Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1912-08-22
AS TO LoLo CUTOFF.
President Elliott Says Will Ultimately
be Built According to The
Lewiston Tribune.

1t was a cheerful story that How
ard Elliott, president of the Northern
Pacific railway, brought to Lewiston
last night-a confirmation of the views
held so firmly by Lewiston people that
the Northern Pacific wants to build
and will build the Loo cutoff through
the Clearwater mountains so soon as
conditions will enable such an extern
sion to be undertaken by the company;
that inability to secure the money some
years ago alone prevented its construc
tion at that time and that while it is
impossible at this time to predict when
the road will be built, there are signs of
a return of those conditions when rail
road investment for new construction
will again appeal to capital. Mr..
Elliot told Tribune representative last
night on his present trip west he made
a visit to the Bitter Root valley, where
a few years ago his company spent a
half million dollars on grading work
for the first section of the cutoff
leading to the Lolo pass. The work
was then abandoned, due to the ina
bility to secure funds as the result of
anti-railroad agitation which made un-
inviting investment of this character.
He estimated the cost of the work to
be $6,000,000 to $S,000,000 and the
line would be $50 to 160 miles in
length. I'VE realize that the future
will demand the construction of such a
line,'' said Mr.. Elliott. 1--WE would
not want to continue to carry the pro-
duce of the valleys westward to Spo-
kane and thence east; it would not be
wisdom to continue to haul the lumber
products, for instance of the Craig
mountain mills as far west as Spo-
kane before routing it east. Time will
bring about the building of this link
in the Northern Pacific system; l can
not say how soon.o
81 wish he continued "that I could
say something positive about the con-
struction Of the SO called Lolo cutoff,
but ! cannot. We had better be frank
with one another. Our railroad people
all feel sanguine about the future and
are anxious to go ahead" Mr.. Elliott
explained that the cutoff would extend
for great distances through rough coun-
and would entail heavy construction ex-
pense, running into millions. "The
time will come when it will be built, -
he said, "but l cannot say when" The
speaker than reviewed at some length
the heavy demand upon railroads for
adequate funds to maintain existing
lines with logical extensions and ter
minals, without field being open for
money for new construction. There are
240,OOO miles of railway in this coun-
try, and it has been figured that the
outlay for the items mentioned alone
reaches $4,000 mile annually, or to-
tai of over $7OO,OO0,OO0 to keep pace
with the growth and demands Of the
traffic. He told Of the hesitancy of
railroads to extend investments during
the recent years, and this led TO- dis
cusion Of the reports as to car shortage.
He said due to the conditions many Of
the lines had held down their expend-
itures to the minimum on account Of
decreased net earnings and the unin-
viting outlook Of unfriendly legislation.
He quoted railway material supply hous
es, who had made investigation, to the
effect that to keep pace with the