Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-26
BOTTOM IS SOUND.
SAYS MR.. SCHIFF
But the Banker Declares the Railroad
Situation Must Be Relieved
and Very Soon.

that we should go slow. A recession has
undoubtedly set in, perhaps not a big one.
but still a recession. If men will be eau
tious and sood-tempered and have patience
much good can be Gone. Granted that, l
see no reason to be apprehensive.
Il do not think You should lay too much
stress on the lack of money. About 30 or
9j per cent of business is done on credit.
Men don't carry big wads>in their pockets.
Some sort of a check Goes the business.
We have plenty of money as money Is Or
~dinari.y s:5ed. he tn ucle IS that our credit
is impaired The business of the northwest
viii so on regardless of general conditions
!, the main. because the northwest deals in
food. shelter and clothing. which are the
Things peope must have. The trouble last
winter and at present has largely been
caused by the fact that merchants delayed
sending their orders for coal in until there
was a great stream of traffic coming east
ward beth lumber and grain. The two
streams OF freight met and there was trou-
BILE
Mr.. Hill was questioned concerning the
criticism directed against the Great North
ern and Northern Pacific by merchants who
CAIN there is a congestion OF freight which
is sure 10 iniure busin SIS. and to this he
replied:
I'VE have fulfilled our contract with the
people of the northwest by building rail-
road. Now, let somebody else build a rail-
road.
Mr. Hills statement was not indicative,
FOR made in the heat of anger, as the bare
words nigh, suggest He was smiling and
cheerful He apparently feels that the en-
pire which he has helped to create in the
far northwest has grown SO Big that he
wants help in handling it.
II want 20 see the st. Paul build through
there. / want the Chicago North western
to run a track through to the Pacific. More
railI Dads are needed. We are doing the
best we can. If you know what ii means
to nave snow four feet deep on the level,
you may appreciate some of the diff ,ulties
under which the railroads Of the northwest
have been laboring this winter. But there
is business there for all the roads that
build into the territory without regard to
snow"
But" Mr.. Hill was asked, "does not the
fact that you have built a railroad into
that country and encouraged business men
to tie up their capital in enterprises morally
obigate you to furnish transportation suf-
ficent for these people to get their prod
ucts to market?
Not at ALL was the quick response.
when a railroad builds into a country
there is no obligation on the part of the
people to furnish it with business. We
have built a railroad and that fulfills our
contract. We are under no obligation
DO you know" asked Mr. Hill, where
the country got it's lumber up to few
years ago? Michigan? Yes; that's right.
Well. Michigan does not supply its own
ueeuS LOT pieSeut, He!tHeI uUeS
Wisconsin. The lumber comes from the
northwest. You are talking about the con-
gestion on the Northern Pacific between
Takoma and Pasco There is a tunnel two
and a half miles long on that single-track
stretch of road. The utmost capacity
through the tunnel is little above 300 car
loads day. counting everything, lumber,
passenger and all kinds of traffic, and yet II
the Northern Pacific could handle the bust
ness there would be 500 carloads a day Of
lumber alone offered. Can you realize what
that means? The New York Central has a
four-track road. It handles 100000 tons
over each mile in a year. That one stretch
of the Northern Pacific from Tacoma to
Pasco is handling business right now at
the rate of 4,OO00O0 tons a mile annually.
Think Of it, And people think the New
York Central is doing business