New-York tribune., 1909-12-20
success Of almost everything to which
the firm has turned It's hand
BOUGHT ROAD OVER NIGHT

BOUGHT ROAD OVER NIGHT.
few years ago a railway some two
hundred and fifty miles long. reaching
from Regina, the capital OF Saskatchewan
10 Prince Albert. at the far northern edge
OF the wheatheld and the southern shore
OF the fur bearing and wood producing
wilderness OF the north. was for sale II
had been operated indiferentIy under a
lease for some years by one of the big
systems and was not counted of much
value Mackenzie & Mann decided one
AFTERNOON that they wanted this line to
complete. or at least to form a part Of
the network of railways they were build
ing In the prairie provinces. In the twi-
light OF that day they took up the mat
ter seriously, and when they retired at
a. m. the following morning they owned
the road.
They were criticised at the time for
their speed and supposed recklessness. but
mat was two years ago. They had built
this line and knew IT better than the men
VINO were operating il or those who were
selling it. To-day the terminals at either
end Of the line and the station propertv
In the heart OF the growing city of sas
katoon are worth many times-perhaps
ten times-what they would have sold for
three years ago
FROM building and owning a large svs-
TEN Of railways Messrs Mackenzie g.
Mann have launched out in other direc-
uohs' They are heavily interested in
mineral development in Canada
Not long ago they sought an .ntrancs
10 thriving city in the West. The citv
solicitor and the city fathers had labored
long TO fnd way TO procure the entrance
OF the line and escape criticism. FINALLY
one afternoon the AthabasSa. Mr. Msnn.s
private car, arrived. and that night there
was meeting. At least thirty minutes
were wasted in trying TO make a start
presently, as one OF the aldermen tells
me story Mr.. Mann turned TO the CITY
clerk and asked for stenographer Whom
the shorthand expert arrived the bis
puilaer asked the Mayor and the Board
OF Aldermen TO excuse his back"
turning he put his feet upon the win
S "S11i ana toid the stenographer what
"oulu 90 II the city would do certain
Nhen he had finished he read
carefully the few typed pages and passed
tnehn over TO the City Clerk He pro
duced and lighted a large cigar IT,
Mayor asked the clerk to read srd he
read What Mr.. Mann had dictated Tba
Ialter smoked, The Mayor asked tho laool
Heht 10 examine the document -
rause- Dan smoked. The city So
Iicltor read and reread II, and hnaI1,- safd
II sounded all right to him One aIdarr,ar
remarked that the document did not CO..
tam d single whereas said" or oafore-
SAID and asked the legal man bo,,,
about it, man No"
Inc legal adviser told the fnoDisitiva
Couhclior that these things were not real
iy necessary.
Then" said the alderman. why +b.
Inc dictator smoked
THE OFFER ACCEPTED.
one man, bred in the open. rose 10 saw
that If the proposition as set forth j., .ba
uoeuinent was what the city wanted and
"1-at MI Mann wanted, he would move that
'HS oler De accepted and the incident
i0S71- ihere was some talk, pro and con
eI'ough which the empire opener" smoked
'I siiel'oe' ana then came the vote. which
was almost unanimously In favor Of az
ceptance. And under this agreement +ba
rall"ay entered The city and is opera ting
10 this day
When the vote was all in NJ Mann
rose. removed his cigar. looked the council
over approvingly, and uttered three simple
"oros' which, run together sounded ike
ne-''havadrink?
FROM the small beginning made in Mani
tooa thirteen years ago. the Canadian
Northern has grown until the day of its
completion from ocean to ocean is said ~
be not far distant. Only a few gans re
main 10 be filed in in the East 10 make
the chain complete from the Atlantic 70
Edmonton and beyond. Even at this writ
ing the steel is reaching up toward the
helloWhead Pass in the Canadian Rockies
The Premier Of the province is. by almost
HnHngln mi
turned to Victoria. which he left of his
own accord 10 see II the voters would an
prove his railway policy. which means
nothing more nor less, than the fuIflment
Of a contract made with Nj Mann TO guar
antee interest on the bonds 10 provide funds
for the extension Of the Canadian North
ern TO the coast 10 give Vancouver and
/ Victoria additional transportation facilities
and competition. of which the coast country
Is in great need.
One Of the main reasons for guarantee
ing the bonds is that the wheat from the
Middle West must reach Liverpool via the
Pacific Ocean and through the Panama
Canal Winnipeg is almost as near 10 the
Pacific it is TO the Atlantic Ocean, and
there are a thousand miles CT wheat land
west of Winnipeg. BY the northern route
through the Rockies Mr.. Mann designs to
!
level line. If he succeeds in finding
grade which shall not exceed four-tenths OF
per cent, rising only twenty-one feet 70
the mile his locomotives will be able 10
.LandIe nearly one hundred thousand BUSH
els of wheat train, greatly facilitating
the movement OF the crops and reducing the
rate materially.
EFFECT ON WHEAT RATE.
The coming OF the Canadian Northern 10
Manitoba reduced the rate on wheat from
Brandon TO the lakes from "a cents TO Is
cents a hundred pounds. Here is a saving
Of nine cents a hundred TO the farmer
Naturally, there was a corresponding re-
duction throughout the provinces. The
rate from Edmonton six hundred miles
further west is the same to-day as it was
from Brandon before the Canadian North
ern came into the West
Competition in transportation is absolute
ly necessary between railways, as in other
matters and TO obtain this desired compe-
tition governments go a long way. In the
early days OF the West, when land was
drug on the market, they used 10 give land
grants but the present government changed
that and the example OF the national gov
ernment is followed in nearly all the prov
inces Instead OF granting lands the gov
ernments simply guarantee interest on the