The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-06-25
ASTORIA ASKS FER
SQUARE DEAL
BUSINESS MEN AND OTHERS
RESENT THE ACTIONS OF
THE RAILWAY COMPANIES

N, Railway company, as tod ny ne
Astorian, that the steamer T. J. Pot
ter will run direct from Portland 10
Mcglcr's, without touching at this
port at all, has naturally caused the
sharpest kind Of comment from local
business men. 1t looks as if the o. X.
& N. forgot for the moment that As
toria is on the map.
The city OF Astoria has a popula-
ton that approximates $4,000 The
passenger traffic between this city
and Portland daily is a considerable
one. For the steamer Potter to touch
here daily on her runs would mean
that she would hardly have to 90 five
miles out OF her way, and would
thereby hardly lose an hours time at
the outside.
How the o. K. & N. management
can afford to do this is not very clear
to men at this end OF the line. That
the Potter could work up consid
cradle passenger traffice between
Portland and Astoria is a plain
proposition, especially since the yes
sci is now scheduled to leave Port
land at 8 o'clock each morning. In
former days no one could tell with
any degree Of cerainty just when the
sailing would be made, and as re-
suit passengers for this city naturally
did not accustome themselves TO look
for the O. r. & N. sailings. But with
a definite hour for daily departures,
there seems to be no reason why the
passenger traffic should not be a
material source of income to the
Potter
II may be stated in defense OF the
railway company, that it is virtually
impossible for the Potter to make her
daily runs il she were to touch here;
but there seems to be no reason why
she cannot easily cross the river in
an hours time. To cross the river
would require only a detour Of a few
miles when the tide is low, and when
| the tide is high she can cut straight
across While it may be natural for
the company to evince desire to
keep its passengers on the other side
of the river entirely, to the end that
none OF them may be diverted from
the O. R. & N. trains, nevertheless
that may prove short sighted pol
icy. The Hassalo makes the run
daily now, and with the Potter touch
ing here, there would be a vastly
improved service.
The business management of the
water lines of the 0. r. & N. seem to
have overlooked the fact that their
beach business may last only for a
few months, while Astoria is here at
the mouth OF the Columbia river for
II months out of the year Agents of
the o. r, & N. lines have frequently
complained of the loss OF business
that they suffer from the other YES
sells that are running independently
and oftentimes the complaint has
been coupled with the intimation that
Astoria should stand by" the 0. R.
& N. waite rlines. And now after all
this the O. R, & N. tops the whole
matter off by casting this final mat
ter in Astoria's face-literally ignoring
the city's existance..
Perhaps Astoria has not learned to
properly resent such "slaps"; and in
few days there is another "slap"
coming, this time by the A. & c,
whose new schedule goes into effect
in few days. 1t used to be that one
could go to Portland on business
errand and remain there until the re-
turning train left at z o'clock in the
evening That gave the visitor six or
seven hours in Portland Later the
return time was placed an hour earl
ier, namely, at o'clock. Then still
another little slice was cut off, for the
new schedule announced puts the re-
turn time at $50 o'clock. And while
in the old days it only took three
hours and half to make the run
home from Portland to Astoria, from
7 o'clock to 1890, now the passenger
is to leave there at $50 and get in
Astoria at o:20, ten minutes less than
four hours to travel hundred miles.
The Astoria trains now do all the
little way station work on the North
ern Pacific from Goble to Portland,
that the other trains used to prop
erly aid in doing. And leaving Port
land at $50 o'clock, the hurried visi-
tor naturally is pleased to find that
there is diner on the train as a part
of the new arrangement. His dollar
for the diner dinner will naturally put
him in excellent humor for the haste
of his departure and for the slower
trip that he is compelled to make
back to Astoria,
The new Astoria and Columbia
trains for the summer will run
through to Seaside, and Astoria is
glad that Seaside will reap the bene-
fits Of the through trains, but at the
same time IL looks as if this city
should be considered just little BY
the management of the A, & G,