The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1920-07-01
TO CIRCULATE PORT
PETITION IN LYNDEN
County Will Vote On Project on Sep.
IA; Committee Tells of Advantages
of Plan

Calling for an election to be held
September IA, the date of the coun-
ty, state and national primaries, pet
itions have been drawn up with ref.
erence to the proposed Port District
and will be placed in circulation in
Lynden next week. The district will
include all of Whatcom County, ar
rangement5 having been perfected
during the week by which Blaine and
Bellingham will cooperate.
The following explanation of the
Port plans was sent out this week by
the Port District Committee:
at has been necessary to include
the entire county for the reason that
the law specifically limits any bond
issue for this purpose to not more
than three per cent of the assessed
valuation of the district. By con-
filming the district to the city of Bel
lingham alone. it would be impossible
to raise funds to construct docks and
equipment. This identical problem
confronted the city of Everett and
Snohomish county, the cities of Ho-
quiam and Aberdeen and Grays Har-
Dor County the city of Vancouver,
WASH, and Clarke County, the city
of Seattle and King County and of
practically every center on the Pacif-
ic Coast.
1.-The argument has been raised oc-
casionally that the cities of Belling-
ham and Blaine will derive more ben
eft from the improvement of their
harbors than the other towns and
rural districts of the county. How
ever this may be. it is a certainty that
a great shipping center cannot be es-
tablished on Bellingham Bay with
out comforting many great and direct
benefits upon every section of this
district. This has been the history
of port development everywhere.
There is not a ranch in King County
but has realized ten times over the
value of what it cost to establish the
port or Seattle.
Nobody can dispute the beneficial
effect upon rural property weren't
possible to establish city ofs100,-
900 or 100000 population in What.
com County, and yet, it is an utter
impossibility to have such a city at
any time unless a start is made some
where. There are no inducements to
great industries to locate here be-
cause we can offer no ocean transpor-
tation nor have we facilities for the
unloading of raw material.
"The astounding effect of port de-
velopment is evidenced by the grovth
of Astoria, Oregon. Astoria is prob
ably the oldest city. on the Pacific
Coast and until recently, the deadest.
Seven years ago, it had net popula-
tion of 1853. Embracingsall of Clat-
sop County, a port district was form
ed and authority granted to expend
almost four million dollars, on har-
Dor Improvement. In seven short
years. as result of this, Astoria has
passed Vancouver, Wash, Hoquiap,
Aberdeen, and Everett in pointS0f
popu&ation, and now has $500 more
people than Bellingham, it's figure
being something more than 10000
according to the last federal census
The effect upon Clatsop County has
been tremendous.
"In every port district, the -estab-
lishment and operation of warehous-
es. cold storage plants, grain elcvat-
ors. and other matters of vital i'm
portance to the SURROUNDING farw dis
tricts have been among the very FIRST
undertakings. and there is every
reason teI elieve that it will be this
way in Whatcom County also.
"The question is simply one of
whether or not huge city in What
com County will pay each farmer or
business man in the county"
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