The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-05-06
OF GREAT
NORTHERN
TRACKS TO BE MOVED BACK IN
MOUNTAINS AND ROOTED
OVER.

Hill, at Seattle, Gives Out Interview
Touches Upon Other Subjects, In.
GLIDING Industrial Situation.
Seattle, May 2.-To obviate the pos.
sibility of future snow slide accidents
at the site of the Wellington disaster,
James ]. Hill Saturday announced his
plan to protect the Great Northern
tracks at that point.
"The Great Northern has always en-.
deavored to meet conditions as it finds
them," said he. "We will set the track
back in the mountain and build snow
sheds over it SO that any slide here
after will shoot out over the snow
Sheds"
| Mr.. Hills Party.
| With Mr.. Hill on his inspection of
the Great Northern railroad and the
Northwest in general are his son,
President Louis w. Hill, of the Great
Northern; President Howard Elliott,
of the Northern Pacific; George F.
Baker, president of the First National
Bank of New York, and Charles Steele,
partner in the banking house of J. P.
Morgan & Co. The latter two are di-
rectors of the Northern Pacific.
Mr.. Hill, accompanied by Mr.. Ell
lott, Mr.. Baker and Mr.. Steele, left
his private car and walked through the
depot, showing the features of the sta.
ton to the other members of the party,
hailed cab and was driven to the
Washington hotel.
The Original conserver.
| Mr.. Hill expressed emphatically his
ideas regarding the governments
policy of conservation. "The conserva.
ton scheme originated in the Office of
the Great Northern railroad" said Mr.
Hill. but the government is carrying
it so far that it has become ridiculous.
1t would be better to let people make
their homes on the land than keep ii
in it's unproductive state"
In regard to the report that Mr.. Hill
and Senator w. A. Clark are back OF
the North Coast railroad, Mr.. hill
said:
There is absolutely no truth in that
report. 1t is fiction, written by some
space writer" se q
People Using Up Capital.
| Speaking of the cause of the indus
trial uneasiness in the East, Mr.. Hill
said: "The people are living at tire
mendous rate, taking money for living
expenses that should be returned to
productive industrial channels"
The withdrawal of four hundred mil
lions of dollars for investment in auto.
mobiles from the regular channels OF
trade was cited by him as one of the
large causes of Industrial uneasiness
throughout the Eastern part of the
United States.
/ Northwest Prosperous.
/ IT find the Northwest enjoying ex
j cellent prosperity" continued Mr. Hill
"but the rest of the country seems to
be little bit uneasy. One cause is
that our balance Of trade with foreign
countries has been dwindling almost to
the disappearing point. Then under
| production of foodstuffs and the enor
nous amount of money expended and
put into nonproductive so-called i'm
provements is a contributing cause Of
i the loss of the balance of trade.
i "f the four hundred millions EN-
ployed in the purchasing of automo
biles had been invested in sawmills OF
factories so it would be PRODUCING
something, conditions would be very
different"
i As to Mann Amendments.
Turning to the Mann and Dixon
amendments proposed to the interstate
commerce law, Mr.. Hill said of the pas
sage of either: "It would result in rails
ing our freight rates to the Coast, tc
lenable us to collect adequate rates or
intermediate shipments. Higher rates
and less tonnage is just what 1t would
mean. We would refuse to meet water
rates on the Coast"
n The party left Seattle for Portland
and will return via the S., p. & 8. t.
J, Spokane, and thence over the Northern
Pacific to st. Paul.
81 Mr.. Steele Enthusiastic.
i Mr.. Steele, giving his impressions O
the Northwest, said: ''This country Il
magnificent. The wonderful climate
: and beautiful scenery explain to mi
the lure of the West. This is the firs
time l have visited this country TO-
twenty years, and the great strides
made in progress and development L
) this section are marvellous"
At this point George f.. Baker ap
peared on the scene and requested Mr.
Steele to accompany him on wall
down Second avenue. James J. Hill
joined them, and the three walket