Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-30
LEASES own TRACKS
Freak of Fate in History of
Northern Pacific Railway.
PART OF JAY COOKE LINE
Was Under Contract to Manitoba for
Period of 900 Years.
FREIGHT TRAFFIC IN CANADA
Crop Value in Three Provinces in
Single Year Aggregates About
100000, 900.
FREIGHT TRAFFIC IN CANADA
BY WILLIAM 4. CURTIS
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
WINNIPEG. September Is. 1911.
BY an odd freak of fate the Northern
Pacific Railway Company has recently
closed negotiations for the privilege of
using tracks which it built in 1877 and
lea sed to the government of Manitoba in
1901 for 900 years. They were a part OF
the original line As planned by the late
Jay Cooke, and of the first railroad to
enter Winnipeg. The original terminals
were at the village of ST. Boniface on the
other bank of the Red river, and pas
sengers, luggage. mails and freight were
ferried across to this side for several
years until a bridge was built The
Northern Pacific company operated the
line for twenty-three years: the develop
ment anticipated did not materialze. both
passenger and freight traffic was COM
paratively Insignificant. and when the
tracks from Emerson to Winnipeg were
offered for sale the provincial govern
ment exercised it's option and few years
later assigned the lease to the Canadian
Northern Railway Company.
The present management of the North
ern Pacific is willing to recognize the lack
of foresight on the part of its predeces-
sors. and as a very important step IN
what is called the American invasion. mas
leased its own tracks, and mas entered
into an arrangement which will enable II
to recover the birthright it gave away
Necessity for New Company.
The Northern Pacific and the Great
Northern railways have organized third
corporation under the laws of Manitoba.
called the Midland Railway Company,
and each has an equal half interest
American corporations cannot operate in
Canada, hence it is necessary to form
new one which has acquired large tract
of land located in a convenient sect1on or
Winnipeg and is spending $3.1oOOOO IN
the construction of freight yards, ware
houses and other features OF a modern
railway terminal. 1t will have to COM
pete with the Canadian Pacific, the Cana
dian Northern and the Grand Trunk, ana
it is, therefore, necessary to nave Iacin-
ties equal to those possessed oy those
roads
The Midland Railway Company has also
entered into a contract with the Canadian
Northern Railway Company Tor ninets
nine years. for the use OF the Old tracks
of the Northern Pacific from the pounu-
ary line to Portage Junction. from Wnich
freight trains will run over IT'S own
tracks into it's own terminals. The same
contract gives the Midland company the
right to run it's passenger trains over the
same track into the Union passenger sta
tion recently completed by the Canadian
Northern and the Grand Trunk Paclnc'
and which. by the way, is one OF the nm
est in all the world. The trackase con-
tract extends for 800 years. The pas
senger station arrangement IuHs Aoi
years.
Pending the completion of the freight
terminals the Midland company has ar
ranged with the Canadian Northern TO
handle it's cars in the latter terminal.
Thomas Cooper assistant to the presi-
dent OF the Northern Pacific: Mr.. Goode!l,
general manager: Mr.. Woodward. franc
manager; Mr.. Cleland, general passenger
agent and other officials have peen mere
for several days closing up the oetalIs
of the ARRANGEMENT which went into Ell
feet Yesterday, and hereafter all pas
senger and freight trains will come
through from ST. Paul without transfer
at the boundary.
Equality Established.
The Midland company expects to have
its own freight terminals finished by June
and have a complete modern outfit for
handling the grain crop next year and
plenty Of room for expansion. This ar
rangement will put the Northern Pacific
and the Great Northern on an equality
with the Canadian Pacific and Its con-
nections on the American ade which are
the 500 railroad and the Wisconsin Cen
trail. and will give the Grand Trunk ana
the Canadian Northern similar connec-
lions with St Paul, Duluth and Chicago
The Great Northern and the Northern
Pacific are both going after Canadian
freight They anticipate development
of the agricultural resources OF western
Canada that will give every raiiroa ae
present facilities. The Northern Pacinc
has comprehensive plans for Canadian
extensions but Is not prepared to an
nounce them.
The Great Northern VIII also p ursae
an energetic policy. and invade Canada
with the same energy and sagacity Wnicn
James j. Hill has shown In his enorts 70
develop the northern line OF states IN
which his road lies He has 81 ai .rs 10y
of Puget sound, and is pushing on to San
Francisco as rapidly as possible. he ex.
poets to run through trains from ST. faul
to San Francisco within the next three
years.
If YOU examine a folder Of the Great
Northern railway you will notice thir-
teen spurs or branches extending IKE the
legs of a centipede from the main trunk
line in Minnesota and the DaKotas 10 the
cross the border-one to Winnipeg, sec
ond to Portage Ia Prairie and third to
Brandon-all strategic points MT. AN
has Canadian charters for the extension
or OtneT DTdHSIlcS, 0Hu PtoPoHS-' 80. ~
series of north and south lines like the
ribs of a gridiron, about fifty miles apart,
into the wheat fields of Manitoba and
Saskatchewan.
Course Of the Railroad Line.
The Canadian railroads generally run
east and west in practically parallel lines.
Mr.. Hills branches will run north and
south cutting off a considerable distance
as compared with the three Canadian
lines. and saving from 100 to 200 miles in
the haul to Duluth, as compared with
Fort William and Port Arthur, the Cana
dian outlets for the grain crop.
When I asked one of his confidential
men what policy Mr.. Hill intended to pur-
sue he replied:
''If there's freight in Canada within
reach OF his roads, he is going after it,
and there's plenty
The task OF the railways of Canada in
future years will be tremendous. In 1900
the crop value of the three provinces of
Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta was
a bout 100000, O0O represented by %
100000 bushels of wheat and a corre-
spending amount of other staples In
1910 they shipped 17a.O00.OOO bushels of
wheat, 2O0.O0O,O0O bushels of oats, 4O.COO-
600 bushels of barley and other staples
with money value of nearly $500. 900 600.
In other words, these three provinces
are producing about ten times as much as
they produced ten years ago, and if their
farmers continue to pillow and plant as
much new land in the next ten years. the
crop of 1920 will be a thousand million
bushels which the railways will have to
haul to the seaboard for shipment to
E,urone and IL will he almost auuoIlv Iii