East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-06-22

1 NtbI.
The Washington correspondent of
the Oregon Daily Journal contributes
the following to the rate discussion
Official Washington was given
some astonishing statements whc
counsel argued mere before the intel
state commerce commission for thei
clients in the case involving the
through joint rate via the Portland
gateway, asked for by Puget SCUM
millmen, on forest products original
ing in western Washington. Officia
Washington-and through 1t the ma
tion-.learned that western Washing
ton and western Oregon alone Gu
| annually II per cent of the entir
| output Of sawed lumbr in the uniteo
States, and that nearly 90 per cent OF
the shingles supplied to the middle
west comes from the north Pacific
coast; that something like 10000 to
900 carloars of forest products
annually is the freight originating H.
the two north coast states; that the
gigantic railroad systems comprising
the Northern Pacific, Great Northern,
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, o. Il.
& NJ, Southern Pacific, Union Pa
cific, Oregon Short Line, have been
utterly unable to move more than one
third of this traffic, and that enough
sawed lumber and shingles lie in mill
yards in the north coast to load to
aft 10 nf
hauled by eight-driver mountain
"hogs."
Railroads Near Failure.
1t was brought out that shingle
mills had needed $500 more cars than
they could obtain from the railroad
serving them. and that to such pro-
portions had north coast traffic
grown that the boasted transporta-
ticn triumrhs OF the Hills, Harrimans
and GouldG is to be spelled near
failure"
Although antagonists interests
clashcd-Puget sound millmen and
operators on the Columbia river and
IN western Oregon-they sang a song
attuned to the same key-car short
age and potential growth on the
north coast beyond the dreams of
early statesmen who In the days of
jefferson thought 1t foolish to expend
money needed TO explore that re-
gion.
I'VE are estopped from cutting
more lumber in western Washington;
We have $4,000 cars of lumber and
immense piles of shingles lying in our
L., fa-
ties for transportation. Give us re-
lief" the Puget sound millmcn said.
Eve, too, have tremendous -quanti-
ties of forest products awaiting ship
mert. We are closing down our mills.
because we cannot obtain cars. We
want relief, and protest against load
ing down the Hartman system with
additional traffic, when already II
staggers under the load which we
lay OF it," the Oregon millmcn an
swered.
Railroads Chief Directors.
The railroads, of course, were the
chief objoctors, as the Oregon mill
men we're only intervenors. But the
intervenors We're ably represented by
]. n. Teal of Portland as counsel and
there were some interesting facts pre-
sented by him. Victor. Beekman and
Austin Il. Grifflths of Seattle and
others were here for the Puget
sound petitioners.
The petition, answers by the dozen
railroads defendant, intervenors' OBJ
jections and oral arguments and
nrinted briefs served to impress the
interstate commerce commission with
the dulling effects on manufacturing
and industry in the development west
of lack of adequate transportation
facilities.
II was brought out that Superin-
tendent Alhee of the Northern Pa
cific said to Austin f. Griffiths, coun-
sci for the Washington lumbermen
that his road had been able to care
for only SO per cent of the car re-
auirements, and that orders taken by
Washington mills six months to a
wear ago were st.ll untitled In some
instances because of car shortage.
Superintendent Albee also said that
two years must elapse before perma-
nant relief could be given, and II was
asserted that by that time the larger
transportation facilities provided In
the meantime would be fully taken
up by the increase in the demands.
Turn to Portland.
TIL. Washington millmen proceed
cd to outline their position as fol-
lows:
I'VE are unable to obtain relief
from the Hill roads, hence we turn
to the Portland agency, claiming that
II weare given the order asked for
from this commission we will be able
to get more cars. get into territory
now denied us, give the people of that
territory competition in buying lum-
her and save the small mills from
starvation"
w. w. Cotton, general attorney and
secretary of the @. r. & N, took
Victor Beckman in hand en- cross-ex-
animation and the two spared for
hours. Peckman was compelled to
admit that Puget sound mills had an
outlet by water and that at least l.
900, 100000 feet of lumber sawed in
western Washington went out In car
goes Mr.. Gotten took statistics
which Mr.. Beckmam had assisted in
comoiling and showed that rail ship
merits of lumber from western WASH
ington to the east had grown 100
rer cent from 1892 to 1906, or from
$3.50 cars to 1879, and that cars
had increased In capacity In that pc
riod from SO per cent, so that the to-
tal increase in rail shipments east
had been 1850 per cent totalinp In