The Herald-news., October 08, 1942, Image 11

About The Herald-news. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1940-current

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
GREAT NORTHERN
FOLLOWS POLICY
SET BY FOUNDER
HILL PUSHED SAME TRANSPORT-
ATION ideas later advo
cated BY FORD
It has been 28 yean since James J.
Hill left behind his “great adventure”
—the Great Northern railway—but If
the bearded empire builder could see
It today, he would find the road still
following loyally two great principles
of his life.
Hill, transportation giant of his
time as Henry Ford became In a later
era, had in common with the auto
mobile genius at least one simple pre
cept: <
Low-cost transportation.
The yellowed pages of Hill's an
nual reports repeat almost monoton
ously; Better farming, greater trans
portation efficiency, lower costs—then
lower rates, more settlers, more traf
fic, followed by more profits to in
crease railroad efficiency, bringing
still lower costs, still lower rates to at
tract still more settlers who will pro
duce still more traffic.'
Debt Reduced
Two facts stand out in present-day
reports of the Great Northern:
The fund debt last December total
ed $316,007,000, lowest figure since
1924 and a reduction of nearly
*39,000,000 since 1934.
Operating expenses in 1941 drop
ped *4,500,000 from 1929, although op
erating revenues were about the same
each year. The total saving In 1941
over 1929 approximated *9,000,000 in
terest charges being some *4,500,000
less.
This achievement In the face of
rising costs of material and- labor,
huge tax Increases and competition
never known to Hill—automobiles,
trucks and airplanes—is momumental
in an Industry that has taken a heavy
beating economically in the past
decade. In addition, it was done with
out impairment of the profit and loss
surplus, which stood at *115,000 last
December.
How did this come about when so
many systems were being plung
ed into bankruptcy or financially em
barrassed otherwise?
Frank J. Gavin, Great Northern
president, and his associates refer you
to the principles of Hill, but the boys
down below—who haven’t titled doors
—say the G. N. was fortunate In hav
ing three singular presidents for
three ■ unusual periods of American
business history.
First there was Ralph Budd of the
1920’5. He Was a builder who com
pleted the Ideas Hill never lived long
enough to realize. Hill always knew
his line across the Cascades of Wash
ington was a poor one. Budd made it
a good one. He built the Cascade eight
mile tunnel, longest in America,
straightened out much roadway and
electrified severe mountain areas.
There was a lot of fat on the road
when the succeeding depression chal
lenged another president, William P.
Kenney. He was a traffic expert with
a shrewd financial side. Keeping one
eye on declining revenues and the
other on debt and costs, he began
grabbing nickels and instituted a debt
refunding and reduction program that,
at his death In 1938, had cut some *24,-
000,000 off the road’s funded obliga
tions and sliced Interest charges more
than *4,000,000 annually to a 4.2 per
cent rate from 5.4 in 1929.
He was succeeded by Gavin, whose
forte was operations, a fortunate hap
penstance for the nation’s war effort.
Gavin, continuing the debt reduc
tion program, began hand-manicuring
the road while still effecting more
operating economies. Again a Hill
axiom was being followed —"Poor tools,
poor work!"
A common trait of each of these
men was Opportunism. Budd used
good times to complete Hill’s con
struction ideas. Kenney used a de
pression to rid the road of high in
terest bonds. Gavin cut .costs while
still spending large amounts to get
the road In shape for a war emerg
ency.
The future, admittedly, Is cloud
specked. The market prices of railroad
stocks and bonds answers ominously
what the public thinks about the post
war prospects of an Industry now op
erating at record capacity.
Oreat Northern officials are not
blue about post-war prospects but
neither are they optimistic. Here is
what Gavin thinks of some major
post-war probabilities:
A depression—The Great Northern
never has been In bankruptcy or even
financially unsound. It has never
possessed a lavish hand In distribut
ing profits. The most it ever paid was
an 8.5 percent dividend years ago,
never more than 5 percent through the
boom of the late twenties, only 2 per
cent now, here, again, a Hill principle
rules—return a large amount of profit
to the road to keep it fit at all times.
Road and Equipment—ls this proves
a long war, railroads may come out of
it in rags and tatters, although many
will be financially sound. The danger
is that, being unable to replace equip
ment or adequately maintain it for
lack of raw materials, physical assets
may be in a greatly depreciated con
dition, necessitating costly expendi
tures, possibly at a time of declining
business.
Operating Costs—Great new loads
have been placed on railroad financial
structures —higher wages, vastly great
er taxes, rising material costs. The
postwar era may not bring an equal
decline in wages and taxes if business
slumps somewhere along the way. In
creased rates recently granted roads
to apply against higher costs would
only be a handicap in a business
slump.
Cheap Transportation
Competition — Transportation must
be produced cheaply enough to com
pete with other kinds of transpor
tation, which have become formidable
competitors. The security of railroad
ing five or 10 yean hence will depend
largely upon how successful railroads
have been In Increasing efficiency and
decreasing costa as compared with
competition.
Consolidations — A tremendous
National Service'S
Copyright: 1942: By News Syndicate Co.. Inc.
Wherein a Young
Pilot Feels the
Guiding Spirit of
His Sweetheart
IN TWO PARTS—PART TWO
After that, low In petrol and am
munition, and feeUng curiously weak
—which is not at all to be wondered
at, whether one uses the hypothesis
that he had been under considerable
strain for some time or the alternative
one that he had just been through
a profound spiritual experience—he
asked permission of the aerodrome to
come in.
Night fighter pilots are not expect
ed to make long and tedious reports
when they return from a flight their
nerves and strength and physical con
dition are too valuable but Frank,
strung up and talkative, poured out
a good deal of hasty comment to the
flight lieutenant as soon as he reached
ground It is significant that the whole
of Frank’s interest at that time was
centered upon the radio locator. He
was commenting upon it eagerly, upon
its possibilities and its weaknesses.
He babbled away happily for some
time, elated with his double victory,
like a child home from a picnic. When
closely questioned on the point, he
admits that he was not thinking very
much about Henrietta. Although she
was in his mind several times it was
usually because he was looking for
ward to telling her about his success
—as far as the rules of the service
would permit—and on one occasion
when he heard that the Germans had
not repeated their previous attack on
Coldham and he was glad on Henriet
ta’s account. Certainly the German
raiders had not done so much damage
that night. That was the raid when
10 German planes were brought down
and it first became evident that a
weapon was developing which would,
when perfected, deprive the night
bomber of the Immunity which it had
hitherto enjoyed.
Frank spent the rest of that night,
until dawn, in the dispersal room
wearing his dark glasses ready to as
cend in the event of the arrival of
further raiders, and when daylight re
leased him from duty he went back
to his billet feeling unusually fatigued.
He slept very heavily during the day,
until late afternoon when he had to
return to the aerodrome for a final
long questioning about the practical
employment^! the radio locator at
the hands of high R. A. F. officers
who came for that special purpose.
It is a pity that the notes that they
took are, of course, secret and quite
unavailable to the scientific inquirer.
But it may be considered as some sort
of. evidence that next morning, after
a quiet night (during which, presum
ably, the Germans were digesting the
unpleasant fact of the destruction of
10 expensive night bombers) Frank
was suddenly told that he had been
given five days’ leave. Fighter pilots
are never, however, told that they
have earned leave until it is actually
beginning. Authorities have noticed
that the knowledge of imminent leave
sometimes has a deleterious effect on
the pilot’s skill, making him too reck
less.
So that leave may have been com
ing to Frank for some time back, and
the fact that it was given to him
unexpectedly may not be any proof
that his superiors had noticed any
sudden change in him that necessi
tated a rest.
Frank, of course, decided to spend
his leave in Coldham. It was a tedious
journey, because he was unable to
find means of road transport up to
London, and had to take the train,
which meant a long and tedious wait
at Paddington after he had crossed
the capital with its faint smell of
smoke and its gap-toothed blocks of
destroyed buildings and its occasional
bomb-craters in the streets. He was
looking forward to seeing Henrietta
again. He had no fears for her safety,
having seen her safe and sound after
the last raid on Coldham.
• * *
But Coldham, when he arrived there
was a shocking sight. The train did
not go as far as the central station,
for there was no central station left.
Frank had to leave the train at a
wayside station half a mile away,
which had fortunately survived. A thin
pall of acrid smoke still hung over
the town. The old High street was an
avenue of smoking ruins on which
A. R. P. gangs were still hard at work.
The bridge over the river- was gone,
although the engineers had already
succeeded In laying a temporary sub
stitute beside its wreck. There were
posters hung here and there telling
the homeless survivors where to find
shelter and food.
Frank had to ask his way to Welsh
pool Road, and he was glad when he
was told that it was in an outlying
part of the town and had not been
bombed at all. That would at least
mean that Henrietta had lost none of
her belongings nor the roof over her
head. But Welshpool Road, when he
problem embracing such considera
tions as unemployment of many dilu
tion of Investment priorities, untold
opposition by local groups and legal
bodies adversely affected, enormous
legislative problems.
But whatever the future, the men
and women of the Oreat Northern
work on with the faith Jim Hill ex
pressed as he neared the end of his
life:
“Most men who have really lived
have had, in some shape, their great
adventure. This railway is mine. I
feel that a labor and a service so
called into being, touching at so many
points the lives of so many millions,
with its ability to serve the country
and its firmly established credit and
reputation, will be the best evidence
of its permanent value and that. In
sofar as any creation of human ef
fort can be made so. It will be proof
against the attacks of time."
illiM
meant.
got there, was hardly built on at all.
That did not surprise him—the R. A.
F. station at which Henrietta was
working was likely to be in an area
not yet built up, although the address
of "The Extension" which she had
given him implied that there were at
least two considerable buildings there
already.
Frank walked the whole length of
Welshpool Road, a matter of a mile
or more, without seeing anything
which might be an R. A. F. station, or
anything which might be considered
an “Extension.” It was a drab, dreary
day and a thin rain was beginning to
fall, and Frank was not put Into any
more cheerful mood by the fact that
most of his walk was beside the local
cemetery with its morbid array of
crosses and tombstones.
At the far end, Welshpool Road ran
into the main Birmingham high road,
and Frank knew that he had come
too far. On the high road here was
only the continual procession of army
and R. A. F. traffic, nobody that he
could ask for directions, so he turned
back. He was depressed and apprehen
sive now, which is not to be wondered
at. After a few hundred yards a cy
cling policeman came towards him and
stopped at his signal.
“Is there an R. A. F. station near
here?" asked Frank.
“No, sir," said the policeman after
a moment’s cautious thought. He
looked Frank carefully up and down;
strangers asking after an R. A. F.
station should be treated with sus
picion, even though they wear an of
ficer’s uniform.
“That’s queer,” said Frank. He could
not have made a mistake. He took
out the old envelope on which he had
scribbled the address. It was Welsh
pool Road all right.
“What might you be looking for,
sir?” asked the policeman, still eyeing
him keenly.
“I thought it was an R. A. F. sta
tion," explained Frank, “but perhaps
it’s not. It’s a place called the Ex
tension, here in Welshpool Road.”
“The Extension?" repeated the po
liceman, and again, “the Extension?
There’s only one Extension In Welsh
pool Road that I know of, or In Cold
ham for the matter of that.”
“And what’s that?" asked Frank.
“Right here beside you, sir. The ex
tension of the cemetery. It’s been
called that ever since they took Jn
these two fields a couple of years ago."
Frank says he knew then, instantly,
what Henrietta had meant. He must
have paled a little under his healthy
tan, he must have given visible proof
of being shaken, for the policeman
asked
“Is anything the matter, sir?"
“No,” said Frank, "I’m all right.”
“There’s some A. R. P. people up
there who might give you the infor
mation you require, sir," said the po
liceman helpfully. There was a group
of people, mostly in uniform, standing
in the drizzling rain just in sight at
the top of the crest.
“Thank you,” said Frank, "I’ll go
and ask them.”
He turned and walked through the
iron gate, leaving the policeman still
leaning on his bicycle looking after
him. Ab he approached, over the mud
dy path, he saw that it was a funeral
in progress—there was a clergyman
there In his surplice as well as a group
of A. R. P. men and some Red Cross
workers.
“What Is going on here?" he asked
the nearest A. R. P. man.
“We’re burying some of the uniden
tified dead,” said the A. R. P. man.
“people whom the bastards killed
three days ago.”
(THE END)
Mrs. Gee —William, how do you sup
pose those dozens and dozens of empty
bottles got into the cellar?
Mr. Gee—l’m sure I don’t know. I
never bought an empty bottle In my
life.
THB HERALD-NEWS
Abolition of 20 Boards
Is Favored by Committee
Abolition of 20 boards, commission
and state agencies has been recom
mended by Gov. Sam C. Ford’s com
mittee on reorganization and econ
omy, including separation of the di
vision of labor from the department
of agriculture, labor and industry.
Recommendations Included:
Abolition of the state board of vot
ing machine commissioners, trans
ferring its functions to the secretary
of state.
Abolishing the state boards of can
vassers and transferring functions to
the secretary of state with the re
quirement that the tabulation and
certification be made in public at an
announced time or in the presence of
two or more elected offices.
Abolition of the furnishing commis
sion and transference of its functions
to the state board of examiners.
Abolishment of the furnishing
board, which operates in practice as
the board of examiners, and trans
ference of Its functions specifically to
the board of examiners.
Consolidation of the state board of
forestry and the state park com
mission.
Abolition of the science commission,
composed of the presidents of the uni
versity units, vesting its responsibil
ity in the forestry and park commis
sion.
Abolishing the state library exten
sion commission and the board of li
brary commissioners, with functions to
be vested in the state superintendent
of public Instruction.
Discontinuance of the board of
trustees of the law library, placing the
library directly under the Jurisdiction
of the supreme court of the chief jus
tice.
Abolishing the office of custodian of
records of the Grand Army of the Re
public and United Spanish War Vet
erans and transferring Its functions to
the historical library.
Discontinuance of the Montana ag
ricultural conservation board, as its
functions now are performed by the
state soil conservation committee and
the grass conservation board.
Abolishing the state board of arbi
tration and conciliation, a board which
never has functioned, and transferring
Its functions to the division of labor.
Abolition of the milk control and
stallion registration boards, transfer
ring functions to the livestock sani
tary board.
Abolishing the board of entomology
and transferring Its necessary func
tions to the board of health.
Tranferrlng the custody of unused
fair property to the purchasing
agent, who is responsible for custody
of all state property.
Transfer of the licensing of rail
road ticket agents from the secretary
of state to the state board of equaliza
tion and the collection of producers’
privilege and license taxes from the
oil conservation board to the same
board in conformity with the general
policy that the board of equalization
be made responsible for the collection
of all moneys due the state and for
Issuance of licenses.
Transfer of the pure food functions
of the board of food distributors to
the board of health and the fair trade
practice regulation from the food
distributors to the Montana trade com
mission.
Change the designation of state en
tomologist and Montana grain in
spection laboratory, now located with
in Montana State college at Bozeman,
so they cease to exist as separate legal
entitles and vest their responsibilities
directly In the college.
Change the designation of the state
bureau of mines and geology as a
separate legal entity and vest its func
tions directly In the School of Mines
at Butte.
HUNTERS URGED
TO SAVE HIDES
Montana elk and deer hunters have
been asked by the state department of
fish and game to save and preserve
the skins of big game they take this
fall, as an essential material In the
country’s war effort.
William Voorhis, deputy game war
den, said Montana fur and hide buy
ers will purchase the skins from hunt
ers as the leather, a flexible and dur
able type, particularly is needed at
this time and the principal sources of
Import have been cut off.
In the past, he said, 90 percent of
the deer and elk hides taken were
wasted and at the same time the
United States Imported millions of
dressed deerskins.
Voorhis urged all hunters who ex
pect to take a deer or elk this season
write to the department for Informa
tion on the correct method of pre
serving a hide.
Desirable
Agricultural
Lands for Sale
IN CLARK’S FORK VALLEY JR®?™
MOri 1 Ari A
The Anaconda Copper Mining Company Lumber De
partment offers for sale on easy terms —large or small
tracts of Logged-Off Lands.
DAIRYING—
Most of the land can be used as pasture before clear
ing. Sufficient acreage should be cleared to provide
for winter feed. Dairy cows will yield a splendid profit.
HOGS AND POULTRY—
In addition to dairying, hogs and poultry can be
raised profitably. Many farmers in this area derive
good income from this source.
FRUIT AND GARDEN PRODUCE—
Apples, cherries, berries—and garden truck thrive in
the Clark’s Fork Valley.
FIELD CROPS—
Grain, clover, timothy, potatoes and stock roots are
raised successfully.
TERMS:
10 percent down. Balance 10 yearly payments, bearing
4 percent interest.
•• • •
Anaconda Copper Mining Company
LUMBER DEPARTMENT
BONNER, MONTANA
C. S. Forester
FARMERS SHOULD
PLAN FOR SPRING
PRESENT SEASON FINE FOR GET
TING PREPARATORY WORK
COMPLETED
Farmers who are planning on con
tour strip cropping next spring will
find that the present season offers an
excellent time to-get some of the pre
paratory work completed so that field
operations can be started Immediately
In the spring, says M. P. Hansmeler,
extension conservationist at Montana
State college.
At this time of year after the crop
is off. he said, it is possible to survey
and mark contour guide lines and
seed buffer strips to grass.
That contour strip cropping for
erosion control is practical from an
operations standpoint, Hansmeler calls
attention to the experience of Ed
mund Kempton who operates a ranch
near Terry. Kempton’s farm land Is
on a gentle slope beneath some hilly
land to the south from which there
Is considerable runoff after heavy
rains.
The ranch, which includes 10 sec
tions of land—part owned by Kemp
ton and part leased from the federal
government—is in the Prairie county
land utilization project. Soil conser
vation service technicians assisting the
project helped Kempton devlop his
ranch conservation plan which also
Includes development of water spread
ing devices and range management
plans.
“We had a little trouble at first
when we were plowing the land,”
Kempton writes, "but by the time we
started seeding we were used to con
tour and went along Just as easily as
on straight rows.
“This year was a wet year, but the
only place water ran off the cultivated
land was where runoff from the hill
land was concentrated in a shallow
drainage. As soon as our grass buf
fer strips between crop strips are es
tablished. there’ll be little likelihood
of erosion."
All equipment and machinery for
ships being constructed In the British
West Indies are from the United
States.
Brooking Method
(OIL VAPOR BATHS—MASSAGE)
GREATEST HELP TO HEALTH
RELAXES—STIMULATES
313 First Ave. No., Great Fall», Mont.
For Appointment Phone 2-1651
ALICE COLE, Prop.
Hotel Rainbow
MONTANA’S DISTINCTIVE HOSTELRY
Rates *l5O Up—Fireproof
GREAT FALLS - MONTANA
The Finest Foods
Served al all Meal,
Eddy’s Drive-In Case
On Illchway
EDDY GALLIVAN, M«r.
ar LUNCH or dinner n
Main SL, Butte, Mont.