Hyder weekly herald., 1931-09-02

The proposed construction of a railway outlet from the Peace River district to the Pacific coast at Stew art is a matter of decided interest to the people of Alaska; for the reason that such a railway. with it's transcontnenta' connections, would become an highly important factor Ill the economic affairs of the Alaska territory. Alaska is suffering largely at pres ent from what may be very properly termed strangulated circulation. The great northern territory has but ore outlet, over the sea. and is depend- ent entirely upon steamship trans portation from Seattle for the main tenance of it's commerce with the outside world.
 TO negotiate the long distance be- tween Seattle and the most southerly point in Alaska requires three days of time and dead haul" of some 700 miles. This dead haul involves not only q considerable loss of time in the delivery of commodities but as transportation rates are considerably higher than elsewhere on the Pacific Coast also imposes upon the people of Alaska an excessive burden of cost Tor supplies that is a hardship to the individual as well as a strong deter rent to industry and development. It is d most common occurrence for shippers to find that the freight on commodities exceeds the initial cost many times over.
 As result . of these conditions. Alaskan's g n2rally would welcome any change in transportation which would result in quicker deliveries and lower costs.
 With the foregoing facts in mind let us now examine the situation that would be created in the event that the Peace River to Stewart rail route reaches consummation.
 should a transc ontinental railroad he built to the water front at Stew art. B. C.. an extension Of few hundred feet would put the railhead. across the International bound ary line at Hyder. the only place i'll Alaska that can be reached by transcontinental railroad line except at cost far out of proportion to the financial return that could be eA pected from the Alaska trade fo! many years to come.
 Hyder is the most southerly town and port in Alaska and Is 7SO nau; ical miles from Seattle. From this it may readily be seen that a trans continental railway with it's term mus at Hyder would eliminate the present costly 700 miles of dead haul from Seattle over the water route.
 Examination of the sources and np slyo a veals that considerably more than half the tonnage shipped to and from Alaska originates in or is destined to middle western and eastern points. In view of this fact, may it not b, considered eminently reasonable tt suggest that if Hyder were connect ed by rail with some mid-western distributing point. St. Paul for in stance, a very large percentage Oi the enire Alaskan commerce, would be diverted to a route which would eliminate the delays and heav! charges incident to that 7S0 mic dead haul between Seattle and tht southern Alaska border by the water route? The distance between St. Pau and Seattle is approximately 15OH airline miles. From St. Paul to Fly der the airline distance is about 1850 miles. Hyder then is only abou $50 miles farther west than Seattl and commerce for Alaska from the east if routed by way of Hyder would would not be in transit much longe' than would be required to reacl, Seattle.
 Still another incentive for Alaska shippers to use the Peace River line instead of shipping via Seattle is to be found in the tariffs. The base tonnage rate from Seattle to Hyder and Kctchikan. the most southerly ports of Alaska, is S9 per ton, mea- sured on the basis of 40 cubic feet per ton. Contrast this with the Can adian National Railway freight rate from eastern points to Prince Rupert, 120 miles south of Hyder. This We find to be virtually the same rate as is charged by the American lines to Seattle. Therefore it is not un- reasonable to expect that railroad rates from eastern points to Hyder would not greatly exceed the rates to Prince Rupert. Should this prove lU be Ju- c4se, AiasKa shippers wOulu save between S6 and S9- per ton. measurement. or approximately tn' freight charge from southern Alasks ports.
 That Alaskans fully appreciate the benefits that would accrue to tht Territory through the construction O. q Peace River outlet to Stewart is fully examplified by the following resolution passed by the Alaska Leg islature in 1927:
 In the House By MT Paul.
 HOUSE CONCURRENT RES.
 OLUTION NO. 5
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