Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-13
RAIL GIANTS SEEK
TO FORCE MERGER
OF WESTERNL|NES
Great Northern ReneWs Old
Fight to Secure Entry
Into California.
UNION AND SOUTHERN
PACIFIC ARE OPPOSED
Latest Moves Considered Vital to
Van Sweringens and Their
Expansion Plans.
BY JOHN r. sINCLAIR.


Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK, July l2.-The hand of
Arthur Curtiss James of New York, thu
largest stakeholder in the Great North
ern, as well as in the Western Pacific,
is seen in the latest battle of the West
ern railroad giants. Ever since the days
OF James j. Hill the Great Northern
has locked forward to the time 1t would
enter California. 1t has waited a long
time, but now its hopes are about to
be realized.
When the Van Sweringens bought into
the Missouri Pacific, they hoped that
the Western Pacific could be secured to
tie into their plans for a transconti-
| mental line. But Mr.. James and his
associates thought otherwise. So the
decision, just announced by the Inter-
state Commerce Commission, giving ap-
/ proval to the joint project of the Great
Northern and the Western Pacific for
the construction of a 200-mile Klamath
Falls extension is of vast importance to
| California and the West
This decision was announced over the
bitter opposition of the Union Pacific
and the Southern Pacific. particularly
the latter. So a new railroad giant il
rising in the West to compete for West
ern business with these two transcon-
tinental roads.
The new program gives the Great
! Northern its opportunity to get into
San Francisco. That's the goal of Mr..
James, and has been for many wears,
rms new joint construction is not q
large factor IN cost-about SIS ,0OO, oOO-
but it's the strategy that is important
For the moment 1t sets back the Van
! SWerlngens in their ambitious program
| for the Missouri Pacific. But it plIshes
aheao the James program and, OF
course; vastly adds to the strength OF
both the Western Pacific and the Great
Northern as individual roads.
Merger Bitterly Fought.
What about the merger of the Great
Northern and the Northern Pacifici
II has been bitterly fought, not only
Dy the Milwaukee railroad, but by
scores Of influential business men cite,
and towns, as well as financial instit,,.
lions OF the West. It is very doubtful
II the merger will be approved, fol
the present.
But should be merger of the two inta
the Great Northern Pacific be approved
by the Interstate Commerce Commits.
sion, 1t would, with this new Western
racine program, make that road one
OF the giants of continental America.
Nearly every indication points ths
other way; at least so far as the merger
approval is concerned. Nevertheless.
the Great Northern has had a distinct
! victory in this latest ruling. one thai
1t doubtless will follow up and strengthen
"TOm Thumb Golf" Originator.
Garnet Carter, hotel proprietor o.
maryland Inn, on Lookout Mountain
Tenn. is the originator of the Tom
Thumb golf" courses which have swept
the country with such a mighty force
| this Summer
A year ago Mr.. Carter noticed hi
guests used the little inexpensive
course that he installed in front oI
! the hotel more than they did his regu,
lar l8-hole course, which cost him
$4,000. 1t started him thinking.
When the District of Columbia asked
him to design a small course for on(
of its parks, he patented his special
green's and named them the TON
! Thumb Golf" course. Today thu
Carter course consists of 10 holes, from
rs to so feet long. which include traps
! paSsageways, bunkers-plenty Of haz,
ards. The putter only is used.
| Today there are more than SCOT
Tom Thumb" courses, paying royalties
W WI NdiOcI' Lie SIlhll IOWDS are Jdk'
ing to them even more rapidly thar
the big cities, because of their inability
to have large golf courses.
More Wheat Predicted.
The United States Governments wheat
| crop estimate of 807,265, 900 bushel
for 1880 is q slight increase over las
year. '''.'''''
While the Spring wheat area In,
creased 3.S per cent over 1929, will
l6,163,000 acres planted this year, Il
represents an increase of rs per cenl
above the f1ve-year average.
But in the Winter wheat farmers cu
their acreage so that the total wheai
acreage of all kinds shows a reduction
! Of Al per cent. The total acreage plant.
ed this year was 38 AGO, 900 acres, com,
pared with the Swear average area d
IS ,585 900 acres.
The problem of wheat storage is be,
coming major one. Reports persis
| that thousands of railroad cars an
now loaded with the new Winter wheai
| crop, waiting for a fair price.
Europe's restricted buying at the mo,
ment Is not helping the situation. Blu
the wheat farmer is not the only on,
suffering from low prices. Cattle toda,
are selling at about 81 a hundred
pounds less than they were a year ago
Every .cattleman who bought six month";
ago to feed has lost money. This Il
also true of those who bought sheep.
SO. the wheat grower, had he turned
to sheep or cattle this year, would
have had no better prospects than Id
now faces.
Export Fruit Company Formed.
A. Chile company, amply financed, Il
being formed to export vast quantitieI
Of Chilean fruit to the United States
Apples, melons, grapes, plums ana
peaches, pears, as well as a variety q
tropical fruits, are the fruits the nee
company expects to sell in the UniteG
states. The first shipment OF apple
produced in Central Chile has arrived
and the exhibits are candles"
Honeydew melons from Chile weT;
sold In New York in January. Thou,
sands Of crates Of Chilean peaches were
sold last Winter in New York.
A. F. di Valvasone, director of thu
Chilean Information Bureau, sees a BIZ
future In this field for Chile. Durins
1929 the United States imported GOOD
cubic feet Of grapes, 3,690,0OO pounds
Of melons, $4,000 pounds of plums
5000 pounds OF peaches and 4,OO(
pounds of pears.
The United Fruit Co. has for year,
been importing South American fruits
into the United States, bananas par,