Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-23
CANADA'S EMPIRE
MOVES WESTWARD
Half Continent Will Be Open.
ed by New Hudson Bay
Railroad.
Special Dispatch to The Star.


next two years, with the completion
of the Hudson Bay Railroad, there will
be opened up half a continent, mostly
of virgin lands, sweeping west from the
bay toward the Pacific, huge area Of
untold mineral wealth and with farm
ing and grazing possibilities.
The construction of this railway,
running from The Pas in Manitoba to
Churchill on, Hudson Bay, a distance of
510 miles means not only the opening
of a vast new section, known hereto
fore only to the fur trader and the
trapper, but 1t means the industrial
development of the western provinces,
and big boom to the farmers and
ranchers. For 1t will shorten the haul
and lessen the cost Of laying down their
products-their wheat and cattle and
dairy produce-in the Liverpool mar
kets, and give them an immense advan-
tage over the farmers Of the United
States.
Manufacturing to Develop.
Manufacturing interests will be de-
veloped because 1t will be possible to
deliver iron cheaply from Nova Scotia
and Cape Breton to the prairie provinces
which have huge deposits Of coal, par
ticularly Alberta, and coal and iron are
the necessary elements in the produc-
ton Of steel.
A glance at the map of Canada re-
veals the inland isolation of the great
agricultural western plains. Between
them and the Pacific Ocean lies the
Rocky Mountain barrier. The Atlantic
seaboard and Eastern Canada are cut
OF by the intervention of hundreds of
miles of non-productive pre-Cambrian
areas. Even the great st. Lawrence
system of waterways Is at best an in
adequate substitute for an ocean lane.
But that great arm of the sea, Hudson
Bay, cuts deeply into the northern
interior Of the country and toward Its
shores Western Canada has long cast
hopeful eyes.
Ii has dreamed and dreamed of
short route to Europe by rail line to
a point on the bay, with trans-shipment
by steamer, but the fact that railway
would have to be built across this great
stretch Of apparently unproductlve
country and the widespread belief that
the navigation of Hudson Bay and
Hudson Strait on commercial basis
was not feasible kept the hopes Of the
westerners in leash and made 1t doubt
ful If they would ever profit by their
proximity to salt water.
But now their dreams are coming
true. The railway is an accomplished
TACT, and soon much of the commerce
If the great West will reach the mar
sets of the world by boats loading their
:argoes at Churchill on the Hudson
Say. There is still much to be done
Iefore the railroad Is ready for opera
ion, but the work is being speeded.
A Dream Of Many Years.
A Hudson Bay outlet and the OPEN
ing of hundreds of thousands of square
niles of the north country, while
therished and talked Of more in the
asst few years, are not new ideas. Old
maps in the department of railways in
ottawa show the existence Of paper
Projections to the Hudson Bay when
he Canadian Pacific Railway was a
dream, more than so years ago.
From 1886 to 1908 the Canadian
tatuteS contained a standing offer Of
ubSidy OF land grants to any one who
'ould construct such line. In 1911
h2 project took definite form, when
ne Canadian government authorized
ne construction OF o line from The Pas
> Hudson Bay. Work was commenced
ne next year. BY the end Of 1918
bout $50 miles had been constructed.
swing tothe war and the consequent
lex Of steel, the line was not completed
nd only part of It was kept in repair.
And then. In 1926. along came Charles
= Dunning. He joined the government
; minister of railways. He was only
o, full Of vigor, and . "go-getter" OF
ne first order. He had been prime
linister Of Saskatchewan. He knew
ne West and its hopes, needs and am
.itions. He had been farmer, home
leading when he was lad OF II. He
new what lack Of transportation IA
Hties meant to the western farmer
nd rancher. He had more than once
sen compelled to sell his own oats as
Nv as cents bushel.
Dunning had promised the West that
= would complete the Hudson Bay
ailway. He started right in to make
1od. He succeeded in getting Parlia-
lent to vote big sum for continuing
lie work.
The Canadian National Railways,
hich will operate the lines as part OF
system when completed, got the job
rehabilitating the road.
New Terminal Chosen
Port Nelson had been selected as the
criminal on the Hudson Bay. Mr.. Dun
ing had a fresh investigation made,
it'll the result that Churchill was Sc
lctAd. The work will be finished next
all. Work ON the terminal and the
arbor at Churchill is now under way
I'D 1t is expected that by 1881 the
ne will be in operation as the ran INK
/ a short route to Europe. The cost,
lcluding terminals and harbor i'm
!, 'ovements, will be about $35,000,o00.
Whether the government Will oper-
e its own steamers from Churchill
=, Liverpool has not been determined.
I'VE are simply letting the fact be
laown that there will be tonnage
railable," said Mr.. Dunning. If we
4 scide not to go into the project our
lives there viii not be any difnculty in
sting vessels to handle the business.
flready transportation companies are
lowing great interest.
The lane through the bay and Hud-
IN strait will be open only five months
Z the year, from July / through Mo-
,mber.
The building of this railway and the
,5tablishing of short cut to Europe
re admittedly a bold stroke in engi-
neering and transportation, but the
1vernment and its technical experts
re confident of success. All the engi-
Neering problems have been solved; the
r,ad virtually is completed. There re-
mains, of course. the question OF the
'avigability of the bay and the straits,
h'It the railway department, by means
4 an airplane expedition, has made a
1mplete survey Of conditions and sees
rothing in the way Of complete success.