll an
anything done to put into CON
mission feet of sea-going era
FROM Yaquina would be grateful
received by our people. But
us this looked like ''sop" for th
reason that little shipped by wa
er from Yaquina Bay finds i
way to Portland. Therefore,
is scarcely to the interest of th
business men of the metropolis
see much done to rejuvenate Il
c. & E. and we are inclined
doubt the sincerity of the gentl'
man who touched on this subie
the other day.
No mention was made of il
provements on the Upper Wi
1amette so far as we could lear
nor of any proposed action wi
regard to the locks at Orege
City. Why? It may have BET