The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1907-10-31
]. ]. HILL ON
TRANSPORTATION.
No More Railroad Building, Says
Great Northern President.
HoT SUFFICIENT TERMINALS.

ne Mtsutsstppt onouia BE 81 once
utlliHsd az transportation Artery.
awhy do l think that railroad build
ing IN the United States IL a thing Of
the pastT' said James j. Hill, presi-
dent Of the Great Northern railroad, to
the New York Times correspondent az
Minneapolis the other day.
Il don't think anything about It.
know. certainly am glad that the
inland waterways commission visited
here (Aflnneapolis), even II Il didn't
stay long. for the after effects VIII be
great. The question Of transportation
n leading one In the country on &C
count Of the great distances. Invest
ment in such facilities IL next TO the
value OF the soil ON which we live.
twenty-five years ago railroads
thought that, like the sacred cows Of
India, no profane hand would be laid
on them, but profane hands we're laid
ON them.
This country today Is in most i'm
minent danger from want Of trans
poFtation. Business has grown so that
the railroads can't handle It. II from
the LIST TO the 18th Of November you
undertake to ship carload OF -four
from Minneapolis to Liverpool you
can't get q bill OF lading to New York
In thirty days. or, II you get 1t. the
goods win not be delivered. II Is a
physical lmpossibIllty.
'sThe trouble IL there are not suf-
hclent terminals Terminals are like
hands and feet 70 men. The head may
save him, but he will make a poor race
without feet Trunk lines are mort
cared to the tifth time, and money
can't be- raised.
''sOme time ago ! asked a real estate
man what II would cost to get tier Of
blocks, one OF the narrowest, from the
Harlem river to Thirty-thlrd street,
Now York lie came back In a week
and said that $3.50. 100000 would not
buy II. That means that II would cost
for terminals alone $685. 900 mile for
every mile from Chicago to New York
before the line was built. The rail-
roads can't pay rent on such high
priced property.
''rhiu matter Of transportation ID q
most urgent one. People think there is
no limit to what the railroads can do.
There Is very present limit 20 many
railroads In the volume Of business we
have to do, II takes money to run rail-
rOada. Last year the Great Northern
earned Cos per cent.
'aTha Great Northern Il bonded to
lesa than s4OO0O.O00 Of It's value, but
people are not anxious 10 invest in .
railroad which pays only b6s per cent
aud have to sit up nights planning how
70 defend the property when they can
st and per cent from other secu.
rity.
Il repeat that railroad building has
stopped In this country. There IL =
want Of money IN every center Where
business has grown the fastest there h
the greatest want, a. in Germany aud
the united States. Newspapers toll ~
the trouble b In Wall street. l know
better, The trouble h IN our own
Householder
''Ia Wall street In trouble when Il Ia
now getting and per cent and when
last year II got 3 and 80 per cent?
Hardly, The scarcity OF money b
worldwide. II IN not time for political
CHEST dancing.
There was a bad time last winter
when total OF lot bills were passed
by the state legislatures against the
railroads Not one Of them was based
on Information. They did have hear.
Ing In Minnesota and invited tostlmO.
NY. but the report was contrary TO tho
testimony given
'.rraflc Il growing ave times AZ fast
- the mileage. and we are np against
q seone wall Even the amount needed
10 put IA In q condition whore we
onMht 10 BE- la 40 large as to be beyond
the Feasibility % tho country to fur
nth. We might as well put railroad
Improvement out Of the question. Th0
public win use what they have got
until they get more. and that win not
he m short tlmo."
slut what Ia your remedy Tor pres.
eAe evliar' asked tho correspondent.
'arha newspapers talk Of a deep
channel from Duluth to 81. Paul. he
sala. sBuppoee we build a canal
where are you going to set water to
Seat the boata1 The water wOald
have % BE- pumped $50 miles,
he then suggested a canal placed on
F0eheFu4 into which a little water could
he aOoled from one end and then
t1tsa with iaekserews 30 that bOatA
wOah he fioatod 10 the other end.
shut let ua do what can be done
TheEN ara others IN the world besides
ourselves. and some Of them are ac>
tive, There Is talk % canal from the
lakes by the Ottawa river to Montreal
IAia weald pat Mentreal cfteen miles
naarsr Duluth than Ruffalo h and q
weald Be almost impossible 10 SET traf,
&c % take the longer route, chicago
wants = ship canal aud would be glad
10 have one built. hut there are
seine dllAenlt problems. Where WI
yel set the watprf The shores q TIE
great lakes touch two COUNTRIES. ana
people az the upper end of the lakWp
win object Il enough b taken 10 opsR>