The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-08-09
RAILWAY T|T|ANS
LOCK HORNS
Those of Canada Plan to
Checkmate Invasion by
United States Roads.
SIGNIFICANCE OF MOVES.
DOMINION MEANS TO RETAIN
COMMERCIAL DOMINANCE OF
WESTERN PROVINCES NOW
THREATENED BY J. J. HILL.

Chicago, Aug. S.-This fall and winter
will witness the beginning Of of an in
ternationa1 railroad race between the
United States and Canada with the
commercial dominance over Manitoba,
Saskatchewan and Alberta as a prize.
Word has just been received here that
the Canadian railroads, al -med at the
possibility ofthe great wheat crop of
the western provinces being diverted
by American lines through the states
to the gulf ports, have determined to
provide facilities at any cost to move
this increasingly large crop eastward
through Ontario and the st. Lawrence
river. The completion of the Canadian
Northern railroads new line from To-
ronto to Sudbury Ontario it appears,
is onl ythe first step in a comprchens
i've plan which may call for counter
action on the part Of our big western
roads. Reports that the wheat crop
of the western provinces will be 1885,
10000 bushels or the largest in their
history has helped precipitate mat
tiers.
This determination by the Cana
dian railways explains why the Cana
clan Pacific is rushing the double
tracking of it's line from Winnipeg to
Fort William-which is the"neck of
the bottle" through which nearly all
the grain from the empire OF wheat
to the west, north and northwest
must pass. Most of this double track
ing now is completed. From Port
William and Port Arthur, the twin
cities of Thunder Bay, most of the
grain is poured out of the bottle to go
forward in boats through Lake Supe-
rior. Because the bulk Of the grain
centers upon these ports, the Cana
dian Northern has built at Port Ar
thur the greatest grain elevator in the
world. one of a capacity of seven mil
lion bushels.
The first hint of CanaGa's new IN
te"tions was given in a speech by an
oS.cer of the Canadian Northern at
Sudbury when the line was completed
to that point early this month. The
speech was not reported at the time
but since then it las been brought to
the attention of railroad men of this
city. who consider it OF the greatest
significance.
The speaker began his remarks by
saying that they had now proceeded
more than one-third of the distance
of their march to Port Arthur to con-
meet with the eastern lines Of the
Canadian Northern system, and that
they would soon be running into Port
Arthur over their own rails or over
borrowed rails, thus giving to Western
Canada new outlet for her wheat.
He then took OCCASION to warn Cana.
dams generally that year by year the
west was becoming more important
to the east. than the east to the west
and said additional rails alone could
prevent the natural community of in
terest Of the western provinces and
the western states from breaking up
Canadian national unity. James J.
Hill with five railway lines he con-
tinLod is tapping at the door of
western Canada If Western Canada
is not given sufficient outlet through
the east for her wheat, Mr. Hill will
be admitted and the wheat will go
south through Galveston instead OF
east through Montreal. Once it is al
lowed to cross the international boun-
Diary line enroute to the European
mrakets through the Galveston gate.
way, Montreal will cease to be the
gateway of our west
Already Canada has set a pace in
railroad building that has left the
United States behind. The Canadian
Pacific began the record by complet
ing its lines in years from the time